Gerunds & infinitives: meaning changes worksheet
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- Print the questions without the answers beside them.
- Use the explained key to review your choices.
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Name: ____________________ Date: ____________________
“I stopped to drink water” means:
I no longer drink water / I paused another activity to drink / I forgot to drink
My answer: ________________________________________
“I remember meeting her” means:
I recall the meeting / I still need to meet her / I refuse to meet her
My answer: ________________________________________
“Remember to lock the door” means:
Recall locking it yesterday / Do not forget the task / Stop locking it
My answer: ________________________________________
“Try restarting the computer” suggests:
Experiment with that solution / Never restart it / You restarted it already
My answer: ________________________________________
“He stopped smoking” means:
He paused to smoke / He ended the habit / He intended to smoke
My answer: ________________________________________
“She stopped to drink some water” means what?
She forgot to drink. / She paused another activity in order to drink. / She gave up drinking water.
My answer: ________________________________________
“I remember locking the door” refers to what?
A memory of a completed action. / An instruction to lock it later. / A decision never to lock it.
My answer: ________________________________________
“Remember to lock the door” asks someone to do what?
Describe a past memory. / Stop locking the door. / Not forget a future action.
My answer: ________________________________________
“I tried restarting the computer” describes what?
Avoiding a restart. / Testing a possible solution. / Always succeeding at a difficult task.
My answer: ________________________________________
“She went on to explain the results” means what?
She moved to the next action. / She continued the same explanation without a new stage. / She stopped speaking permanently.
My answer: ________________________________________
Answer key & explanations
- I paused another activity to drink — The infinitive gives the purpose of stopping.
- I recall the meeting — Remember + -ing recalls a past experience.
- Do not forget the task — Remember + infinitive concerns a task to perform.
- Experiment with that solution — Try + -ing can propose a possible solution.
- He ended the habit — Stop + -ing means cease that activity.
- She paused another activity in order to drink. — Stop plus to-infinitive introduces the purpose of a pause.
- A memory of a completed action. — Remember plus -ing refers to remembering an earlier event.
- Not forget a future action. — Remember plus to-infinitive concerns an action still needing to be done.
- Testing a possible solution. — Try plus -ing commonly describes an experiment to see whether something helps.
- She moved to the next action. — Go on plus to-infinitive introduces a subsequent action or stage.
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Next worksheet: Modal verbs in real situations →Want more gerunds & infinitives: meaning changes practice?
The online topic pack has 40 exercises across four sets, including sentence work and original writing. This printable covers the ten-question warm-up.
Open all four practice sets →Skills to work on in this practice
- Notice changes in meaning
- Distinguish remembering and forgetting actions
- Choose the pattern that matches the situation