Mastering Gerunds and Infinitives for the TOEFL Exam: English grammar is a complex and fascinating subject, and understanding its intricacies is crucial for performing well on the TOEFL Exam. Among the various grammar structures, gerunds and infinitives are particularly ubiquitous. Mastering these verbals can significantly enhance your performance in both the speaking and writing sections of the TOEFL. In this blog post, we will explore the basic rules for distinguishing between gerunds and infinitives, explain passive forms, and discuss their usage in past events. We will also conclude with a 50-question multiple-choice quiz to test your understanding.
Table of Contents
Mastering Gerunds and Infinitives for the TOEFL Exam: Understanding Gerunds and Infinitives
Gerunds are verb forms that end in “-ing” and function as nouns. For example:
- Swimming is fun.
- He enjoys reading.
Infinitives are the base form of the verb, often preceded by “to.” For example:
- He wants to swim.
- She decided to read.
Both gerunds and infinitives can act as subjects, objects, or complements in a sentence. However, their usage depends on the main verb or the context.
Mastering Gerunds and Infinitives for the TOEFL Exam: Basic Rules for Using Gerunds and Infinitives
- Gerunds as Subjects and Objects:
- Subject: Running is good exercise.
- Object: She enjoys running.
- Infinitives as Subjects and Objects:
- Subject: To run is good exercise.
- Object: She decided to run.
- Verbs Followed by Gerunds:
- Common verbs that are followed by gerunds include: enjoy, mind, suggest, avoid, and consider.
- Example: She enjoys swimming.
- Verbs Followed by Infinitives:
- Common verbs that are followed by infinitives include: want, decide, promise, plan, and hope.
- Example: She hopes to swim.
- Verbs Followed by Either Gerunds or Infinitives with a Change in Meaning:
- Example:
- Stop: He stopped smoking (He quit smoking).
- He stopped to smoke (He stopped what he was doing in order to smoke).
- Example:
- Verbs Followed by Either Gerunds or Infinitives with No Change in Meaning:
- Example:
- Start: She started crying.
- She started to cry.
- Example:
Passive Gerunds and Infinitives
Passive Gerunds:
- Passive gerunds are formed by combining “being” with the past participle of the verb.
- Example: She likes being praised.
Passive Infinitives:
- Passive infinitives are formed by combining “to be” with the past participle of the verb.
- Example: He wants to be praised.
Using Gerunds and Infinitives to Talk About Past Events
When discussing past events, gerunds and infinitives can be used to indicate completed actions or ongoing activities at a point in the past.
- Gerunds: Often used to describe past actions or states that were ongoing or habitual.
- Example: He remembered visiting the museum every summer.
- Infinitives: Often used to describe actions intended or expected to happen.
- Example: She hoped to visit the museum last summer.
50 Multiple Choice Quiz Questions
- Choose the correct form: She enjoys _______ (to swim/swimming).
- a) to swim
- b) swimming
- Choose the correct form: He wants _______ (to play/playing) basketball.
- a) to play
- b) playing
- Choose the correct form: They suggested _______ (to go/going) to the park.
- a) to go
- b) going
- Choose the correct form: We decided _______ (to travel/traveling) to Japan.
- a) to travel
- b) traveling
- Choose the correct form: She avoided _______ (to speak/speaking) in public.
- a) to speak
- b) speaking
- Choose the correct form: He promised _______ (to help/helping) me with my homework.
- a) to help
- b) helping
- Choose the correct form: She stopped _______ (to eat/eating) candy.
- a) to eat
- b) eating
- Choose the correct form: They started _______ (to work/working) on the project.
- a) to work
- b) working
- Choose the correct form: She remembered _______ (to lock/locking) the door.
- a) to lock
- b) locking
- Choose the correct form: He likes _______ (to read/reading) books.
- a) to read
- b) reading
- Choose the correct form: She hopes _______ (to become/becoming) a doctor.
- a) to become
- b) becoming
- Choose the correct form: They planned _______ (to build/building) a new house.
- a) to build
- b) building
- Choose the correct form: She needs _______ (to finish/finishing) her work.
- a) to finish
- b) finishing
- Choose the correct form: He can’t stand _______ (to wait/waiting) in line.
- a) to wait
- b) waiting
- Choose the correct form: She enjoys _______ (to sing/singing) in the choir.
- a) to sing
- b) singing
- Choose the correct form: He intends _______ (to join/joining) the team.
- a) to join
- b) joining
- Choose the correct form: They avoided _______ (to talk/talking) about politics.
- a) to talk
- b) talking
- Choose the correct form: She forgot _______ (to call/calling) her friend.
- a) to call
- b) calling
- Choose the correct form: He suggested _______ (to take/taking) a break.
- a) to take
- b) taking
- Choose the correct form: She tried _______ (to explain/explaining) the problem.
- a) to explain
- b) explaining
- Choose the correct form: He stopped _______ (to work/working) on the project.
- a) to work
- b) working
- Choose the correct form: They started _______ (to clean/cleaning) the house.
- a) to clean
- b) cleaning
- Choose the correct form: She continued _______ (to study/studying) late into the night.
- a) to study
- b) studying
- Choose the correct form: He hates _______ (to wait/waiting) for others.
- a) to wait
- b) waiting
- Choose the correct form: She needed _______ (to buy/buying) groceries.
- a) to buy
- b) buying
- Choose the correct form: They finished _______ (to eat/eating) their dinner.
- a) to eat
- b) eating
- Choose the correct form: She remembered _______ (to send/sending) the email.
- a) to send
- b) sending
- Choose the correct form: He tried _______ (to open/opening) the door.
- a) to open
- b) opening
- Choose the correct form: She suggested _______ (to call/calling) the doctor.
- a) to call
- b) calling
- Choose the correct form: He enjoys _______ (to cook/cooking) for his family.
- a) to cook
- b) cooking
- Choose the correct form: She decided _______ (to attend/attending) the meeting.
- a) to attend
- b) attending
- Choose the correct form: They planned _______ (to visit/visiting) the museum.
- a) to visit
- b) visiting
- Choose the correct form: She wants _______ (to learn/learning) French.
- a) to learn
- b) learning
- Choose the correct form: He likes _______ (to paint/painting) landscapes.
- a) to paint
- b) painting
- Choose the correct form: She needs _______ (to organize/organizing) her desk.
- a) to organize
- b) organizing
- Choose the correct form: They tried _______ (to solve/solving) the puzzle.
- a) to solve
- b) solving
- Choose the correct form: She continued _______ (to write/writing) her novel.
- a) to write
- b) writing
- Choose the correct form: He hates _______ (to wake/waking) up early.
- a) to wake
- b) waking
- Choose the correct form: She finished _______ (to read/reading) the book.
- a) to read
- b) reading
- Choose the correct form: They decided _______ (to go
/going) on a trip. – a) to go – b) going
- Choose the correct form: He forgot _______ (to turn/turning) off the lights.
- a) to turn
- b) turning
- Choose the correct form: She stopped _______ (to make/making) noise.
- a) to make
- b) making
- Choose the correct form: He wants _______ (to be/being) successful.
- a) to be
- b) being
- Choose the correct form: They tried _______ (to fix/fixing) the car.
- a) to fix
- b) fixing
- Choose the correct form: She likes _______ (to listen/listening) to music.
- a) to listen
- b) listening
- Choose the correct form: He planned _______ (to meet/meeting) his friends.
- a) to meet
- b) meeting
- Choose the correct form: She decided _______ (to change/changing) her major.
- a) to change
- b) changing
- Choose the correct form: He needs _______ (to improve/improving) his skills.
- a) to improve
- b) improving
- Choose the correct form: They wanted _______ (to win/winning) the game.
- a) to win
- b) winning
- Choose the correct form: She enjoys _______ (to watch/watching) movies.
- a) to watch
- b) watching
Answer Key
- b) swimming
- a) to play
- b) going
- a) to travel
- b) speaking
- a) to help
- b) eating
- b) working
- b) locking
- b) reading
- a) to become
- a) to build
- a) to finish
- b) waiting
- b) singing
- a) to join
- b) talking
- a) to call
- b) taking
- a) to explain
- b) working
- b) cleaning
- b) studying
- b) waiting
- a) to buy
- b) eating
- b) sending
- a) to open
- b) calling
- b) cooking
- a) to attend
- a) to visit
- a) to learn
- b) painting
- a) to organize
- a) to solve
- b) writing
- b) waking
- b) reading
- a) to go
- a) to turn
- b) making
- a) to be
- a) to fix
- b) listening
- a) to meet
- a) to change
- a) to improve
- a) to win
- b) watching
Mastering gerunds and infinitives is essential for excelling in the TOEFL speaking and writing sections. By understanding and practicing these grammar structures, you will be well-prepared to handle a variety of questions and prompts effectively. Happy studying!
Michael Buckhoff, mbuckhoff@aol.com