Gerunds and Infinitives as Objects of Verbs


Name ___________________________________

GERUND/INFINITIVE mini-quiz

Complete these sentences with a gerund or an infinitive phrase, with a subject if necessary/possible:

1. IEI students avoid
2. IEI students can't afford
3 IEI students remember
4. IEI students often hesitate
5. IEI students never finish
6. IEI students sometimes imagine
7. IEI students postpone
8. IEI students sometimes miss
9. IEI students can practice

10. IEI teachers advise
11. IEI teachers hope
12. IEI teachers should teach
13. IEI teachers expect
14. IEI teachers recommend
15. IEI teachers don't seem
16. IEI teachers should warn
17. IEI teachers offer
18. IEI teachers need
19. IEI teachers encourage
20. IEI teachers try to prepare


Put the following verbs in lists, according to what kinds of infinitives or gerunds can be their objects. (Here is a list for your reference) Then click to check your answers. Then you will be ready to check your own answers to the quiz. NOTE: This exercise is intended to practice using gerunds and infinitives that are controlled by the verbs they are objects of. If your answers to any of these sentences don't fit these "rules", but still seem correct to you, consider whether you may have used an infinitive that indicates purpose (I finished (work) quickly to go to the movie.) or a gerund that has a very "noun-like" meaning (We can't afford that painting) . Neither of these would be controlled by the choice of verb.

advise
(can't) afford
avoid
encourage
expect
finish
hesitate
hope
imagine
miss
need
offer
postpone
practice
prepare
recommend
remember
seem
teach
warn

V + infinitive: ( ____ to eat.)







V + gerund: ( ____ eating.)







V (+ N/Pn) + infinitive: ( ____ (him) to eat.)







V + gerund OR V + infintive: ( ____ to eat / eating.)







V + N/Pn + infinitive: ( ____ him to eat.)







V + gerund OR V + N/Pn + infinitive: ( ___ eating / him to eat.)








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Ann Salzmann
Intensive English Institute
University of Illinois