Gerunds and infinitives Choose the correct forms We use gerunds after prepositions (e.g without, before) and after certain verbs (e.g enjoy, can’t stand, afraid of) She left without saying goodbye He enjoys going rollerblading at the weekend Tony wants to go / going travelling before he goes to university We use infinitives after certain verbs (e.g want, hope, offer) Paul offered to repair Sue’s bike After some verbs (e.g like, love, hate, prefer, start, continue) we can use either the gerund or infinitive with no change in meaning I like playing tennis I like to play tennis Rewrite the sentences using gerunds Tim cycled into town He didn’t stop Tim cycled into town without stopping Rachel lost the race She was very angry Rachel was angry about…………………… …………………………………………… We didn’t go to the cinema, we watched a video at home Instead of………………………………… …………………………………………… Ivan passed his driving test because he practised every weekend By ………………………………………… …………………………………………… Gillian read the newspaper then she phoned her friend Before…………………………………… …………………………………………… They left the disco and went for a coffee After ……………………………………… …………………………………………… Jake has split up with his girlfriend He’s upset Jake is upset about………………………… …………………………………………… … He promised to buy / buying her a diamond ring for their anniversary Have you ever considered studying / to study abroad? He agreed to buy / buying the motorbike for £2,000 John has been a farmer for twenty years He’s used to getting up / get up early It’s cold today You shouldn’t go out without wearing / to wear your coat Complete the story with gerunds or infinitives A haunted house When I was a child I used to spend my holidays at my aunt and uncle’s old country house One summer I remember having (have) a strange experience It was a hot afternoon, and my cousins suggested 1……………… (play) hide-andseek But instead of 2……………… (go) outside, we decided 3……………… (play) in the attic After 4……………… (turn off) all the lights, we all hid in different places I managed 5……………… (hide) behind an old sofa Then something odd happened In the darkness we heard footsteps come into the room The footsteps seemed 6……………… (walk) towards the sofa I wanted 7……………… (move), but I couldn’t I expected something terrible 8……………… (happen) Then suddenly the footsteps stopped and the door slammed shut After 9……………… (wait) for a few seconds, we jumped up and ran downstairs without 10……………… (stop) We told my aunt and uncle, but they refused 11……………… (believe) us Mysteriously the house burned down a year later The fire started in the attic ANSWER KEY Gerunds and infinitives 1 Rachel was angry about losing the race Instead of going to the cinema, we watched a video at home By practising every weekend, Ivan passed his driving test Before phoning her friend, Gillian read the newspaper After leaving the disco, they went for a coffee Jake is upset about splitting up with his girlfriend to go to buy studying to buy getting up wearing playing to move going to happen to play waiting turning off 10 stopping to hide 11 to believe to walk