Infinitives and Gerunds Practice Test (Advanced): 45 Questions

Q1The project is expected ___ by the end of next month.

Answer: A. to be completed

The passive reporting structure 'is expected' requires a 'to-infinitive' complement. Because the subject 'the project' receives the action (it is the patient), the passive infinitive 'to be completed' is necessary. 'To complete' and 'to have completed' are active and would imply the project is performing the completion. 'Being completed' is a gerund/participle form that is not used after 'is expected' in this context.

Q2He mentioned ___ to the conference, but he didn't provide details.

Answer: C. having been invited

The verb 'mention' specifically requires a gerund (-ing form). To indicate that the invitation happened before the act of mentioning, the perfect gerund is used. Since the subject was the recipient of the invitation, the passive voice is also required, resulting in 'having been invited'. Infinitives like 'to invite' or 'to be invited' are not used after the verb 'mention'.

Q3Which sentence is grammatically correct?

Answer: C. She wants him to leave.

The verb 'want' follows the pattern [object + to-infinitive]. While many languages use a 'that-clause' for this meaning, 'want' does not permit it in standard English ('wants that he leaves' is incorrect). It also does not take a gerund ('him leaving') or the archaic 'for to' construction. Therefore, 'She wants him to leave' is the only correct structure.

Q4It is crucial ___ the documents before the deadline.

Answer: B. for them to sign

After adjectives describing importance or necessity (e.g., 'crucial', 'essential'), English often uses the structure 'for' + subject + 'to-infinitive'. This allows the infinitive to have its own logical subject. 'That they to sign' is ungrammatical because 'that' must introduce a clause with a normal conjugated verb. 'For them signing' incorrectly uses a gerund instead of the required infinitive.

Q5The manager seems ___ about the decision already.

Answer: D. to have been informed

The verb 'seem' requires a 'to-infinitive' complement. The adverb 'already' indicates that the action was completed before the present moment, which requires the perfect aspect ('to have...'). Because the manager received the information, we also need the passive voice ('been informed'). Thus, 'to have been informed'—the perfect passive infinitive—is the only choice that fits both the timeframe and the semantic roles.

Q6I would prefer ___ to the event alone.

Answer: D. not to go

While 'prefer' can take either a gerund or an infinitive, the conditional form 'would prefer' almost exclusively triggers the 'to-infinitive'. When negating an infinitive, the particle 'not' is placed immediately before 'to', giving 'not to go'. 'Not go' (without 'to') cannot follow 'would prefer' as a bare infinitive is not used here. 'Not going' would be appropriate for a general statement of preference (e.g., 'I prefer not going').

Q7Choose the grammatically correct version: She admitted to have stolen the files yesterday.

Answer: B. She admitted to stealing the files yesterday.

In the phrase 'admitted to', the word 'to' is a preposition, not an infinitive marker. Prepositions must be followed by nouns or gerunds. Therefore, 'stealing' or 'having stolen' is required. Using the infinitive 'to have stolen' is common in some dialects but is considered incorrect in formal grammar. 'She admitted to stealing the files yesterday' correctly uses the gerund after the prepositional 'to'.

Q8He denied ___ by the supervisor during the meeting.

Answer: C. having been ignored

The verb 'deny' is followed by a gerund. To describe a past event where the subject was the recipient of the action, we use the perfect passive gerund 'having been ignored'. 'Having ignored' is active and would imply the subject did the ignoring, which is contradicted by 'by the supervisor'. Infinitives like 'to be ignored' are not standard complements for 'deny'.

Q9The professor advised the students ___ their research thoroughly.

Answer: C. to conduct

The verb 'advise' uses the pattern [verb + object + to-infinitive]. 'To conduct' is the active infinitive expressing the future action the students should take. 'Conducting' would be used if there were no direct object (e.g., 'He advised conducting research'). 'To be conducted' is passive and implies the students themselves are the research being conducted, which is illogical.

Q10For the strategy ___ effective, we must adjust our goals.

Answer: B. to be

This is an adverbial clause of purpose where the infinitive has its own subject ('the strategy'). The standard formal construction for this is 'For + noun/pronoun + to-infinitive'. 'To be' correctly identifies the future state aimed for. 'To being' is ungrammatical — a gerund cannot follow the infinitive marker 'to' in this construction. 'Being' is a participle and cannot head this type of purpose clause, and 'to have been' refers to a past state that doesn't fit the context of adjusting current goals.

Q11She claims ___ the CEO in a previous role.

Answer: C. to have met

The verb 'claim' is followed by a 'to-infinitive'. Because the meeting took place 'in a previous role' (the past), we must use the perfect infinitive 'to have met' to show that the action happened before the current claim. 'To meet' would imply a present or future event, and 'to be met' is passive, making the subject the one who was encountered rather than the one who did the meeting.

Q12Which sentence demonstrates a stylistically acceptable split infinitive?

Answer: B. He decided to quickly finish the task.

A split infinitive occurs when an adverb is placed between 'to' and the base verb ('to quickly finish'). While older prescriptive rules forbade this, it is now widely accepted in formal English to avoid ambiguity or to change emphasis. 'To finish quickly the task' is a word-order error because an adverb should not separate a verb from its direct object. 'To quickly finish' is a natural use of a split infinitive.

Q13The CEO encouraged the team ___ new ideas.

Answer: C. to develop

The verb 'encourage' follows the linking verb pattern [object + to-infinitive]. 'Developing' is a gerund and 'develop' is a bare infinitive, neither of which is permitted after 'encourage' when an object is present. 'To have developed' is the perfect infinitive, which would incorrectly suggest the development was finished before the encouragement happened.

Q14He regrets ___ to the meeting; he wishes he had stayed home.

Answer: C. having come

When the verb 'regret' refers to a past action, it is followed by a gerund. The perfect gerund 'having come' emphasizes that the action was completed in the past. In contrast, 'regret to [infinitive]' is used for giving bad news in the present (e.g., 'I regret to say...'). Since he wishes he had stayed home, he is regretting a past choice, requiring 'having come'.

Q15Identify the grammatically incorrect sentence:

Answer: A. The witness appeared to have followed by a mysterious car.

The sentence 'The witness appeared to have followed by a mysterious car' is incorrect because the presence of the action-performing phrase 'by a mysterious car' requires the passive voice. To form the perfect passive, the auxiliary 'been' must be included ('to have been followed'). The other options correctly use the active voice ('have been following') or the passive voice ('be followed' / 'have been followed').

Q16It is important ___ the instructions carefully before starting.

Answer: C. for you to read

After the adjective 'important', the sentence uses a 'for-infinitive' clause. This requires the preposition 'for', an object-case pronoun 'you', and the 'to-infinitive'. 'You to read' lacks the necessary preposition 'for'. 'That you reading' is a fragment because it lacks a proper verb; it would need to be 'that you read'.

Q17I don't like ___ when I am trying to concentrate.

Answer: D. being interrupted

The verb 'like' can take a gerund or an infinitive. Here, the context requires a passive form because the speaker is the one receiving the interruption. 'Being interrupted' is the passive gerund. 'Interrupting' and 'to interrupt' are active and would mean the speaker is the one doing the interrupting. 'Having interrupted' is a perfect active gerund, also implying the speaker did the action.

Q18The witness claims ___ at the scene of the crime.

Answer: D. to have been

The verb 'claim' is followed by a 'to-infinitive'. Because the crime occurred in the past, the witness is claiming a past state, which requires the perfect infinitive 'to have been'. 'To be' would imply the witness is currently at the scene, which is inconsistent with giving testimony. 'To have being' is a morphological error combining the perfect auxiliary with a present participle.

Q19The police warned the public ___ the area immediately.

Answer: A. to vacate

The verb 'warn' follows the [object + to-infinitive] pattern when giving a directive or instruction. 'To vacate' is the standard active infinitive. 'To have vacated' suggests a past requirement that is not logical for an immediate warning. 'Vacating' (gerund) and 'vacate' (bare infinitive) are not used with the verb 'warn' in this structure.

Q20Which sentence is correct?

Answer: D. She asked him to wait.

When used to make a request, 'ask' follows the complex transitive pattern [object + to-infinitive]. 'She asked him that he waits' is incorrect; a 'that' clause with 'ask' would require the mandative subjunctive ('asked that he wait'). 'Waiting' and 'for waiting' are not permitted complements for this sense of the verb 'ask'.

Q21Having ___ the report, she felt a sense of relief.

Answer: C. finished

This is a perfect participle clause, which provides the temporal background for the main clause. The structure for an active perfect participle is 'Having + past participle' (finished). This shows the first action was completed before the second. 'Been finished' would be passive, implying she was the thing being finished. 'Finishing' is a present participle, implying the two actions happened simultaneously.

Q22The technician was required ___ the software before the update.

Answer: C. to reboot

When 'require' is used in the passive voice ('was required'), it is followed by a 'to-infinitive' complement. 'To reboot' is the standard choice. 'That he reboot' is a finite clause that cannot directly complement the passive 'was required'. 'Rebooting' is a gerund, which 'require' only takes in certain active or impersonal constructions (e.g., 'the car requires washing').

Q23He seems ___ by the news he received this morning.

Answer: B. to have been shocked

The verb 'seem' takes a 'to-infinitive'. Since the news was received in the past ('this morning'), we use the perfect aspect ('to have been...'). Furthermore, 'shock' is a transitive verb of emotion where the person is affected by an external event, requiring the passive voice. 'To have been shocked' (perfect passive infinitive) is the correct form. 'To be shocking' would mean he himself was the cause of shock for others.

Q24The instructor reminded the class ___ their assignments.

Answer: B. to submit

The verb 'remind' follows the linking verb pattern [object + to-infinitive] for future actions. 'To submit' is the correct form. 'Submit' is a bare infinitive, and 'submitting' is a gerund; neither is used with 'remind'. 'To have submitted' is the perfect infinitive, which would mean they were reminded to have finished in the past, which is logically inconsistent with a reminder to do something.

Q25She hates ___ in front of large audiences.

Answer: C. to be evaluated

The verb 'hate' can take a gerund or a 'to-infinitive'. Because she is the one being evaluated, we need a passive form. 'To be evaluated' is the passive infinitive. 'To evaluate' is active, implying she hates evaluating other people. 'Being evaluating' is a morphological error, mixing passive and progressive gerund markers.

Q26Choose the grammatically correct version: The company allowed for the employees to work from home.

Answer: D. The company allowed the employees to work from home.

When 'allow' means to give permission, it is a complex transitive verb that takes an object and a 'to-infinitive' directly: 'allowed the employees to work'. The phrasal verb 'allow for' means 'to take into consideration' or 'to provide a margin for', which does not fit the context of granting a workplace privilege. Therefore, the direct object construction is correct.

Q27I would like ___ a chance to explain the situation.

Answer: D. to be given

The expression 'would like' requires a 'to-infinitive' complement. Since the speaker wants to receive the chance, the passive voice is necessary. 'To be given' is the passive infinitive. 'Being given' and 'having been given' are gerund forms, which 'would like' does not permit.

Q28He is proud ___ the championship last year.

Answer: C. to have won

Adjectives expressing emotion about a previous accomplishment often take a perfect infinitive complement. 'To have won' indicates that the action happened in the past (reinforced by 'last year'). 'To win' refers to present/future events. 'To be won' is passive and would suggest the subject was the trophy being won, rather than the person who won it.

Q29Which sentence uses the split infinitive correctly?

Answer: D. They aim to significantly reduce costs.

In modern usage, splitting the infinitive by placing an adverb between 'to' and the verb ('to significantly reduce') is accepted and often preferred for clarity. 'To reduce significantly costs' is wrong because adverbs shouldn't separate a verb and its object. 'Significantly to reduce' is possible but can sound overly formal and stiff.

Q30She managed ___ the deadline despite the delays.

Answer: A. to meet

The verb 'manage' is followed by a 'to-infinitive' to indicate the successful completion of a difficult task. 'To meet' is the standard form. Although the event is in the past, 'managed' is already past tense, so we use the simple infinitive 'to meet'. 'Meeting' is a gerund, which is not used after 'manage'.

Q31Having ___ the keys, he could finally enter the house.

Answer: A. found

This is a perfect participle clause, used to show that one action was completed before another. The structure is 'Having + past participle' (found). 'Been found' is passive and would mean he himself was found. 'Finding' is a present participle, implying the actions were simultaneous, which is illogical here.

Q32Our goal is ___ the truth before making a decision.

Answer: C. to know

In this sentence, the infinitive 'to know' acts as a subject complement (specifically a predicative nominative) following the verb 'is'. 'That we to know' is ungrammatical as infinitives do not follow 'that'. 'Us to know' would require the prepositional 'for' ('is for us to know') to define the subject of the infinitive.

Q33He appears ___ a lot of pressure lately.

Answer: B. to have been under

The verb 'appear' takes a 'to-infinitive'. The time marker 'lately' denotes a period that began in the past and continues to the present, which requires the perfect aspect ('to have been'). 'To have under' is missing the essential past participle 'been' to function as a state verb.

Q34The teacher forced the students ___ the essay again.

Answer: C. to rewrite

The verb 'force' is a causative verb—one that shows someone causing an action—and it requires the [object + to-infinitive] pattern. 'To rewrite' is the correct active form. 'Rewriting' is a gerund and 'to be rewritten' is passive (which would mean the students themselves were rewritten).

Q35She was happy ___ to the party.

Answer: A. to have been invited

Adjectives like 'happy' are followed by infinitives. Since the invitation happened in the past and she was the recipient, we need the perfect passive infinitive 'to have been invited'. 'To invite' and 'having invited' are active, and 'to be inviting' is a progressive form that implies an ongoing state of inviting others.

Q36Choose the grammatically correct version: She would prefer for them to not arrive late.

Answer: C. She would prefer them not to arrive late.

When 'would prefer' has a secondary subject (them), it typically uses the pattern [object + (not) + to-infinitive]. In formal English, the negative 'not' is placed before 'to'. While 'to not arrive' (a putting an adverb between 'to' and the verb) is common in speech, 'not to arrive' is the standard formal choice. The word 'for' is often used in speech but is considered redundant in this linking verb structure.

Q37They seem ___ by the sudden change in plans.

Answer: C. to have been confused

The verb 'seem' requires a 'to-infinitive'. The confusion is a state resulting from an earlier event, so the perfect aspect ('to have been') is used. Because the confusion was caused by the change in plans, the passive voice ('confused') is required. 'To be confusing' is active and would mean 'they' were causing confusion for others.

Q38I resent ___ in such a disrespectful manner.

Answer: C. being treated

The verb 'resent' requires a gerund complement. Since the speaker is the one receiving the treatment, the passive gerund 'being treated' is necessary. 'To be treated' is an infinitive, which 'resent' does not take. 'Having treated' is active, implying the speaker was the one acting disrespectfully.

Q39The government enabled the citizens ___ their voices heard.

Answer: C. to have

The verb 'enable' follows the [object + to-infinitive] pattern. 'To have' is the infinitive that complements 'enable'. The entire phrase 'to have their voices heard' uses the 'causative have' structure [have + object + past participle]. 'Having' is a gerund, which 'enable' does not take in this context.

Q40Which sentence is correct?

Answer: A. He asked for the report to be sent.

When requesting an action on an inanimate object, the pattern 'ask for + object + to be [past participle]' is the standard. 'He asked the report to be sent' is less natural because 'ask' usually takes a person as a direct object. 'He asked that the report to be sent' is ungrammatical; a 'that' clause requires a finite verb ('that the report be sent').

Q41He denies ___ anything about the missing funds.

Answer: C. having known

The verb 'deny' specifically requires a gerund complement. To refer to a past state of knowledge, the perfect gerund 'having known' is used. While the simple gerund 'knowing' is also common, 'having known' emphasizes that the state refers to the past. 'To know' and 'to have known' are infinitives and are not permitted after 'deny'.

Q42It is essential ___ the contract signed by tomorrow.

Answer: C. for us to get

After adjectives of necessity like 'essential', the 'for + object + to-infinitive' construction is required to introduce a subject for the infinitive. 'For us to get' is the correct formal structure. 'That we to get' is ungrammatical because 'that' requires a finite clause (like 'that we get'). 'Us to get' is missing the required preposition 'for'.

Q43The suspects were seen ___ the building in one swift motion.

Answer: C. entering

Verbs of perception (like see, watch, hear) in the passive voice can be followed by a present participle (-ing) to focus on the action in progress or a specific segment of the action. 'Entering' fits the description of a 'swift motion'. 'To have entered' emphasizes the completion of the action rather than the manner of the act itself.

Q44She claims ___ the best candidate for the job.

Answer: C. to be

The verb 'claim' is followed by a 'to-infinitive'. To express a present state or identity, the simple infinitive 'to be' is used. 'Being' is a gerund, which 'claim' does not take as a direct object in standard English. 'To have being' is ungrammatical as 'have' must be followed by a past participle (been), not a present participle (being).

Q45Choose the grammatically correct version: He wants me to help him with the project.

Answer: C. He wants me to help him with the project.

The verb 'want' follows the linking verb pattern [object + to-infinitive]. 'Me' is the correct objective-case pronoun for the object. 'He wants that I help' is a common error (influence from other languages), but is incorrect in English. 'I to help' is wrong because subjects of infinitives in this position must be in the objective case.

Infinitives and Gerunds Practice Test — Advanced

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All 45 questions with answers