Gerund (V-ing) vs. Infinitive (To V) – English Grammar Exercises for B1
Writing a blog review about an extremely difficult Escape Room that your group participated in but ultimately failed to beat. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence. Read the context carefully. Keep in mind that you are emphasizing intense physical or mental effort to overcome a difficult barrier, even though you didn’t succeed.
1 The game started in a dark cell. We tried ________ the iron door, but it was completely jammed.
(A) opening
(B) to open
(C) open
(D) opened
2 I spent twenty minutes sweating as I tried ________ the complex math riddle written on the ceiling.
(A) solving
(B) solve
(C) to solve
(D) solved
3 My friend Mark tried ________ the golden key on the high shelf, but he was simply too short.
(A) to reaching
(B) reach
(C) reaching
(D) to reach
4 When we got stuck, we tried ________ with the game master through the radio, but it was broken.
(A) communicate
(B) to communicate
(C) communicating
(D) communicated
5 The wooden chest was sealed tight. I tried ________ it open with my bare hands, but it wouldn’t budge.
(A) forcing
(B) to force
(C) force
(D) to forcing
6 Sarah frantically tried ________ the hidden message using the UV flashlight before the battery died.
(A) to decode
(B) decoding
(C) decode
(D) decoded
7 In the second room, we tried ________ a massive jigsaw puzzle in complete darkness.
(A) assemble
(B) assembled
(C) to assemble
(D) assembling
8 He closed his eyes and tried ________ the exact sequence of symbols from the previous room.
(A) remembering
(B) to remember
(C) remember
(D) remembered
9 The mechanism was rusted. I tried ________ the heavy metal lever, but it required too much strength.
(A) pull
(B) pulling
(C) to pull
(D) to pulling
10 With only three minutes left, we desperately tried ________ the six-digit password.
(A) guessing
(B) to guess
(C) guess
(D) guessed
11 She scraped her fingers as she tried ________ the tight knots on the fake hostage.
(A) to untie
(B) untying
(C) untie
(D) untied
12 We had the right combination, but we tried ________ the safe with shaking hands and kept failing.
(A) unlock
(B) unlocked
(C) unlocking
(D) to unlock
13 The alarm sound was deafening. I tried ________ calm, but the pressure was overwhelming.
(A) staying
(B) to stay
(C) stay
(D) stayed
14 Mark tried ________ through the laser maze without touching the beams, but he triggered the trap.
(A) to navigate
(B) navigating
(C) navigate
(D) navigated
15 We covered our ears and tried ________ the creepy background music so we could focus on the task.
(A) ignore
(B) ignoring
(C) to ignore
(D) ignored
16 I tried ________ the tiny instructions on the ancient map, but the text was too faded.
(A) to reading
(B) read
(C) to read
(D) reading
17 We pushed with all our might as we tried ________ the heavy stone statue blocking the exit.
(A) moving
(B) to move
(C) move
(D) moved
18 She jumped repeatedly and tried ________ the flying clues dropping from the ceiling.
(A) catch
(B) caught
(C) to catch
(D) catching
19 We gave it our absolute best as we tried ________ the room before the 60-minute timer ended.
(A) escaping
(B) to escape
(C) escape
(D) escaped
20 Ultimately, we tried ________ the game, but it was just too brilliantly designed for us.
(A) to win
(B) winning
(C) win
(D) won
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B)
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Try + To V” is used when you make a strong effort to do something difficult. Opening a jammed iron door is a struggle.
- Error Analysis: (A) “Opening” implies opening the door was easy and you just did it as an experiment to see what would happen (Meaning Trap). (C) Bare infinitive (Common Mistake). (D) Past tense verb (Structural Error).
2 (C)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Solving a complex math riddle takes immense mental effort, so the infinitive is required.
- Error Analysis: (A) “Solving” implies the riddle was easy and you solved it just to test an idea (Meaning Trap). (B) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (D) Past tense (Structural Error).
3 (D)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Reaching a high shelf when you are too short is a physical struggle.
- Error Analysis: (A) Mixing infinitive ‘to’ and gerund (Structural Error). (B) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (C) “Reaching” implies it was an easy experiment (Meaning Trap).
4 (B)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Attempting to use a broken radio is a failed effort.
- Error Analysis: (A) Bare infinitive (Common Mistake). (C) “Communicating” means you easily talked to him as a test, which contradicts the radio being broken (Meaning Trap). (D) Past tense (Structural Error).
5 (B)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Forcing a sealed chest open requires maximum physical effort.
- Error Analysis: (A) “Forcing” implies the action was effortless (Meaning Trap). (C) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (D) Invalid structure (Structural Error).
6 (A)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Decoding a message under time pressure is a stressful, difficult attempt.
- Error Analysis: (B) Gerund used for a difficult struggle (Meaning Trap). (C) Bare infinitive (Common Mistake). (D) Past tense (Structural Error).
7 (C)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Assembling a puzzle in the dark is an extreme challenge.
- Error Analysis: (A) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (B) Past tense (Structural Error). (D) “Assembling” implies it was an easy test, which clashes with “in complete darkness” (Meaning Trap).
8 (B)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Trying to remember a complicated sequence requires mental strain.
- Error Analysis: (A) “Remembering” changes the meaning to trying out a memory technique as an easy experiment (Meaning Trap). (C) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (D) Past tense (Structural Error).
9 (C)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Pulling a rusted, heavy lever is a physical struggle.
- Error Analysis: (A) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (B) “Pulling” implies it was easy to pull (Meaning Trap). (D) Invalid grammar (Structural Error).
10 (B)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Desperately guessing under a ticking timer involves immense pressure and effort.
- Error Analysis: (A) “Guessing” means you casually guessed just to see what would happen, lacking the desperation of the context (Meaning Trap). (C) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (D) Past tense (Structural Error).
11 (A)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Scraping her fingers proves that untying the knots was a physical struggle.
- Error Analysis: (B) “Untying” implies the action was painless and easy (Meaning Trap). (C) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (D) Past tense (Structural Error).
12 (D)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Shaking hands made unlocking the safe a difficult physical challenge.
- Error Analysis: (A) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (B) Past tense (Structural Error). (C) “Unlocking” implies it was done smoothly as a test (Meaning Trap).
13 (B)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Fighting against overwhelming pressure to stay calm is a major psychological effort.
- Error Analysis: (A) “Staying” implies it was easy to be calm (Meaning Trap). (C) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (D) Past tense (Structural Error).
14 (A)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Navigating a laser maze is highly difficult and requires intense focus.
- Error Analysis: (B) “Navigating” implies he casually walked through to see what would happen (Meaning Trap). (C) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (D) Past tense (Structural Error).
15 (C)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Blocking out loud, creepy music takes mental willpower.
- Error Analysis: (A) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (B) “Ignoring” implies the music didn’t bother them at all (Meaning Trap). (D) Past tense (Structural Error).
16 (C)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Reading faded text in dim light is a strain on the eyes.
- Error Analysis: (A) Invalid grammar (Structural Error). (B) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (D) “Reading” implies the text was perfectly legible (Meaning Trap).
17 (B)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Pushing a heavy stone statue requires maximum bodily strength.
- Error Analysis: (A) “Moving” implies the statue was light and easy to push (Meaning Trap). (C) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (D) Past tense (Structural Error).
18 (C)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Jumping to catch falling items is an exhausting physical attempt.
- Error Analysis: (A) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (B) Past tense (Structural Error). (D) “Catching” implies she easily caught them (Meaning Trap).
19 (B)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Escaping the room is the ultimate hard goal of the game.
- Error Analysis: (A) “Escaping” implies the escape was just a casual experiment (Meaning Trap). (C) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (D) Past tense (Structural Error).
20 (A)
- Why it is correct (The Key): Winning an impossible game is the ultimate failed effort.
- Error Analysis: (B) “Winning” means you won easily just to test the feeling, which contradicts the failure (Meaning Trap). (C) Bare verb (Common Mistake). (D) Past tense (Structural Error).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Try + To V (The Struggle & The Effort):
- Use this structure when the action you want to do is very difficult, challenging, or nearly impossible. It emphasizes your struggle, your sweat, and your willpower.
- Often, Try + To V implies that you attempted the action but failed.
- Example: “I tried to open the door, but it was locked.” (I pushed hard, but I couldn’t do it).
- The Meaning Trap (Try + V-ing):
- If you use Try + V-ing in a difficult situation, you change the story entirely. Try + V-ing means the action is easy to do, and you are just doing it as a casual experiment to see if it solves a problem.
- Comparison: * I tried opening the window. (The window was easy to open. I opened it to see if it would cool down the room.)
- I tried to open the window. (The window was stuck. I used all my strength, but it wouldn’t move.)
- Context is Everything:
- In an Escape Room where you are failing, stuck, and sweating, almost every action is a struggle. Therefore, you must use Try + To V to accurately tell the story of your defeat!