Exercise 1
Choose the correct passive gerund or passive infinitive form to complete each sentence.
Example: She expected ______ (invite) to the meeting. (to be invited / being invited)
Answer: She expected to be invited to the meeting.
Gerund and Infinitive – Passive
In English, we often need to talk about actions that happen to someone or something, rather than actions that someone does. This is called the passive voice. At B2 level, it is important to know how to use the passive in two special forms: the passive gerund and the passive infinitive.
These forms allow you to express ideas like:
- She hates being ignored. (passive gerund)
- He expects to be promoted. (passive infinitive)
Both forms follow clear rules. Once you understand the patterns, you will be able to use them naturally in speaking and writing.
Quick Review: Active vs Passive
Before we look at the passive gerund and passive infinitive, let us remind ourselves of the difference between active and passive.
| Voice | Who does the action? | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Active | The subject does the action. | The teacher praised Maria. |
| Passive | The subject receives the action. | Maria was praised by the teacher. |
Now, when we use a gerund (verb + -ing used as a noun) or an infinitive (to + verb) in a passive sense, we use special passive forms.
The Passive Gerund
What Is a Gerund?
A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing that works like a noun. It can be the subject of a sentence, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition.
- Swimming is good for you. (subject)
- She enjoys reading. (object of verb)
- He is good at cooking. (object of preposition)
Forming the Passive Gerund
To make a gerund passive, use:
being + past participle
| Active Gerund | Passive Gerund |
|---|---|
| praising | being praised |
| interviewing | being interviewed |
| criticising | being criticised |
| helping | being helped |
| choosing | being chosen |
| watching | being watched |
Examples of the Passive Gerund
The passive gerund is used after verbs, prepositions, and adjectives that are normally followed by a gerund.
After verbs:
- She hates being ignored in meetings.
- He enjoys being admired for his work.
- The children dislike being told what to do.
- He mentioned being offered a new job.
After prepositions:
- She is tired of being treated unfairly.
- He was proud of being selected for the team.
- They complained about being kept waiting.
- She was afraid of being misunderstood.
After adjectives + prepositions:
- She was upset about being criticised in public.
- He was delighted by being chosen as team leader.
Common Verbs Followed by the Passive Gerund
| Verb / Phrase | Example with Passive Gerund |
|---|---|
| hate | She hates being interrupted. |
| love | He loves being praised. |
| enjoy | She enjoys being recognised. |
| dislike | They dislike being rushed. |
| avoid | He avoids being seen with them. |
| mind | She doesn't mind being filmed. |
| remember | I remember being told about it. |
| deny | He denied being followed. |
| be used to | She is used to being watched. |
| look forward to | He looks forward to being promoted. |
The Passive Infinitive
What Is an Infinitive?
An infinitive is to + verb. It is used after many verbs, adjectives, and nouns in English.
- She wants to leave.
- He decided to apply.
- It is important to practise.
Forming the Passive Infinitive
To make an infinitive passive, use:
to be + past participle
| Active Infinitive | Passive Infinitive |
|---|---|
| to praise | to be praised |
| to interview | to be interviewed |
| to promote | to be promoted |
| to help | to be helped |
| to choose | to be chosen |
| to inform | to be informed |
Examples of the Passive Infinitive
After verbs:
- He expects to be promoted next year.
- She wants to be taken seriously.
- They hoped to be selected for the project.
- He refused to be photographed.
After adjectives:
- She was happy to be invited to the event.
- He was surprised to be recognised in the street.
- They were pleased to be included in the decision.
After nouns:
- There is a lot of work to be done.
- The report needs to be finished by Friday.
Common Verbs Followed by the Passive Infinitive
| Verb / Adjective | Example with Passive Infinitive |
|---|---|
| want | She wants to be heard. |
| expect | He expects to be paid on time. |
| hope | They hope to be selected. |
| need | The problem needs to be solved. |
| refuse | She refused to be ignored. |
| seem | He seems to be respected by everyone. |
| appear | She appears to be liked by her colleagues. |
| deserve | He deserves to be rewarded. |
| would like | I would like to be kept informed. |
| happy / pleased / surprised | She was pleased to be consulted. |
The Perfect Passive Gerund and Infinitive
Sometimes we want to show that the passive action happened before the action of the main verb. In this case, we use a perfect form.
Perfect Passive Gerund
having been + past participle
- Having been told the truth, she felt relieved.
- He denied having been informed about the changes.
- She was upset about having been left out of the meeting.
This form shows that the passive action happened earlier than the rest of the sentence.
Perfect Passive Infinitive
to have been + past participle
- She seems to have been promoted recently. (We think this happened before now.)
- He claims to have been misquoted in the article.
- They are believed to have been warned in advance.
Perfect Passive Forms at a Glance
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Passive gerund (simple) | being + past participle | She hates being criticised. |
| Passive gerund (perfect) | having been + past participle | He denied having been warned. |
| Passive infinitive (simple) | to be + past participle | She expects to be paid. |
| Passive infinitive (perfect) | to have been + past participle | He claims to have been misled. |
Active vs Passive Gerund and Infinitive – Side by Side
Look at how the meaning changes when we switch from active to passive:
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| She hates criticising others. (She does the criticising.) | She hates being criticised. (Others criticise her.) |
| He enjoys helping people. (He helps others.) | He enjoys being helped. (Others help him.) |
| She wants to interview the candidates. (She interviews.) | She wants to be interviewed. (Others interview her.) |
| They hope to promote him. (They will promote someone.) | He hopes to be promoted. (Someone will promote him.) |
Important Differences and Special Cases
When to Use the Passive Gerund vs the Passive Infinitive
The choice between the passive gerund and the passive infinitive usually depends on the main verb in the sentence. Some verbs are followed by a gerund, others by an infinitive, and some by both.
| Followed by Gerund (being + p.p.) | Followed by Infinitive (to be + p.p.) |
|---|---|
| enjoy, hate, dislike, avoid, mind, deny, mention, suggest, risk, imagine | want, expect, hope, need, decide, refuse, agree, seem, appear, deserve, would like |
Prepositions Always Take a Gerund
Remember: a preposition is always followed by a gerund, never an infinitive. So if the passive follows a preposition, you must use the passive gerund.
- She was afraid of being caught. ✅
- He was proud of being selected. ✅
- They complained about being underpaid. ✅
Verbs That Can Take Both
Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, but the meaning may change slightly:
- I remember being told about it. (I recall something that happened to me in the past.)
- I remembered to be informed... (This is less natural; gerund is more common after remember for past experience.)
In most cases, the verb choice is fixed, so it is best to learn which verbs take which form.
Common Mistakes
❌ She hates to be ignored by her colleagues.
✅ She hates being ignored by her colleagues. (Hate is followed by a gerund in this context.)
❌ He looks forward to be promoted.
✅ He looks forward to being promoted. (Look forward to is followed by a gerund because to here is a preposition, not part of the infinitive.)
❌ She is tired of to be treated unfairly.
✅ She is tired of being treated unfairly. (After a preposition, use a gerund, not an infinitive.)
❌ He wants being paid more.
✅ He wants to be paid more. (Want is always followed by an infinitive.)
❌ They denied to have been told.
✅ They denied having been told. (Deny is followed by a gerund, so use the perfect passive gerund for past reference.)
❌ She seems being respected.
✅ She seems to be respected. (Seem is followed by an infinitive.)
❌ He was upset about being not included.
✅ He was upset about not being included. (Put not before being, not after.)
❌ She expected to being chosen.
✅ She expected to be chosen. (Use to be, not to being.)
Word Order with Negatives
When you want to make a passive gerund or infinitive negative, place not directly before the passive form:
not being + past participle
not to be + past participle
- She was worried about not being chosen for the role.
- He decided not to be involved in the dispute.
- They were anxious about not being informed in time.
Real-Life Context: Mini-Situations
Read these short situations and notice how the passive gerund and passive infinitive are used naturally.
Situation 1 – A job interview
Anna applied for a management position. She expects to be called for an interview next week. She is nervous about being asked difficult questions, but she is used to being evaluated under pressure.
Situation 2 – A sports team
The team hoped to be selected for the national championship. The coach mentioned being contacted by the organisers. The players looked forward to being recognised for their hard work.
Situation 3 – A news report
The politician denied having been bribed. He claimed to have been misquoted by several newspapers. He said he was used to being misrepresented in the media.
Gerund and Infinitive – Passive: Quick Summary
Here is an overview of everything covered in this lesson:
| Form | Structure | When to Use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passive gerund (simple) | being + past participle | After verbs/prepositions that take a gerund | She hates being ignored. |
| Passive gerund (perfect) | having been + past participle | To show the action happened earlier | He denied having been warned. |
| Passive infinitive (simple) | to be + past participle | After verbs/adjectives that take an infinitive | He expects to be promoted. |
| Passive infinitive (perfect) | to have been + past participle | To show the action happened before the present | She seems to have been promoted. |
Key Points to Remember
- Use being + past participle for the passive gerund.
- Use to be + past participle for the passive infinitive.
- After a preposition, always use the passive gerund, never the passive infinitive.
- The verb before the gerund or infinitive determines which form to use.
- To make these forms negative, put not before being or before to be.
- Use having been + past participle or to have been + past participle when the passive action happened before the main verb.
Now practise gerund and infinitive – passive in the exercises below.
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