Advanced Gerunds and Infinitives: B2 Exercises

Every answer with the reason behind it. Read the explanation for the ones you got right as well — that is where you find out whether you were right for the right reason.

Multiple choice questions — answers

1. The manuscript is believed ___ in a monastery fire. → to have been destroyed

A completed past event reported passively takes the perfect passive infinitive.

2. He is alleged ___ payments from at least two contractors. → to have accepted

The perfect infinitive places the alleged action before the allegation itself.

3. She appears ___ on the second volume already. → to be working

The continuous infinitive describes something in progress at the time of the observation.

4. I distinctly remember ___ the back door before we left. → locking

Remember plus a gerund recalls an action you actually performed.

5. Please remember ___ the alarm on your way out this evening. → to set

Remember plus an infinitive is about not forgetting a duty that lies ahead.

6. I regret ___ you that your application was unsuccessful. → to tell

Regret plus an infinitive delivers bad news at the moment of speaking.

7. He deeply regrets ___ the email before he had calmed down. → sending

Regret plus a gerund looks back at something the subject actually did.

8. She stopped ___ a cigarette halfway up the hill. → to smoke

Stop plus an infinitive gives the purpose of stopping; stop smoking would mean giving up.

9. Nobody enjoys ___ in front of their colleagues. → being criticised

Enjoy takes a gerund, and the passive gerund is being plus the participle.

10. He denied ___ the document at any stage of the inquiry. → having seen

Deny takes a gerund, and the perfect gerund marks the action as earlier still.

11. Which sentence is INCORRECT? → She seems having forgotten.

Seem takes an infinitive in all its forms and never a gerund.

12. Try ___ the window — the room is unbearable. → opening

Try plus a gerund suggests an experiment; try to open would mean making an effort.

13. The difference between 'I stopped to read it' and 'I stopped reading it' is that ___. → the first means you paused in order to read, the second that you gave up

The infinitive gives the purpose of stopping; the gerund names what stopped.

14. She expects ___ the post before the end of the month. → to be offered

The subject receives the offer, so the passive infinitive is required.

15. After an hour of small talk he went on ___ what he had actually come for. → to ask

Go on plus an infinitive means moving to a new stage; the gerund would mean continuing.

16. I did not mean ___ anybody by mentioning it. → to upset

Mean plus an infinitive expresses intention; mean plus a gerund expresses a consequence.

17. Taking the job ___ moving three hundred miles, which she was not prepared to do. → meant

Mean plus a gerund reports what something involves rather than what somebody intended.

18. The building is thought ___ empty for over a decade. → to have stood

A period completed before the reporting takes the perfect infinitive.

19. She resents ___ for decisions she had no part in. → being blamed

Resent takes a gerund, and the passive form is being plus the past participle.

20. Which sentence reports something believed to have happened earlier? → He is said to have been wealthy.

The perfect infinitive after a reporting passive places the state in the past.

Fill-in-the-blank questions — answers

1. The vase is thought to ___ been made in the fifteenth century. → have

The perfect infinitive is to plus this auxiliary plus the past participle.

2. He claims to ___ misled by his own accountants. → have

A perfect passive infinitive needs this auxiliary before been and the participle.

3. She seems to ___ working far harder than anyone else on the team. → be

The continuous infinitive is to plus this verb plus the -ing form.

4. I remember ___ him at a conference years ago, though he does not remember me. → meeting

Remember plus a gerund recalls something the subject actually did.

5. Do remember ___ book the room before somebody else takes it. → to

Remember plus an infinitive concerns a duty that still lies ahead.

6. We regret ___ inform you that the service has been withdrawn. → to

This verb plus an infinitive delivers bad news at the moment of writing.

7. He regrets ___ the offer down without asking for time to think. → turning

Regret plus a gerund looks back at something already done.

8. She stopped ___ ask for directions at the second roundabout. → to

Stop plus an infinitive gives the purpose for which the stop was made.

9. Nobody likes ___ told what to do by somebody half their age. → being

The passive gerund is this word plus the past participle.

10. He denied ___ seen the memorandum before the meeting. → having

The perfect gerund is this word plus the past participle.

11. Try ___ it off and on again before you call the helpdesk. → switching

Try plus a gerund suggests an experiment worth attempting.

12. I tried ___ reach her all afternoon but the line was engaged. → to

Try plus an infinitive reports an effort that was made and failed.

13. The reforms are alleged to ___ cost the sector thousands of jobs. → have

A perfect infinitive places the alleged consequence before the allegation.

14. Accepting the post would ___ relocating the entire family. → mean

This verb plus a gerund reports what a decision involves.

15. I never meant ___ cause so much trouble over a single sentence. → to

Mean plus an infinitive expresses what somebody intended.

16. She expects ___ be promoted within eighteen months. → to

The passive infinitive after a verb of expectation begins with this word.

17. He went on ___ describe the incident in unnecessary detail. → to

Go on plus an infinitive marks a move to the next stage of a talk.

18. She resents ___ excluded from decisions that affect her department. → being

The passive gerund after a verb of feeling uses this form.

19. The company is understood to ___ considering a takeover bid. → be

A continuous infinitive after a reporting passive uses this verb plus the -ing form.

20. After the audit he admitted ___ overstated the figures. → having

The perfect gerund after a verb of admission uses this word plus a participle.

Sentence structure: word ordering — answers

1. Report a past theft using a perfect passive infinitive. → The painting is believed to have been stolen.

Report a past theft using a perfect passive infinitive.

2. Report a legal allegation about the past. → He is alleged to have accepted the payments.

Report a legal allegation about the past.

3. Describe an activity in progress using an infinitive. → She appears to be working on something new.

Describe an activity in progress using an infinitive.

4. Recall an action you actually carried out. → I remember locking the door behind me.

Recall an action you actually carried out.

5. Remind someone of a duty that lies ahead. → Remember to lock the door when you leave.

Remind someone of a duty that lies ahead.

6. Look back at something you wish you had not done. → I regret telling him about the interview.

Look back at something you wish you had not done.

7. Deliver bad news at the moment of writing. → We regret to tell you the post is filled.

Deliver bad news at the moment of writing.

8. Use a passive gerund after a verb of feeling. → Nobody enjoys being corrected in public.

Use a passive gerund after a verb of feeling.

9. Deny an earlier action using a perfect gerund. → He denied having seen the email at all.

Deny an earlier action using a perfect gerund.

10. Use a passive infinitive when the subject receives the action. → She expects to be offered the directorship.

Use a passive infinitive when the subject receives the action.

11. Give the purpose of stopping. → We stopped to look at the view twice.

Give the purpose of stopping.

12. Say what somebody gave up doing. → He stopped answering his phone in the evenings.

Say what somebody gave up doing.

13. Suggest an experiment worth attempting. → Try restarting the machine before you panic.

Suggest an experiment worth attempting.

14. Report an effort that did not succeed. → I tried to warn them but nobody listened.

Report an effort that did not succeed.

15. Say what a decision would involve. → Taking the job would mean leaving London.

Say what a decision would involve.

16. Deny that something was intentional. → I did not mean to interrupt your call.

Deny that something was intentional.

17. Report an unattributed claim about a past period. → The house is said to have stood empty for years.

Report an unattributed claim about a past period.

18. Describe something done to the subject that she dislikes. → She resents being left out of the discussion.

Describe something done to the subject that she dislikes.

19. Concede an earlier mistake using a perfect gerund. → He admitted having misread the instructions.

Concede an earlier mistake using a perfect gerund.

20. Describe the next stage of a career. → He went on to become the youngest editor there.

Describe the next stage of a career.