Gerunds vs Infinitives— B1 Grammar Exercises
Published March 14, 2026
Exercise 1 — Multiple Choice
I enjoy ____ in the park on weekends.
She decided ____ to the party after all.
He avoided ____ the truth during the meeting.
They promised ____ us the details later.
I can't stand ____ in long lines.
She forgot ____ her homework at home.
We discussed ____ the project in detail.
He seems ____ very happy with the results.
They suggested ____ a new plan for the project.
I would like ____ a coffee, please.
Your friend says, "I enjoy swimming." Another friend says, "I want to swim." Both sentences are correct — but you cannot swap them. You cannot say I enjoy to swim or I want swimming. The verb before it decides whether you need the gerund (-ing) or the infinitive (to + verb).
Form
| Gerund (-ing) | Infinitive (to + verb) | |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | She enjoys reading. | She wants to read. |
| Negative | She avoids eating late. | She decided not to eat late. |
| Question | Do you enjoy cooking? | Do you want to cook? |
Notice the negative infinitive: not goes before to. You say He promised not to be late, not He promised to not be late.
Verbs Followed by the Gerund
Some verbs are always followed by the -ing form. There is no grammar rule that predicts which ones — you need to learn them as vocabulary.
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| enjoy | Tom enjoys playing chess. |
| avoid | She avoids driving at night. |
| finish | Have you finished writing the report? |
| mind | I don't mind waiting. |
| suggest | He suggested taking a taxi. |
| keep | The dog keeps barking. |
| practise | Maria practises speaking English every day. |
| imagine | Can you imagine living in another country? |
| give up | He gave up smoking last year. |
Verbs Followed by the Infinitive
Other verbs are always followed by to + base verb.
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| want | I want to leave early. |
| decide | She decided to study medicine. |
| hope | We hope to see you soon. |
| plan | They plan to move next month. |
| promise | He promised to call me. |
| need | You need to rest. |
| learn | My daughter is learning to ride a bike. |
| offer | He offered to help us. |
| refuse | She refused to answer. |
Verbs That Take Both — With a Change in Meaning
A small group of verbs can take either the gerund or the infinitive, but the meaning changes. These cause the most confusion.
1. remember
I remember locking the door. = I locked it. I have the memory.
Remember to lock the door. = Don't forget. Lock it later.
The gerund refers to something that already happened. The infinitive refers to something you still need to do.
2. stop
He stopped smoking. = He quit. He doesn't smoke any more.
He stopped to smoke. = He paused what he was doing in order to have a cigarette.
3. try
Try pressing the red button. = Do this as an experiment. Maybe it will work.
I tried to press the button, but it was stuck. = I attempted it but couldn't.
4. forget
I'll never forget meeting her. = The memory stays with me.
Don't forget to meet her at 3. = A task you must do later.
Verbs That Take Both — No Change in Meaning
Some verbs accept either form with little or no difference. The most common:
She started working here in March. = She started to work here in March.
I love travelling. = I love to travel.
Other verbs in this group: begin, continue, hate, prefer, like. At B1 level, either form is correct with these verbs. Don't overthink it.
Gerund After a Preposition
When a verb comes after a preposition, it must be the gerund. This is a fixed rule with no exceptions.
She's good at drawing.
I'm tired of waiting.
He left without saying goodbye.
They talked about moving to Canada.
Common Mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| I enjoy to read. | I enjoy reading. | Enjoy takes the gerund. |
| She decided studying law. | She decided to study law. | Decide takes the infinitive. |
| I'm looking forward to see you. | I'm looking forward to seeing you. | Here to is a preposition, not part of an infinitive. |
| He suggested to take a break. | He suggested taking a break. | Suggest takes the gerund. |
| She wants going home. | She wants to go home. | Want takes the infinitive. |
| I'm used to work late. | I'm used to working late. | Used to here is adjective + preposition. See used to vs be used to. |
| He promised to not tell anyone. | He promised not to tell anyone. | Not goes before to. |
Quick Summary
- The verb before decides: gerund or infinitive. There is no shortcut — you learn them verb by verb.
- After a preposition, always use the gerund. No exceptions.
- With remember, stop, try, forget: gerund = looking back, infinitive = looking forward.
- With start, begin, love, hate, prefer: both forms are correct with no real difference.
- Negative infinitive: put not before to — She asked me not to leave.
Related Topics
For more verb patterns at a higher level, including verbs with objects before the infinitive (I told him to wait), see verb patterns: gerunds and infinitives (B2). If you want to review how used to and be used to work differently, see used to and would: past habits. For reporting verbs that take the gerund or infinitive, see reported speech: statements.
