Gerund or Infinitive? Practice Tests with A2 Grammar Rules & Examples

Gerund or Infinitive?

Some verbs in English are followed by a gerund. Other verbs are followed by an infinitive. Knowing which one to use is very important for speaking and writing natural English.

But first — what are these two forms?

• A gerund is a verb with -ing added to the end. It acts like a noun. Example: swimming, eating, reading
• An infinitive is the base form of a verb, usually with to in front of it. Example: to swim, to eat, to read

Let's look at two simple examples:

I enjoy swimming. (gerund ✔)
I want to swim. (infinitive ✔)

Both sentences are correct — but you cannot swap them. You cannot say I enjoy to swim or I want swimming. The verb before the gerund or infinitive decides which form you use.

In this lesson, you will learn the most common verbs that are followed by a gerund, the most common verbs followed by an infinitive, and some important special cases.

What Is a Gerund?

A gerund is a verb + -ing that is used as a noun in a sentence. It is the name or idea of an activity.

Look at these examples:

• Swimming is fun. (gerund as the subject)
• I love cooking. (gerund after a verb)
• She stopped talking. (gerund after a verb)

Think of it like this: if you can replace the -ing word with "it" and the sentence still makes sense, it is probably a gerund.

I love cooking. → I love it. ✔

What Is an Infinitive?

An infinitive is to + base verb. It tells us about a goal, a wish, or a plan.

Look at these examples:

• I want to eat a pizza.
• She decided to leave.
• He needs to study more.

Verbs Followed by a Gerund

Some verbs are always followed by a gerund (verb + -ing). You must memorise these verbs. Here are the most common ones at A2 level:

Verb	Example sentence
enjoy	I enjoy reading books.
love	She loves dancing.
like	He likes playing football.
hate	I hate getting up early.
don't mind	I don't mind waiting.
finish	She finished eating at 7 pm.
stop	He stopped smoking.
keep	She keeps talking!
avoid	I avoid eating sugar.
practise	He practises speaking English every day.
suggest	She suggested going to the cinema.
give up	He gave up playing video games.

Pattern: verb + -ing

I enjoy reading.
She finished cleaning the house.
We kept walking.

Verbs Followed by an Infinitive

Other verbs are always followed by an infinitive (to + base verb). Here are the most common ones at A2 level:

Verb	Example sentence
want	I want to travel to Spain.
need	She needs to sleep more.
hope	He hopes to pass the exam.
decide	We decided to stay at home.
plan	I plan to visit my grandmother.
agree	She agreed to help me.
refuse	He refused to eat vegetables.
try	She tried to open the window.
learn	I'm learning to drive.
forget	He forgot to call his mum.
remember	I remembered to lock the door.
would like	I would like to order a coffee.

Pattern: verb + to + base verb

I want to eat a sandwich.
She decided to study French.
We plan to leave at 8 o'clock.

Verbs That Can Be Followed by Both

Some common verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, and the meaning stays the same. These are easy — you can choose!

Verb	With gerund	With infinitive
love	I love cooking.	I love to cook.
like	She likes walking.	She likes to walk.
hate	He hates waiting.	He hates to wait.
start	It started raining.	It started to rain.
begin	She began singing.	She began to sing.
continue	He continued reading.	He continued to read.

Note: With love, like, and hate, British English often prefers the gerund in everyday conversation, but both forms are correct.

Important Differences: Stop, Remember, and Forget

Three verbs have different meanings depending on whether you use a gerund or an infinitive. These are very important!

Stop + gerund vs. Stop + infinitive

Stop + gerund = you finish an activity. You do not do it any more.

He stopped smoking. → He does not smoke any more. ✔

Stop + infinitive = you stop in order to do something new.

She stopped to check her phone. → She stopped (walking, working, etc.) so that she could check her phone. ✔

Remember + gerund vs. Remember + infinitive

Remember + gerund = you have a memory of doing something in the past.

I remember meeting her at the party. → I have a memory of that meeting. ✔

Remember + infinitive = you do not forget to do a task.

Remember to buy milk! → Don't forget — buy the milk! ✔

Forget + gerund vs. Forget + infinitive

Forget + gerund = you cannot remember doing something in the past.

I'll never forget seeing the sea for the first time. ✔

Forget + infinitive = you do not remember to do a task.

He forgot to do his homework. ✔

Using a Gerund After a Preposition

In English, when a preposition (a small word like at, in, about, for, before, after, without) comes before a verb, the verb must be in the gerund form (-ing). This is a very useful rule!

Pattern: preposition + verb-ing

• She is good at singing. (at + gerund)
• I'm interested in learning Spanish. (in + gerund)
• He left without saying goodbye. (without + gerund)
• Thank you for helping me. (for + gerund)
• We had a snack before watching the film. (before + gerund)
• After finishing work, she went to the gym. (after + gerund)

Common Mistakes

Here are the most common mistakes students make with gerunds and infinitives.

❌ I enjoy to play tennis.
✅ I enjoy playing tennis. (enjoy is always followed by a gerund)

❌ She wants going to Paris.
✅ She wants to go to Paris. (want is always followed by an infinitive)

❌ He stopped to smoke. (when you mean: he doesn't smoke any more)
✅ He stopped smoking. (stop + gerund = finish an activity)

❌ I'm good at to speak English.
✅ I'm good at speaking English. (after a preposition, always use a gerund)

❌ She decided going home early.
✅ She decided to go home early. (decide is always followed by an infinitive)

❌ I finish to eat at 7 pm.
✅ I finish eating at 7 pm. (finish is always followed by a gerund)

❌ He suggested to watch a film.
✅ He suggested watching a film. (suggest is always followed by a gerund)

❌ Don't forget buying bread. (when you mean: don't forget the task)
✅ Don't forget to buy bread. (forget + infinitive = don't forget to do a task)

Gerund or Infinitive?: Quick Summary

Let's review the main rules for gerund or infinitive:

• A gerund = verb + -ing (e.g. swimming, eating, reading)
• An infinitive = to + base verb (e.g. to swim, to eat, to read)
• Some verbs are always followed by a gerund: enjoy, finish, stop, keep, avoid, suggest, practise, give up, don't mind
• Some verbs are always followed by an infinitive: want, need, hope, decide, plan, agree, refuse, learn, forget, remember, would like
• Some verbs (love, like, hate, start, begin, continue) can be followed by both with no difference in meaning
• Stop, remember, and forget have different meanings depending on whether you use a gerund or an infinitive — be careful!
• After a preposition (at, in, for, about, without, before, after), always use a gerund

The best way to learn these verbs is to memorise them in groups and practise using them in sentences. The more you practise, the more natural it will feel!

Now practise gerund or infinitive in the exercises below.