WPWord Play

Gerunds & Infinitives

LESSON
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REVIEW
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ANSWER KEY
Answer Key
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Gerunds & Infinitives

Grammar Reference

Form Example
-ing onlyenjoy · avoid · consider · admit · missI enjoy swimming.
to onlyagree · decide · manage · refuse · hopeShe refused to answer.
Meaning changeremember/forget/stop/try + -ing vs tostopped smoking ≠ stopped to smoke
would likealways + to infinitiveI'd like to have coffee.

Gerunds & Infinitives — Exercises

Gerund or infinitive? Choose

Tap the correct form.

  1. The company decided to invest / investing in renewable energy to reduce its carbon footprint.
    (to invest / investing) 
  2. She suggested to introduce / introducing a carbon tax to reduce fossil fuel dependency.
    (introducing / to introduce) 
  3. He avoided to discuss / discussing the impact of automation on the workforce.
    (discussing / to discuss) 
  4. The government refused to address / addressing the link between inequality and poor mental health.
    (to address / addressing) 
  5. She admitted to underestimate / underestimating the impact of deforestation on biodiversity.
    (underestimating / to underestimate) 
  6. The entrepreneurs plan to launch / launching a sustainable packaging start-up next year.
    (to launch / launching) 
  7. The workforce is used to deal / dealing with rapid technological change.
    (dealing / deal) 
  8. The company struggled to reduce / reducing its digital footprint.
    (to reduce / reducing) 
  9. Many workers are keen on to retrain / retraining for jobs that automation cannot replace.
    (retraining / to retrain) 
  10. She managed to secure / securing funding for her renewable energy project.
    (to secure / securing) 

Meaning change — stop, remember, forget, try

Choose the form that gives the correct meaning.

  1. The factory stopped to produce / producing fossil fuels. (It no longer produces them.)
    (producing / to produce) 
  2. She stopped to check / checking her carbon footprint data before the meeting. (She paused to do it.)
    (to check / checking) 
  3. I remember to read / reading about the link between automation and inequality last year. (I have a memory of it.)
    (reading / to read) 
  4. Remember to submit / submitting the carbon footprint report before the deadline. (Don't forget to do it.)
    (to submit / submitting) 

Complete with gerund or infinitive

Use the verb in brackets in the correct form.

  1. The government is considering (introduce) a universal basic income to tackle inequality.
  2. She managed (negotiate) a deal to reduce the company's carbon emissions by 30%.
  3. The company postponed (publish) its annual data privacy report.
  4. He denied (be) aware of the data breach when it first occurred.
  5. The workforce needs (adapt) to the disruption caused by automation.
  6. She regrets (not / challenge) the company's fossil fuel policy earlier.
  7. The analyst recommended (invest) in biodiversity-positive projects.
  8. The CEO admitted (underestimate) the scale of the data privacy problem.
  9. The start-up appears (struggle) with the rapid pace of digital disruption.
  10. Workers are learning (cope) with the uncertainty caused by automation.
  11. The politician proposed (reduce) carbon emissions through a national green energy programme.
  12. She insists on (use) only renewable energy at all company sites.

Key word transformation

  1. She didn't know about the data breach. AWAREShe admitted not ______ the data breach.
  2. The company said it would tackle inequality. COMMITTEDThe company committed ______ inequality.
  3. It was a mistake for the government not to regulate fossil fuels earlier. REGRETSThe government regrets ______ fossil fuels earlier.
  4. It's impossible to overstate the impact of automation on the workforce. OVERSTATINGThere's no ______ the impact of automation on the workforce.

Gerunds & Infinitives — Answer Key

Gerund or infinitive? Choose

  1. to invest
  2. introducing
  3. discussing
  4. to address
  5. underestimating
  6. to launch
  7. dealing
  8. to reduce
  9. retraining
  10. to secure

Meaning change — stop, remember, forget, try

  1. producing
  2. to check
  3. reading
  4. to submit

Complete with gerund or infinitive

  1. introducing
  2. to negotiate
  3. publishing
  4. being
  5. to adapt
  6. not having challenged
  7. investing
  8. underestimating
  9. to be struggling
  10. to cope
  11. reducing
  12. using

Key word transformation

  1. being aware of
  2. to tackling
  3. not having regulated
  4. overstating