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Gerunds: we use gerunds as the subject of a sentence:

SMOKING is bad
TRAVELLING abroad opens your mind
Yelling makes me nervous

We use gerunds after certain prepositions:

Novels ABOUT growing up are popular among teenagers
I have an interest IN becoming a painter.
I forgive you FOR not telling the truth.
My mom is scared OF ying

Some verbs such as like, hate, love, start, prefer, begin and continue, can be
followed by a gerund/in nitive without a change in the meaning:
When did you start to draw? / When did you start drawing?

Some verbs such as stop, remember or forget, can be followed by a gerund/

in nitive, but the meaning of the sentence changes:
I stopped to drink coffe (I stop what I was doing and drank coffe)
I stopped drinking coffe (I dont drink coffe anymore)

Infinitives: we use infinitives after certain verbs, words and adjectives.

I don’t want to listen to this song

It is di cult to play the saxophone
It is not easy to graduate from university
It is good to see you

Formamos la negación del In nitivo poniendo delante del verbo NOT

He decided NOT TO go before he had seen her

I chose NOT TO take part in that project

A) Choose the correct answer to complete the facts about the senses.

1) Our sense of smell does not work when we are sleeping, so don't expect waking up /to wake
up if there is a re. That is why experts recommend installing / to install a smoke detector.
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2) Why is it so di cult to tikkle/ tikkling yourself? To predict/ predicting your own movements is
easy for your brain, so you can't surprise yourself.

3) I you have a mosquito bite, you'll feel like to scratch / scratching it. But don't do that unless
you want to irritate / irritating it even more.

B) Complete the text with the verbs in brackets. Use gerunds or in nitives.
The sound of silence

Can you imagine a world where you aren’t surrounded by noise? Today, it’s
almost impossible _________( nd) a few moments of
quiet. We can't avoid _________ (hear) people yelling
on their phones, loud music in shops and restaurants
and noise from planes and cars. Non-stop noise
causes stress, which increases the risk of___________
(get) health problems such as heart disease.
It also has a bad e ect on _________ (learn). During periods of silence,
the brain has a chance _________(process) information and_________
(think) about it creatively. _________ (live) with constant noise means your
brain never has that chance. For this reason, ________ (design) quieter
environments is an important goal for the future. So, next time you're in a cafe
with a friend, you can tell the manager you would like_________ (talk) instead of
_________ (listen) to loud music.

C) Listen and check your answers to exercise B)

D) Copy and complete the sentences with the verbs in brackets. Use gerunds or in nitives.
Which sentences can take either a gerund or an In nitive?

1) Why have you decided _____________(paint) your bedroom pink?

2) How old were you when you started __________(play) the guitar?
3) Thank you for ___________(help) me nd my glasses.
4)Do you want __________ (buy) some new perfume?
5) Ican’t continue________ (drink) this bitter co ee.



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E) Copy and complete the second sentence using gerunds or in nitives. Don't change the
meaning of the original sentences.

1) Some people must wear glasses. > _____________glasses is necessary for some people.
2) It is no problem for me to reduce the volume. > I don’t mind _______________
3) My little sister won't eat fried food. > My little sister refuses__________
4) Shelly is excited because she won a prize. > Shelly is excited about_____________ a prize
5) It’s fun for the baby to touch the cat’s soft fur. > The baby enjoys__________
6) Blake is doing a cooking course. > Blake is learning _________
7)Techno music is fun to dance to. > I like__________

F) Complete the sentences with the verbs in brackets. Use gerunds or in nitives. Which
sentence can use both?
1 ..................................... (wear) appropriate shoes is important for runners.
2 It usually stops ..................................... (snow) in March.
3 I prefer ..................................... (watch) dramas.
4 We expect ..................................... (arrive) tomorrow morning.
5 They communicate by ..................................... (write) e-mails.

G) Complete the sentences with the verbs below. Use gerunds or in nitives.
swim | get | scare | eat | leave | rain

1 We need umbrellas. It’s starting ..................................... .

2 There’s a restaurant. Let’s stop ..................................... .
3 You can’t drive a car without ..................................... a licence.
4 I don’t want ..................................... you, but there’s a bee on you.
5 I feel like ..................................... , but I haven’t got my swimsuit.
6 I remember ..................................... my notebook on the table, but it isn’t there now.

H) Complete the text using the gerund or in nitive form of the verbs in brackets.

It’s not always easy ..................................... (have) compassion and be able to understand what
others are feeling. But for some people, compassion is more than this. It means actually
..................................... (experience) the emotions of others. These people are called “empaths”.
Until recently, few scientists wanted ..................................... (admit) that empaths existed.
According to new research, however, ..................................... (be) an empath could be the result
of a disorder called synaesthesia. For someone with this disorder, the senses don’t work
separately, for example, sight and touch. This means that when people with this condition see
someone who is touched on the face, they react by ..................................... (feel) the touch on
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their own faces. Empaths make wonderful friends, and we always enjoy ............................ (have)
them around, especially when we need someone................................ (support) us. But it must be
di cult for them ..................................... (live) in a world where they feel other people’s
experiences in addition to their own.
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