Answers to Exercise on
Gerunds Ex 1-11
pp.159-168
Passage A
Although she had given her parents as much money as possible
doing/ having done
over the past five years, Jane regretted not do more for them.
stopped
She was angry at herself for having stop seeing them for so many
Having
years. Have dissuaded them from coming to visit her on the
weekends, she now only saw them during the holidays.
deterring/ having deterred
Although at first she denied deters them from coming, she
having
now admitted has discouraged them from coming on their
weekly visits.
1.
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
Passage B
doing
James is devoted to do whatever he thinks is right. He likes
to participate in all kinds of events, like rallies and marches.

saving
He is committed to saved people, animals, and the environment.
becoming
He is close to become the president of at least two groups that fight
working
for human rights. He became used to work for good causes when
he was introduced to them by his mother. Now, he is so
helping
accustomed to help people he does not remember how to help
himself.
1.
2.
3.
4.

5.
6.
7.
8.
Passage C
Dear Sally,
talking
It is not fair when you avoid talk to me in the corridor at
answering
school, when you avoid answer my phone calls, and postpone
playing
play video games with me after class. I cannot imagine being
seeing
late to meet you ever again, because that would mean not see
you for even a longer time. I have considered buying flowers 
watching
for you because I cannot stand watch you pass me every day.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
saying
without said hello.
thinking
I can’t help think about you all the time, and I know I will not
calling
be able to resist call you every night for the rest of my life.
taking
I fancy take you to dinner at a romantic restaurant; I do not mind
paying
paid for a very expensive meal. Sally, I can’t imagine
living
live without you!
Love,
John.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Exercise 2
Fill in the following blanks with suitable word(s)
travelling (travel), so she becomes
Melinda is used to ___________
quickly accustomed to new cities and towns whenever she
takes a trip. She likes to ___________
(travel) alone, because
travel
she will not be confined to ___________
(do) what everyone
doing
else wants to do. She is devoted to _______________
(learn)
learning
at least a few words in every language, and is committed to
meeting (meet) friends from all over the world. Her travels
__________
are not confined to places that have nice hotels and restaurants.
staying
She makes an effort to get used to ____________
(stay) in very
cheap places where she has the chance to meet interesting
people.
Exercise 3
1. Do you remember ______________
(feel) frightened during the
feeling
storm?
washing/ to wash
2. Did you remember _____________
(wash) your clothes?
to go
3. Don’t forget ___________
(go) to the store.
seeing
4. She can’t remember ___________
(see) anything unusual last week.
5. Remember _____________
(take) your medicine three times per day.
to take
6. Remember _____________
(knock) on the door before going in.
to knock
7. Do you remember ______________
(play) table tennis with my
playing
younger brother when we were young?
8. The dog is hungry. It needs __________
feeding (feed).
9. The plants are dying. They need __________
watering (water).
10. The furniture is dusty. It needs __________
dusting (dust).
11. The bathroom sink is broken. It needs _____________
repairing (repair).
Exercise 4(1)
Match the sentence halves in Column A with those in Column B by writing the letter in
the space provided.
Column A
1 We should stop him from
2
He is remarkable when it
comes to
3 The transportation
Column B
C/ D / H
A
H
B
serving her. He will
do anything she
wants.
owning and driving their
own automobile.
B
C
escaping.
D
joining the triads.
E
having to study so hard.
F
but he lit a cigarette
anyway.
G
visiting them.
H
watching movies. He has
seen four in the past two
days.
system deters people from
4
He is devoted to
A
5 We tried to dissuade
him from smoking
F
6
G
I am looking forward
to
7 The police tried to
keep the criminal
from
8.
She is not used to
C
E
Exercise 4 (2)
Column B
Column A
A
in the exam.
B
in about ten minutes.
We will be leaving
D
H
B
C
invited to the beach.
4
The police, having arrested
J
D
having lied to her father.
5
He denies having cheated
A
E
out to clubs.
6
I do not like eating
G
F
the surprise party.
7
We are responsible for planning
F
G
Thai food. It is too spicy.
8
He does not mind driving us
I
H
but playing it is better.
9
I like going
I
to the country because he is going
there anyway.
J
the criminal, took him to the
station.
1
She denies
2
I like watching football,
3
E
10 They look forward to being
C
Exercise 5
Express these sentences in a different way, using the words in brackets.
1. Please don’t continue to remind him of his mistake. (keep on)
Please don’t keep on reminding him of his mistake.
2. It is silly to worry about such an unimportant matter. (worrying)
It is silly worrying about such an unimportant matter.
3. The motorist did not hit the dog. (avoided)
The motorist avoided hitting the dog.
4. Don’t talk in this room! (No)
No talking in this room!
5. Is she capable of solving the problem? (able)
Is she able to solve the problem?
6. Please will you wait a moment? (mind)
Would you mind waiting for a moment?
7. Don’t argue with him any more. (stop)
Stop arguing with him.
8. I do not want to wear a tie in hot weather. (opposed)
I am opposed to wearing a tie in hot weather.
9. Is she still determined to go home without medical treatment?
(insist)
Does she still insist on going home without medical treatment?
Exercise 6
Express these sentences in a different way. Try to retain the meaning of
the original sentence but use the words given in brackets. Make any
changes which are necessary.
1. It was difficult for me to persuade him that he was wrong. (difficulty)
I have difficulty (in) persuading him that he was wrong.
2. It gives me great pleasure to introduce tonight’s speaker. (I have)
I have great pleasure (in) introducing tonight’s speaker.
3. He is able to repair the machine by himself. (capable)
He is capable of repairing the machine by himself.
4. He likes to tease other people. (fond of)
He is fond of teasing other people.
5. We had great difficulty in finding Mary’s house. (very difficult)
It was very difficult to find Mary’s house.
6. The accused man said that he had not threatened the policeman.
(denied)
The accused man denied having threatened the policeman.
7. The policemen did not allow anybody to enter the burning
building. (prevented)
The policemen prevented anybody (from) entering the burning building.
8. My uncle said it would be a good idea if we went to a restaurant
for lunch. (suggested)
My uncle suggested going to a restaurant for lunch.
9. Mary does not like wearing shoes with very high heels. (cannot
stand)
Mary cannot stand wearing shoes with very high heels.
10. The man admitted that he had attempted to rob the bank.
(confessed)
The man confessed to having attempted to rob the bank.
Exercise 7
Express these sentences in a different way, using the words in brackets.
Make any changes which are necessary.
1. I do not intend to buy a new car this year. (intention)
I have no intention of buying a new car this year.
2. Peter managed to repair the radio. (succeeded)
Peter succeeded in repairing the radio.
3. Most of my friends like to go for a picnic on Cheung Chau. (enjoy)
Most of my friends enjoy going for a picnic on Cheung Chau.
4. There are many ways to solve this problem. (methods)
There are many methods of solving this problem.
5. Mary’s parents did not allow her to go to the cinema. (prevent)
Mary’s parents prevented her (from) going to the cinema.
6. It’s no good to have a flat which is much larger than you need. (no
use)
It’s no use having a flat which is much larger than you need.
7. Mr. Lim demanded to see the station sergeant. (insisted on)
Mr. Lim insisted on seeing the station sergeant.
8. I am pleased to introduce our guest speaker. (much pleasure)
I have much pleasure (in) introducing our guest speaker.
9. It was not difficult for her to find the right shop. (difficulty)
She had no difficulty (in) finding the right shop.
10. Would you be kind enough to take this letter to Mr Lam? (mind)
Would you mind taking this letter to Mr Lam?
Exercise 8: Gerunds
Transform the following sentences using the words given.
1. It is difficult for her to write English beautifully. (difficulty)
She has difficulty (in) writing English beautifully.
2. Tom is able to jump 5 meters. (a. capable; b. ability)
a.
b.
Tom is capable of jumping 5 meters.
Tom has the ability to jump 5 meters.
3. It gives me great pleasure to meet you. (start with “I”)
I have great pleasure (in) meeting you.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
You should continue to try your best. (keep on)
You should keep on trying your best.
Please will you call back later? (mind)
Would you mind calling back later?
She likes to make fun of other people. (fond of)
She is fond of making fun of other people.
John said it would be a good idea if we went for lunch
now. (suggested)
John suggested going for lunch now.
My family like to go on picnics. (enjoy)
My family enjoy going on picnics.
I did not want to see her. (avoided)
I avoided seeing her.
Exercise 9: Gerunds & Infinitives
1. ______________________________
TV is my entertainment in the evening.
Watching
Playing softball
2. ______________________________
is exciting.
3. ______________________________
physical exercise is good for your health.
Doing
4. ______________________________
can help me keep fit.
Working out
5. ______________________________
kite is great fun.
Flying
6. Listening ______________________________
is relaxing.
to music
doing
7. I am busy ________________________________
my homework.
8. Do you manage ______________________
(finish) your homework by tomorrow?
to finish
9. Would you ____________________
(close) the window?
mind closing
10. It’s late in the evening
Idea given: we – go – home
I suggest we go home.
a. ___________________________________________
I suggest that we should go home.
b. ___________________________________________
c. ___________________________________________
I suggest that we go home.
d. ___________________________________________
I suggest we should go home.
going home.
e. I suggest _______________________________________________
of singing
11. She is fond _________________________
(sing).
12. She burst __________________________
(cry) when she heard the bad news.
out crying
13. I prefer watching TV to ______________________
(do) homework.
doing
14. Miss Ho scolded me ___________
not ______________
(do) my assignment.
for
doing
on passing
15. We congratulated her _______________________
(pass) the exam.
being knocked
16. The boy risked _______________________
(knock) down because he crossed the
road carelessly.
17. I wonder why she avoided _______________________
(see) me.
seeing
smoking
18. The sign reads, “No_______________________.”
Eating on the train
19. ____________________________________
(eat-train) is prohibited.
20. I hate ___________________________
(treat) like a child.
being treated
21. Would you like _____________________________
(join) us?
to join
to think
22. What led you ______________________________
(think) she was wrong?
in winning
23. We succeeded _______________________________
(win) the contest.
24. It is very nice ______________
you_________________
(help) me.
of
to help
25. I want ___________________________
(see) the manager now.
to see
at playing
26. Mary is good ___________________________
the piano.
27. Are you afraid __________________________
the exam?
of taking/of failing
28. He walked away without ___________________________
(look) back.
looking
29. We are against _________________________
(put) off the meeting.
putting
30. Why do you keep _________________________
at me like that?
(on) looking
having stolen
31. The student denied _________________________________
(steal) the money.
32. Mr. Chan insisted ___________________________
(pay) the bill.
on paying
33. Can you stop _______________________
(make) so much noise?
making
34. Betty is keen ____________________________
(travel).
on travelling
Exercise 10: Gerunds, Infinitives & Participles
Fill in the following blanks with the hints given. You may need to add a
preposition in some sentences.
1. I’m going for tea. Would you like __________________
(join) me?
to join
Playing
grow
2. _______________
(play) basketball helps me _________________
(grow) taller.
Listening to
relaxing
3. _______________
(listen) light music is __________________
(relax).
4. Would you mind ____________________
(turn) off the airturning
shaking
conditioner? Her body is __________________
(shake).
preparing
5. They are busy ___________________
(prepare) for the exam.
6. It is no good ________________(argue)
with her. She won’t
arguing
_______________
(listen).
listen
go
7. Today is a holiday. I need not _______________
(go) to school.
8. She prefers ______________(go)
to the cinema.
going
9. I forget ______________
(bring) my notebook.
to bring
10. ______________
(hear) the bad news, she could not help
Hearing
crying
______________(cry).
watch
11. I dare not __________________
(watch) a horror film because it is too
frightening
_________________
(frighten).
telling
12. Do you remember _______________(tell)
Mary the answer? If not, why did she
____________
(know) the answer?
know
touching
13. Your hair needs ________________
(cut). It’s ________________
(touch) your
to be cut
shoulder.
14. Remember ______________
(put) the ice- cream cake into the refrigerator.
to put
15. Susan likes _______________
(plant) flowers. It is her hobby.
planting
16. “Stop ______________
(talk)!” the teacher shouted.
talking
to finish
17. Terry managed ________________
(finish) the composition in time.
go
18. Does your mother let you ____________
(go) _____________
(camp)?
camping
19. The girl is made _______________
(finish ) the work before she can
to finish
____________
(go) to bed.
go
go
to see
20. You’re sick. You had better _______________
(go) _______________
(see) a
doctor.
Exercise 11
Choose the best answer.
1
a
b
c
A boy ran into the road from behind a parked car. As a result,
the taxi-driver could not avoid……..him down.
knocking
to knock
knocked
2
a.
b.
c.
d.
The shop assistant failed …… Mary to buy the ring.
at persuade
with persuading
persuade
to persuade
3
a.
b.
c.
d.
4
a
b
c
The current is too strong, so John dare not … across the
harbour.
swimming
to swim
swim
swims
Asbestos has the ability …..heat, so it is very useful but it is
dangerous to use.
of withstanding
withstood
to withstand
5
a.
b.
c.
6
a.
b.
c.
You must give up ……cigarettes.
smoking
to smoke
to eat
You must practise…the piano if you want to succeed.
to play
playing
having played
7
a.
b.
c.
8
a.
b.
c.
I wonder why Mary avoids ….us
see
to see
seeing
Mary has gone to commercial school ….. shorthand and typing.
to learn
for learning
to be learnt
9
a.
b.
c.
Mr. Cheung does not intend… them.
to help
helped
helping
10.
a.
b.
c.
You ought to change your way…and try to be more courteous.
to speak
of speaking
to speaking
11.
a.
b.
c.
That book is not worth…..
to read
reading
to be read
12.
It is no use…a baby in that way. It is too young to
understand.
punishing
to punish
punished
a.
b.
c.
13.
Thank you for telling me where the shop is. I had
no difficulty …..it
a. to find
b. to locate
c. in finding
14.
What’s the use… more money than you need?
a. to have
b. have
c. of having
15.
We have much pleasure…a cheque in payment of the
attached invoice.
a. in enclosing
b. to enclose
c. enclosed
16.
I’m sorry I made a mistake but I’m not used …dresses.
a. to make
b. making
c. to making
17.
18.
When Mr. Smith speaks too quickly, we listen to
him without….. what he is saying.
a. absorb
b. to absorb
c. absorbing
Mr. Chan has no intention…..us.
a. of helping
b. to help
c. helps
19.
Friendship and respect are things which are best
obtained by …them to other people.
a. given
b. giving
c. gave
20.
Most businessmen in Hong Kong do not mind
borrowing money and …reasonable interest on it.
a. pay
b. to pay
c. paying
21.
Neither money nor influence can stop time…
a. from passing
b. to pass
c. passes
22.
Mr. Wong has a large family to support, so he has
nothing to do except …. a living and get food and
shelter for them.
a. earning
b. for earn
c. earn
23.
24.
This advice will prevent you…the same mistake again
next time.
a. to make
b. from making
c. make
I hope you will succeed…Peter to go to Macau with
us on Saturday.
a. at persuading
b. in persuading
c. to persuade
25.
26.
Did you have any success…to persuade Peter to go
with us?
a. to trying
b. tried
c. in trying
I look forward….your friends next Sunday.
a. to meeting
b. to meet
c. will meet
27.
28.
Mary always enjoys….Chinese poems into English.
a. translating
b. to translate
c. translates
All schools want their students….good results.
a. getting
b. get
c. to get
d. got
29.
Peter: What are you going to do when you finish
Form 5?
John: ……abroad to further my education.
a. I think to go
b. I think of going
c. I am thinking to go
d. I am thinking of going
30.
The typhoon prevented aircraft…at Chap Lap Kok.
a. land
b. to land
c. landed
d. from landing