Gerunds – English Grammar Exercises for A2
Choose the best answer (A, B, or C) to complete each sentence. The context of this test is a post on a travel forum where you are reviewing a fantastic local museum and recommending it to other travelers who share your interests.
1 If you are interested in ______ about local history, this museum is the perfect place for you.
(a) learning
(b) learn
(c) to learn
2 I highly recommend this place to anyone who enjoys ______ ancient artifacts.
(a) explore
(b) exploring
(c) to explore
3 We spent three wonderful hours ______ around the beautiful sculpture garden.
(a) walking
(b) walk
(c) to walk
4 Are you fond of ______ interactive science exhibits? Then you must visit the first floor!
(a) to visit
(b) visit
(c) visiting
5 My family absolutely loves ______ time in the dinosaur gallery.
(a) spend
(b) spending
(c) spent
6 Instead of ______ in long lines at the entrance, you should buy your tickets online.
(a) wait
(b) waiting
(c) to wait
7 I strongly suggest ______ an audio guide so you can understand the paintings better.
(a) getting
(b) get
(c) to get
8 If you are tired of ______ boring museums, this amazing place will definitely surprise you!
(a) visiting
(b) visit
(c) to visit
9 How about ______ the museum café for a quick lunch? Their sandwiches are delicious.
(a) to try
(b) try
(c) trying
10 This history museum is famous for ______ the largest collection of gold coins in the country.
(a) having
(b) have
(c) to have
11 The tour guide was very good at ______ the exciting stories behind each historical event.
(a) explaining
(b) explain
(c) explainning
12 You really cannot leave the museum without ______ a small souvenir from the wonderful gift shop.
(a) buy
(b) to buy
(c) buying
13 I advise ______ early in the morning to avoid the big crowds of tourists.
(a) to arrive
(b) arriving
(c) arrive
14 After ______ the main exhibition, you can relax by the fountain in the courtyard.
(a) finish
(b) to finish
(c) finishing
15 We are already looking forward to ______ the new modern art exhibition next month.
(a) seeing
(b) see
(c) saw
16 Thank you for not ______ photos with a flash inside the gallery, as it damages the delicate artwork.
(a) taking
(b) take
(c) to take
17 Reading the information signs and ______ to the audio guide gave me a deep understanding of the city.
(a) listen
(b) to listen
(c) listening
18 I am not used to ______ in such crowded places, but this museum was completely worth it.
(a) be
(b) being
(c) to be
19 If you are crazy about ______ beautiful old architecture, do not miss the main hall ceiling.
(a) photographing
(b) photograph
(c) to photograph
20 The museum staff prevents visitors from ______ the delicate statues by placing glass barriers around them.
(a) touch
(b) touching
(c) to touch
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (a)
Explanation: “Learning” is correct. The phrase “interested in” ends with the preposition “in”, which must be followed by a gerund (V-ing). (b) is a bare verb. (c) “to learn” is a very common mistake made by learners translating directly from their native language.
2 (b)
Explanation: “Exploring” is correct because the verb “enjoy” must always be followed by a gerund. (a) is structurally incorrect. (c) “to explore” is a common trap.
3 (a)
Explanation: “Walking” is correct. The common phrase “spend time (or hours)” is always followed by a gerund to describe the activity. (b) and (c) are grammatically invalid.
4 (c)
Explanation: “Visiting” correctly follows the preposition “of” in the phrase “fond of” (meaning to like something very much). (a) and (b) violate the preposition rule.
5 (b)
Explanation: “Spending” is the correct gerund following the verb of preference “love”. (a) is a bare verb. (c) “spent” is the past tense.
6 (b)
Explanation: “Waiting” correctly follows the preposition “of” in the phrase “Instead of”. (a) is a bare verb. (c) “to wait” is a structural error.
7 (a)
Explanation: “Getting” is the required gerund form after the verb “suggest”. (The verb “suggest” must take a gerund when proposing an action). Drop the ‘e’ from “get” and double the ‘t’ (getting). (b) and (c) are incorrect.
8 (a)
Explanation: “Visiting” is correct because it comes directly after the preposition “of” (tired of). (b) and (c) are basic grammatical mistakes.
9 (c)
Explanation: “Trying” is the correct gerund. The phrase for making suggestions, “How about…?”, ends with the preposition “about”, requiring a V-ing form. (a) and (b) are incorrect.
10 (a)
Explanation: “Having” correctly follows the preposition “for” in the phrase “famous for”. Drop the ‘e’ from “have”. (b) and (c) are structural errors.
11 (a)
Explanation: “Explaining” is the correct spelling and form after the preposition “at” (good at). (b) is a bare verb. (c) “explainning” is a spelling mistake (you do not double the ‘n’ because the vowel sound before it is a double vowel/diphthong ‘ai’).
12 (c)
Explanation: “Buying” is correct. “Without” is a preposition, so the verb following it must be a gerund. (a) and (b) are grammatically incorrect in this structure.
13 (b)
Explanation: “Arriving” is the required gerund after the verb “advise” (when there is no object pronoun like ‘him’ or ‘us’ between the verb and the action). Drop the ‘e’ from “arrive”. (a) and (c) are incorrect forms.
14 (c)
Explanation: “Finishing” correctly acts as the object of the preposition “After”. (a) is a bare verb. (b) is an infinitive.
15 (a)
Explanation: THIS IS A TRICKY DISTRACTOR. In the common phrase “look forward to”, the word “to” is a PREPOSITION, not an infinitive marker. Therefore, it MUST be followed by a gerund (“seeing”). (b) “see” is a very common learner mistake. (c) is past tense.
16 (a)
Explanation: “Taking” is correct. The preposition “for” must be followed by a gerund. To make it negative, just put “not” before the V-ing (“not taking”). Drop the ‘e’ from “take”. (b) and (c) are incorrect.
17 (c)
Explanation: “Listening” is correct. The sentence has a parallel structure linked by “and”. Since the first action is a gerund (“Reading”), the second action must also be a gerund (“listening”) to keep the sentence balanced. (a) and (b) break this balance.
18 (b)
Explanation: ANOTHER EXCEPTION TRAP. In the phrase “be used to” (meaning to be accustomed to a situation), the “to” is a PREPOSITION. It must be followed by a gerund (“being”). (a) “be” is a classic error. (c) “to be” is structurally invalid here.
19 (a)
Explanation: “Photographing” correctly follows the preposition “about” in the phrase “crazy about” (meaning extremely passionate about). (b) and (c) are incorrect.
20 (b)
Explanation: “Touching” is the correct gerund form following the preposition “from” in the phrase “prevent someone from doing something”. (a) and (c) are grammatical errors.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Targeting an Audience (Adjective + Preposition): When you write travel reviews and want to target people with specific hobbies, you will use adjectives followed by prepositions. The verb that comes next MUST be a Gerund (V-ing).
- interested in exploring
- fond of visiting
- crazy about photographing
- tired of waiting
- Reviewing Museum Rules & Actions: Prepositions like without, after, instead of, and from also demand a Gerund.
- Example: You cannot leave without buying a souvenir.
- Example: They prevent you from touching the art.
- The “To” Trap: In standard English, “to” usually goes with a base verb (I want to go). However, in a few very important phrases, “to” is actually a preposition. When “to” is a preposition, it requires a Gerund! Memorize these two for your A2/B1 journey:
- look forward to + V-ing: Expecting something happily (I look forward to seeing it.)
- be used to + V-ing: Being accustomed to a condition (I am used to walking long distances.)
- Parallelism: If you are recommending two actions in the same sentence joined by “and,” keep their grammar forms identical. If one is V-ing, the other must be V-ing (Reading signs and listening to guides…).