Gerund – Infinitive (Intermediate / Upper-Intermediate) Test 7

Be supposed to means 'people say'. When the action happened earlier than the time of saying, use the perfect infinitive: She’s supposed to have left home at 15. Not to leave, because that would refer to the present or future.

The pattern is ask someone (not) to do something, so the negative form is asked me not to say. Not not to be said: after me we need an active verb, because I am the one who mustn't say anything.

After a preposition like at we use the -ing form: skilful at making animal noises. Not being made, because that is passive, and he is the one making the noises.

Expect is followed by the to-infinitive, and I’ll be able to becomes to be able to pass. Not to be passed, because that is passive: I pass the class, the class doesn't pass me.

We say be punished for doing something; after the preposition for we use the -ing form: punished for putting his tongue out. Not to put, because punish is not followed by a to-infinitive of the reason.

To cut a long story short is a fixed expression with the to-infinitive, meaning 'to say it briefly'. The food served uses a past participle with passive meaning: the food that was served. Not being served, which suggests something still going on at that moment.

We use the to-infinitive to show purpose: something must be done to control inflation. Not for controlling, because we don't normally use for + -ing to give the purpose of an action like this.

After the preposition against we use an -ing form. Children don't send themselves, so we need the passive gerund: against children being sent to school. Not to be sent, because a preposition cannot be followed by a to-infinitive.

After at we use the -ing form (making), and make someone do something takes the bare infinitive: making people think. Not to think, because make (active) is never followed by to.

Hate can take the -ing form, and here the meaning is passive: other people disturb him. So we say hates being disturbed. Not to disturb, which would mean that he disturbs other people.

In the active, make takes the bare infinitive (They made us read), but in the passive we need to: We were made to read. Not read, because the passive form of make always needs to.

After the first / the second / the last we use the to-infinitive. He receives the honour, so it must be passive: the second man to be honoured. Not to honour, which would mean he honoured someone else.

The pattern It’s + adjective + of you + to-infinitive is used to judge someone's behaviour: It’s stupid of you to smoke so much. Not smoking, because this pattern needs the to-infinitive.

Trapped is a past participle with passive meaning (the woman who was trapped), and blazing is a present participle meaning the house was burning at that moment. Not blazed, because the fire was still burning, not finished.

When asked is a short form of when he was asked: a past participle with passive meaning after a conjunction. Not asking, because the police asked him, he didn't ask them.

This is a participle clause with its own subject (Floods). The perfect participle having carried shows that the floods carried the bridge away first, and as a result the river couldn't be crossed. Not carrying, because the action was already finished.

The pattern is spend time + -ing: spent an evening talking about old times. Not to talk, because spend time is not followed by a to-infinitive.

The perfect participle having received shows one action was completed before the next: first they received their final check, then they boarded. Not received, because that would make the clause passive, but the astronauts did the receiving.

The fixed expression It’s no use is followed by the -ing form: It’s no use talking to him. Not to talk, because this expression always takes the gerund.

To apologise for something that has already happened, we use sorry + perfect infinitive: I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Not keeping, because sorry needs for before an -ing form (sorry for keeping).