English Grammar Exercises for B1 B2 – Verb + to-infinitive or -ing

A. Write the verbs under the correct headings.

B. Underline the correct option(s). Sometimes both options are possible.

1   Mike enjoys to play / playing golf.

2   Do we need to bring / bringing anything?

3   I never recommended to do / doing that.

4   Why didn’t you ask Jonny to come / coming?

5   Start to cook / cooking the potatoes first.

6   Everything will be all right if you keep on to work / working.

7   Jane doesn’t want to become / becoming a doctor like her mum.

8   I really miss to have / having a car.

9   Dogs don’t like to be / being alone.

10   Would you like to go / going first?

11   I avoided to see / seeing her for a long time.

12   But we arranged to meet / meeting!

C. Match the pairs.

a   to have a rich husband one day.

b   listening to the radio in the morning.

a   to repair it.

b   repairing.

a   to tell you that you have not passed.

b   not studying harder at school.

a   to give the keys to Simon.

b   giving the keys to Simon.

a   thinking about it.

b   to think for a moment.

a   to meet her at the station.

b   meeting her for the first time.

D. Circle the correct option.

Greg LeMond was the first American winner of the Tour de France cycle race. He decided 1…… a cyclist when he was still at school and 2…… to win a lot of prizes. LeMond missed 3…… to the Moscow Olympics in 1980 because of political problems between the USA and the USSR. Today he regrets 4…… the chance to win a gold medal.

LeMond won his first Tour de France in 1986 and his future seemed 5…… very good, but the next year LeMond had a terrible accident. He was accidentally shot in the back on a hunting trip and he needed 6…… a very serious operation. LeMond had 7…… to take part in the 1987 Tour de France but his doctors didn’t recommend 8…… the hospital.

This was a tragedy but LeMond 9…… to retire from the sport and he kept 10…… he could return to cycling. Two years later he started 11…… again. In 1989 he dramatically won the Tour de France on the last day of the race, and he was the winner again in 1990.

LeMond stopped 12…… in 1994 and opened a sports business with his father.

1   a become     b becoming     c to become     d to have become

2   a began     b enjoyed     c would like     d remembered

3   a go     b to go     c going     d having gone

4   a to lose     b to have lost     c to losing     d having lost

5   a to be     b to being     c being     d have been

6   a to have     b have     c having     d had

7   a suggested     b liked     c denied     d arranged

8   a to leave     b leaving     c not leaving     d not to leaving

9   a denied     b missed     c refused     d avoided

10   a believe     b to believe     c believing     d belief

11   a train     b trains     c training     d to training

12   a to cycle     b cycle     c having cycled     d cycling

E. Rewrite each sentence so that it has a similar meaning, using the verb in brackets.

1    Susan really likes shopping. (love)

      Susan loves shopping.

2    Mick: Why don’t you buy some flowers? (suggest)

      ……………………………………………….

3    Andy won’t be able to finish all the work. (manage)

      ……………………………………………….

4   Steve wants to have a coffee. (would like)

      ……………………………………………….

5    Kate: I won’t do it. (refuse)

      ……………………………………………….

6    Jo: I didn’t steal the money. (deny)

      ……………………………………………….

7    Kay wanted to meet at 7.00. (arrange)

      ……………………………………………….

8    Maggie’s hair is dirty. (need)

      ……………………………………………….

F. Complete the news story using the words in the box and the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

Seventy-two-year-old Ruth Wilkes was surprised to find a zebra in her garden yesterday morning. The zebra ran away from Chester Zoo on Wednesday and the zoo 1……admits being…… (be) responsible. No one knows how the zebra got into Mrs Wilkes’s garden.

Mrs Wilkes doesn’t 2………………………… (see) the zebra on Wednesday evening. She often 3………………………… (take) a little walk in her garden in the morning and that is when she saw the zebra. Mrs Wilkes was shocked but she did 4………………………… (phone) the zoo and they quickly came to help her.

‘Well, it didn’t 5………………………… (be) dangerous,’ said Mrs Wilkes, ‘but I 6………………………… (have) birds in the garden!’

The manager of Chester Zoo said, ‘I 7………………………… (apologise) to Mrs Wilkes. We will 8………………………… (give) her and her grandchildren free tickets to the zoo.’ But what about the zebra? ‘I’m sure the zebra will never 9………………………… (go) on its little holiday!’

Chester police 10………………………… (investigate) the incident.

G. Complete these sentences so that they are true for you.

1   I enjoy ……watching horror films. …….

2   I really hate ……………………………………… .

3   One day I would like ……………………………………… .

4   I sometimes forget ……………………………………… .

5   I’ve never tried ……………………………………… .

6   I can remember ……………………………………… when I was very young.

H. Circle the correct option.

1   Oprah wanted …………… to college.

      a to go     b going     c either a or b

2   Did she promise her grandmother …………… hard?

      a to study     b studying     c either a or b

3   I’ve always enjoyed …………… .

      a to run     b running     c either a or b

4   I suggested …………… the Oprah Winfrey show.

      a to watch     b watching     c either a or b

5   Oprah wants to continue …………… on TV.

      a to work     b working     c either a or b