> Other English exercises on the same topics: Speaking | Infinitive | -ing [Change theme]
	> Similar tests: - Vocabulary: greeting people - Vocabulary: on the phone - Adjectives-ing and ed - On the phone - Interacting with someone - Infinitive clause - Dialogue : What time...? - Conditional clauses
	> Double-click on words you don't understand

Infinitive or Gerund

Infinitive or gerund?

A) You have understood quite well that THE INFINITIVE  MUST BE USED after some verbs expressing will-power (allow, advise, ask, expect, force, order, prefer, tell, wait for, want), you think the infinitive is much more difficult to use in some other cases. 

1)  The INFINITIVE may express an aim, a purpose:

 - I came back to give you my answer as soon as possible. 

2)  The INFINITIVE  often follows an adjective:

- It would be very careless to drive in this blizzard.

3)  More generally speaking, the INFINITIVE is used after a great number of impersonal forms: It's difficult to do it, it's important to..., it's easy to, it's unbelievable to...

- It's really easy to do this exercise when you have studied the lesson. 

B) On the contrary, when you want to express  an infinitive with the meaning of  "the fact of" or "the fact that", you must then use a gerund (which is used like a noun and may be replaced by a noun). It's formed with the BASE VERB + ing.

- Driving in this weather is not safe at all... Be careful!  

- Of course, I agree with you... going to the swimming pool very often is good for your health. 

- Reading lots of books  will help you be good at spelling.

                                                                                         The tooth-fairy

Well! That's it! Now, you have all the necessary elements to succeed in the test... and to know why Lucy hesitates whether she wants to grow old, or not! 

Twitter Share
English exercise "Infinitive or Gerund" created by here4u with The test builder. [More lessons & exercises from here4u]
Click here to see the current stats of this English test

Please log in to save your progress.

Little Lucy would like to stayingstaystayingto stayfor stayI don't know little!


1) To beingTo beBeingBeFor beI don't know a 'big girl' is no easy thing. It's important understandingto understandfor understandunderstandI don't know that parents are always right... Endlessly, they tell you to tidytidyingfor tidyingto tidyingI don't know up your room... They would like you to beto beingbeingfor beingI don't know perfect...
2) For tidyingTo tidyTidyingTo tidyingTidyI don't know up is boring. I hate it. Why is it necessary for puttingto putputtingfor putI don't know my toys back into their boxes when I want playingplayfor plaingto playI don't know with them again immediately. I need to havinghavingto havefor havingI don't know the choice of the little characters I want for puttingputputtingto putI don't know in the different scenes I imagine. Having to lookto lookinglookinglookfor lookingI don't know for the fairy in every box when I need it is no fun.
3) Oh! Fairies! I like playingfor playingplayto playingI don't know with model fairies... but my favourite one is the tooth-fairy. She has brought me a little reward for the first baby-tooth I lost! LosingFor loseLoseTo loseI don't know a tooth is a real adventure! Really, it would be stupid for not acceptnot acceptnot acceptingnot to acceptI don't know to lose your teeth!