Gerunds and Infinitives After Verbs
Some English verbs are followed by the -ing form (the gerund), some by to + base form (the infinitive), and a small but high-frequency group by either — with a real meaning difference. -ing verbs: enjoy, finish, avoid, consider, suggest, recommend, admit, deny, practise, miss, keep, risk, can’t help, can’t stand. To-infinitive verbs: want, need, decide, plan, hope, expect, agree, refuse, offer, promise, manage, seem, tend, would like, intend, afford, learn. And the meaning-difference group: remember, forget, stop, try — where I remember meeting her (memory of a past event) and I remembered to send the email (didn’t forget to do it) say different things entirely.
This worksheet drills B1 gerunds and infinitives after verbs, with focus on the meaning-difference group and the be used to + -ing trap.
Worksheet preview
What’s inside:
- Grammar Box with both verb groups, the four meaning-difference verbs (remember, forget, stop, try), and the be used to + -ing preposition rule
- Gap-fill: choose between gerund and infinitive for each verb in brackets
- Multiple-choice on the meaning-difference verbs (remember/forget, stop, try)
- Used to vs be used to discrimination items
- Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes on the suggest + -ing rule (never to) and the be used to + -ing preposition trap
Common mistakes addressed: enjoy / suggest / admit + to-infinitive (I enjoy to work, She suggested to move), wrong meaning-difference choice (I remembered meeting her when intending “I didn’t forget to meet her”), and be used to + base form (I am used to work late instead of I am used to working late).
For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1, in intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Verb-pattern accuracy is a recurring B1/B2 transformation target in Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) and B2 First (FCE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Gerunds & Infinitives collection — for the next step, look at Reported Speech: Statements, which drives the same patterns through reporting verbs (agree to, admit + -ing).
