Find Someone Who...

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives speaking activity, asking and answering, controlled and freer, A2

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Freer Practice

In this free gerunds and infinitives speaking activity, students ask and answer 'Do you...?' questions using gerund and infinitive forms. First, students go through the items on the worksheet and form...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Controlled and Freer Practice In this free gerunds and infinitives speaking activity, students ask and answer 'Do you...?' questions using gerund and infinitive forms. First, students go through the items on the worksheet and form the questions they need to ask in order to do the activity, e.g. 'Do you love watching films?' Students then go around the class asking the questions to their classmates. When a classmate answers 'Yes, I do' to a question, the student writes the classmate's name in the 'Name' column and then asks a follow-up question (e.g. What films do you love watching?) to get more information, noting down the answer before moving on to speak to another classmate. When everyone has finished, students use gerunds and infinitives to give feedback to the class on what they found out about their classmates. show less
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Gerunds and Infinitives Practice

Pre-intermediate (A2) 20 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives worksheet, gap-fill, sentence completion, A2

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Gap-fill, Sentence Completion

This useful gerunds and infinitives worksheet helps students to learn and practice commonly used gerund and infinitive forms. Students begin with two gap-fill exercises where they complete...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Gap-fill, Sentence Completion This useful gerunds and infinitives worksheet helps students to learn and practice commonly used gerund and infinitive forms. Students begin with two gap-fill exercises where they complete sentences with gerunds and then infinitives. Next, students complete sentences with the gerund or infinitive form of the verbs in brackets. Lastly, students use their own ideas to complete sentences with gerunds and infinitives. show less
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Gerunds Crossword

Pre-intermediate (A2) 20 minutes
Gerunds activity, crossword, sentence completion, pair work, A2

ESL Gerunds Activity - Grammar: Crossword, Sentence Completion - Pair Work

In this gerunds as subjects activity, students make sentences with gerunds as the subject and then use those gerunds to complete a crossword. Student A begins by choosing a verb from the box and saying it to Student B who listens and looks at...

ESL Gerunds Activity - Grammar: Crossword, Sentence Completion - Pair Work In this gerunds as subjects activity, students make sentences with gerunds as the subject and then use those gerunds to complete a crossword. Student A begins by choosing a verb from the box and saying it to Student B who listens and looks at the clues on their worksheet to find the sentence that needs the verb as a gerund. Student B then reads the complete sentence aloud with the gerund as the subject. If Student A agrees it's correct, Student B gives them the clue number and both students write the gerund in the crossword. When Student A has completed their part of the crossword, the two students swap roles. Finally, students check their answers by comparing crosswords and then discuss whether they agree or disagree with the sentences. show less
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Guess who it is

Pre-intermediate (A2) 40 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives guessing game, writing sentences, listening, A2

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Game - Grammar, Writing and Listening: Gap-fill, Binary Choice, Writing Sentences, Guessing

In this fun gerunds and infinitives activity, students write sentences about themselves with gerunds and infinitives and then play a guessing game using the sentences. Students complete sentences on...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Game - Grammar, Writing and Listening: Gap-fill, Binary Choice, Writing Sentences, Guessing In this fun gerunds and infinitives activity, students write sentences about themselves with gerunds and infinitives and then play a guessing game using the sentences. Students complete sentences on their numbered worksheet with 'doing' or 'to do'. Students then respond to each item by writing a true sentence about themselves, e.g. 'I enjoy riding my mountain bike in my free time.' When everyone has finished, collect the worksheets and then redistribute them. Students then take turns reading out the student number and sentences on the worksheet they received. Students start each sentence with 'This person…' and use the pronouns 'they' and 'their', e.g. 'This person enjoys riding their mountain bike in their free time.' The other students write down the student number in their chart and listen to all the sentences. Students then try to guess the writer's identity, writing their guess next to the number in the chart. Afterwards, students reveal their numbers. Students score one point for each correctly identified student. The student with the most points wins the game. show less
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This is me

Pre-intermediate (A2) 30 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives speaking activity, sentence completion, discussion, A2

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Sentence Completion, Discussion - Group Work

In this gerunds and infinitives speaking activity, students complete sentence starters about themselves with gerunds or infinitives and then share and discuss their ideas in small groups. First, students...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Sentence Completion, Discussion, Freer Practice - Group Work In this gerunds and infinitives speaking activity, students complete sentence starters about themselves with gerunds or infinitives and then share and discuss their ideas in small groups. First, students complete sentences with true information about themselves using a gerund or an infinitive in each sentence. In groups, students then discuss their sentences and ask follow-up questions to keep the conversation going. Afterwards, students tell the class what they found out about their classmates. show less
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Verb Quest: Gerund or Infinitive?

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives board game, forming sentences, group work, A2

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Completing Sentences, Freer Practice - Group Work

In this enjoyable gerunds and infinitives board game, students practice choosing a gerund or an infinitive to complete prompts and say their own sentences. In groups, players take turns rolling the dice and moving...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Completing Sentences from Prompts, Freer Practice - Group Work This enjoyable gerunds and infinitives board game helps students practice when to use a gerund instead of an infinitive and vice versa. In groups, players take turns rolling the dice and moving their counters along the board. When a player lands on a square, they use the prompt to form a sentence with either a gerund or an infinitive. For example, if they land on 'I enjoy...', they make a sentence with a gerund, e.g. 'I enjoy spending time with my family.' If they land on a prompt like 'I decided to...', they make a sentence with an infinitive e.g., 'I decided to stay home last weekend.' There are some prompts, such as 'I like... ', that can be completed with either a gerund or an infinitive. If a player cannot think of anything to say or make a grammatically correct sentence, they go back two squares. The first player to reach the finish wins the game. show less
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What do you like doing?

Pre-intermediate (A2) 20 minutes
Gerunds speaking activity, asking and answering about preferences, controlled practice, A2

ESL Gerunds Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled Practice

In this insightful gerunds speaking activity, students complete a short questionnaire about what they like doing and then interview classmates to find others with the same preferences. First, students...

ESL Gerunds Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Controlled Practice In this insightful gerunds speaking activity, students complete a short questionnaire about what they like doing and then interview classmates to find others with the same preferences. First, students read through the worksheet and tick the option in each category that best describes what they like doing. Students can add their own answer if they wish using a gerund. Students then ask questions to their classmates to find a student who has the same interest as them in each category, e.g. 'What do you like doing in the morning?' When a student finds someone who likes doing the same thing, they write each other's names down in the space provided and move on to speak to another student. Afterwards, students tell the class about their findings. show less
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Bad at Badminton

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives worksheet, matching, gap-fill, sentence completion, pair work, B1

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Identifying, Gap-fill, Sentence Completion - Speaking Activity: Asking and Answering Questions - Pair Work

In this comprehensive verb patterns worksheet, students practice using verbs with gerunds and infinitives. In two groups, students look at a list of...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Identifying, Gap-fill, Sentence Completion - Speaking Activity: Asking and Answering Questions - Pair Work In this comprehensive verb patterns worksheet, students practice using verbs with gerunds and infinitives. In two groups, students look at a list of verbs and decide whether a gerund or infinitive comes after each one, writing 'G' for gerund, 'I' for infinitive, or 'E' for either next to each verb. Next, tell both groups that they have the same text but with different words missing. Students then complete the texts with the verbs, gerunds and infinitives shown. After that, students complete questions and answers about the text. Students then pair up with someone from the other group. Finally, students take turns asking the questions they wrote to their partner and replying to their partner's questions about the text. show less
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Can you tell me about…?

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives activity, forming, asking and answering, pair work, B1

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Freer Practice - Pair Work

Here is a gerunds and infinitives speaking activity that helps students form, ask, and answer 'Can you tell me about...?' questions using gerunds and infinitives....

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Controlled and Freer Practice - Pair Work Here is a gerunds and infinitives speaking activity that helps students form, ask, and answer 'Can you tell me about...?' questions using gerunds and infinitives. In pairs, one student begins by picking up a card and using the prompt to form a 'Can you tell me about...?' question with a gerund or infinitive, e.g. 'Can you tell me about something you should stop eating because it's unhealthy?' Their partner then answers the question using the same verb and gerund or infinitive used in the question, e.g. 'I should stop eating so much junk food because it's unhealthy for me.' Then it's the other student's turn to pick up a card and form a question, and so on. Afterwards, students share any interesting things they learned about their partner with the class. show less
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Create a Sentence

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives game, forming sentences from prompts, group work, B1

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences, Freer Practice - Group Work

Here is an engaging gerunds and infinitives game in which students create sentences with verbs that take a gerund or an infinitive. Players take turns placing one Set A card and one Set B card from their...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences from Prompts, Freer Practice - Group Work Here is an engaging gerunds and infinitives game in which students create sentences with verbs that take a gerund or an infinitive. Players take turns placing one Set A card and one Set B card from their hand on the table and making a sentence with a gerund or infinitive by combining the words on the cards. For example, if a Set A card has the word 'try' and a Set B card has the word 'walk', a player might say, 'I try to walk 10,000 steps a day.' If a player successfully makes a sentence, they put the two cards aside and replace them by taking one card from each pile. The game continues until all the cards have been used to make sentences. The player with the most pairs of cards at the end of the game is the winner. show less
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Discussion Time

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives speaking activity, answering and discussing, group work, B1

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Activity - Speaking: Answering Questions, Discussion, Communicative Practice - Group Work

In this free gerunds and infinitives speaking activity, students answer questions and hold short group discussions, focusing on using gerunds and infinitives in their responses. In groups, students take turns...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Activity - Speaking: Answering Questions, Guided Discussion, Communicative Practice - Group Work In this free gerunds and infinitives speaking activity, students answer questions and hold short group discussions, focusing on using gerunds and infinitives in their responses. In groups, students take turns picking up a card, reading the question to the group, and starting a discussion using a gerund or an infinitive. For example, if the question was 'What is something you refuse to try?', the student might say, 'I refuse to try skydiving because...' All the group members then give their answers and discuss the topic, giving as much information as possible to keep the conversation going. This process continues until all the cards have been discussed. Afterwards, groups give feedback to the class on the most interesting topics or responses they discussed. show less
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Fact or Fiction Frenzy

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives board game, forming statements, true or false, group work, B1

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences, True or False, Asking and Answering Questions, Guessing - Group Work

In this fun gerunds and infinitives board game, students make statements from prompts, ask follow-up questions, and guess whether answers are true or false...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences, True or False, Asking and Answering Questions, Guessing, Freer Practice - Group Work In this fun gerunds and infinitives board game, students make statements from prompts, ask follow-up questions, and guess whether answers are true or false. In groups, students take turns rolling the dice and moving their counters along the board. When a student lands on a square, they pick up a true or false card from the pile and look at it, without showing anyone. The student then makes a statement with a gerund or infinitive using the prompt on the square, giving either true or false information as indicated on the card, e.g. 'I plan to go abroad next month.' The other students then ask questions using the same verb pattern to determine if the student is lying or telling the truth, e.g. 'Where do you plan to go?' After a few questions have been answered, the group members guess whether the student's answer is true or false. The student then reveals the answer. The group members who guessed correctly each score one point. When a student reaches the finish, the game ends and the points are added up. The student with the most points wins the game. show less
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Gerund and Infinitive Dominoes

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives game, dominoes, matching, forming sentences, group work, B1

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Game - Grammar: Matching, Forming Sentences, Freer Practice - Group Work

In this gerunds and infinitives game, students match verbs with gerunds and infinitives and make sentences with them. The first player puts a domino down either before or after the domino on the table, making...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Game - Grammar: Matching, Forming Sentences from Prompts, Freer Practice - Group Work In this gerunds and infinitives game, students match verbs with gerunds and infinitives and make sentences with them. The first player puts a domino down either before or after the domino on the table, making sure the verb in bold matches with the gerund or infinitive, or vice versa. The player then makes a sentence with the verb and gerund or infinitive to show the match is correct. The next player then tries to put down one of their dominoes at either end of the domino chain, and so on. If a player cannot think of a sentence, makes a grammar mistake, or matches the dominoes incorrectly, the player takes back the domino and play passes to the next student. The first player to get rid of all their dominoes wins the game. show less
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Gerund and Infinitive Master

Intermediate (B1) 20 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives worksheet, gap-fill, changing word forms, B1

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Worksheet - Grammar Exercise: Gap-fill

Here is a compelling gerunds and infinitives worksheet to test students' knowledge of gerunds and infinitives. First, students complete each sentence with the verb in brackets in its gerund or infinitive form. Students score one point...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Worksheet - Grammar Exercise: Gap-fill Here is a compelling gerunds and infinitives worksheet to test students' knowledge of gerunds and infinitives. First, students complete each sentence with the verb in brackets in its gerund or infinitive form. Students score one point for each correct answer. Finally, students check their scores to see how well they know gerunds and infinitives. show less
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Gerund or Infinitive?

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
Gerund or infinitive worksheet, gap-fill, sentence completion, discussion, pair work, B1

ESL Gerund or Infinitive Worksheet - Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises: Gap-fill, Sentence Completion - Speaking Activity - Discussion - Pair Work

This productive verb patterns worksheet helps students practice or review gerunds and infinitives. First, students complete sentences with the gerund or infinitive...

ESL Gerund or Infinitive Worksheet - Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises: Gap-fill, Sentence Completion - Speaking Activity - Discussion - Pair Work This productive verb patterns worksheet helps students practice or review gerunds and infinitives. First, students complete sentences with the gerund or infinitive form of the verbs in brackets. Students then choose the correct gerund or infinitive forms in a set of sentences. Next, students use gerunds and infinitives to complete sentences with true information about themselves. Lastly, students discuss their sentences with a partner. show less
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Mr Gerund vs. Mr Infinitive

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives board game, matching, forming sentences, pair work, B1

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Matching, Forming Sentences, Freer Practice

In this imaginative gerunds and infinitives board game, students become Mr Gerund or Mr Infinitive and race home by moving only onto verbs that take their character’s form and making accurate example...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Matching, Forming Sentences, Freer Practice In this imaginative gerunds and infinitives board game, students become Mr Gerund or Mr Infinitive and race home by moving only onto verbs that take their character’s form and making accurate example sentences as they go. In pairs, each player chooses a character: Mr Gerund or Mr Infinitive. Starting on any path at the bottom of the maze, players take turns moving their counter one square. Players can only land on verbs that match their character. When a player lands on a suitable verb, they say a sentence using the verb followed by a gerund or infinitive, depending on their character. If the sentence is correct, the player stays on the square. If not, the player returns to their previous square. If a player's path is blocked or they cannot move forward, they return to the bottom and start again from a different path. The first player to reach the house their path leads to at the top wins the round for their character. Afterwards, players switch characters and play again. show less
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Same here!

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives speaking activity, sentence completion, agreeing, B1

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Sentence Completion, Responding to Statements, Agreeing, Freer Practice

In this enjoyable gerunds and infinitives activity, students complete true sentences about themselves using gerunds or infinitives and then find classmates...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Sentence Completion, Responding to Statements, Controlled and Freer Practice In this enjoyable gerunds and infinitives activity, students complete true sentences about themselves using gerunds or infinitives and then find classmates with the same answers. First, students complete each sentence with true information about themselves using a gerund or infinitive. Next, students read their sentences to their classmates and try to find one person for each sentence who is the same as them, e.g. 'At the weekend, I enjoy playing tennis.' If a classmate is the same, they say 'Same here'. The student then writes the classmate's name in the 'Same here!' column next to the sentence. When the students have finished, they give feedback to the class on what they found out. show less
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Tell me about...

Intermediate (B1) 20 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives speaking activity, asking and answering, freer practice, B1

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work

In this free gerunds and infinitives activity, students practice discussing topics using gerunds and infinitives and asking follow-up questions. In pairs, students take turns asking their partner to tell them...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Freer Practice - Pair Work In this free gerunds and infinitives activity, students practice discussing topics using gerunds and infinitives and asking follow-up questions. In pairs, students take turns asking their partner to tell them about the things listed on their worksheet, e.g. 'Tell me about something you want to do in the future.' Each response requires a gerund or infinitive in the answer. To keep the conversation going, students ask follow-up questions when possible. Afterwards, students give feedback to the class on what they found out about their partner. show less
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Thinking of You

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives game, sentence completion, guessing, pair work, B1

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Game - Grammar: Sentence Completion, Guessing, Reading Sentences - Pair Work

In this memorable gerunds and infinitives game, students try to guess true information about a partner by completing prompts with gerunds or infinitives and then confirming whether each guess is correct...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Game - Grammar: Sentence Completion, Guessing, Reading Sentences - Pair Work In this memorable gerunds and infinitives game, students try to guess true information about a partner by completing prompts with gerunds or infinitives and then confirming whether each guess is correct. First, students think about their partner and complete sentences by guessing true information about them. Students must use a gerund or an infinitive in each sentence. Students then take turns reading each sentence to their partner, who listens and tells them if it is true or not. For each correct guess, students score one point. If a sentence is untrue, their partner gives the real answer. The student with the most points at the end of the game wins. show less
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I was thinking of...

Upper-intermediate (B2) 25 minutes
Gerunds grammar game, past plans, intentions, Connect 4, pair work, upper-intermediate

ESL Gerunds Game - Grammar: Forming Sentences, Freer Practice - Pair Work

In this Connect Four-style gerunds game, students practice expressing past plans and intentions that did not happen by making sentences with was or were thinking of + -ing using time and subject prompts. In pairs, players take turns...

ESL Gerunds Game - Grammar: Forming Sentences from Prompts, Freer Practice - Pair Work In this Connect Four-style gerunds game, students practice expressing past plans and intentions that did not happen by making sentences with was or were thinking of + -ing using time and subject prompts. In pairs, players take turns choosing a square and forming a sentence using was or were thinking of + -ing with the given time expression and subject, adding a short result to show it did not happen, e.g. 'I was thinking of moving to Sweden after I left school, but I changed my mind.' If the other student agrees the sentence is correct, the player writes the gerund phrase (e.g. moving to Sweden) and their initials in the square. If not, play passes to the other student. The first player to get four squares in a row wins the game. show less
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My Sentence About You

Upper-intermediate (B2) 40 minutes
Gerunds activity, writing sentences, asking and answering, group work, B1

ESL Gerunds Activity - Speaking: Writing Sentences, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice

In this interesting gerunds activity, students write true sentences about their classmates using common verbs followed by gerunds, then check their sentences by asking classmates questions...

ESL Gerunds Activity - Speaking: Writing Sentences from Prompts, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Freer Practice In this interesting gerunds activity, students write true sentences about their classmates using common verbs followed by gerunds, then check their sentences by asking classmates questions. Students start by writing the name of each student in the class in the first column of the worksheet. Students then try to write a true sentence about each person using the verb next to their name followed by a gerund, e.g. 'Charlie likes getting up late at the weekend.' When the students have finished, they find out if their sentences are true or not by asking questions to the people on their worksheet, e.g. 'Charlie, do you like getting up late at the weekend?' If a sentence is true, students put a tick in the last column. If it's not, students put a cross. The student with the most true sentences wins. show less
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True or False?

Upper-intermediate (B2) 30 minutes
Gerunds and infinitives game, writing, speaking, guessing, group work, B2

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Game - Grammar, Writing and Speaking: Writing Sentences, Asking and Answering Questions, Guessing - Group Work

In this free gerunds and infinitives game, students write true and false statements about themselves using verb cards, then ask and answer questions in groups...

ESL Gerunds and Infinitives Game - Grammar, Writing and Speaking: Writing Sentences, Asking and Answering Questions, Guessing, Freer Practice - Group Work In this free gerunds and infinitives game, students write true and false statements about themselves using verb cards, then ask and answer questions in groups to decide which statement is true. Each student has six verb cards. First, students write three statements about themselves for each of their verb cards, one true and two false. All the verbs must be followed by a gerund or an infinitive. Students then take turns reading three statements for one of their cards to the group. Each time three statements are read out, the group members ask the student questions to help them decide which statement is true. When the group members have each decided which statement is true, the student reveals the correct answer. Students that guessed correctly each score a point. The student with the most points at the end of the game is the winner. show less
Online

Worth It or Not?

Upper-intermediate (B2) 25 minutes
Gerunds board game, sentence completion, group work, upper-intermediate

ESL Gerunds Board Game - Grammar: Sentence Completion, Freer Practice - Group Work

In this creative gerunds board game, students complete sentences with a suitable gerund or gerund phrase using 'It's worth', 'It's not worth', 'There's no point in' and 'What's the point in' to express whether...

ESL Gerunds Board Game - Grammar: Sentence Completion, Freer Practice - Group Work In this creative gerunds board game, students complete sentences with a suitable gerund or gerund phrase using 'It's worth', 'It's not worth', 'There's no point in' and 'What's the point in' to express whether an action is useful or not. Players take turns rolling the dice and moving their counters along the board. When a player lands on a sentence square, they complete the sentence with an appropriate gerund or gerund phrase. The player then writes the gerund phrase on their paper. If a player repeats a gerund or gerund phrase already used by the group or makes a grammatical mistake, they move back two squares. The first player to reach the finish wins the game. show less
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Understanding Gerunds and Infinitives

A gerund is the -ing form of a verb used as a noun, as in 'Swimming is good for you', while an infinitive is the base form of a verb with 'to', as in 'I want to swim.' Many common English verbs lock onto one form or the other, so a student who writes 'I enjoy to swim' instead of 'I enjoy swimming' produces an error that immediately marks their writing as non-native.

This page covers gerunds and infinitives across A2, B1, and B2 levels, with 23 activities including board games, dominoes, worksheets, speaking games, and a crossword, with four activities available as free downloads.

The following table shows the four key verb categories for gerunds and infinitives, with example verbs and sentences showing each pattern in use.

CategoryExample VerbsExample Sentence
Gerund only enjoy, avoid, finish, keep, mind, suggest, miss, practice 'She enjoys swimming every morning.'
Infinitive only want, need, decide, hope, plan, manage, afford, offer 'He decided to leave early.'
Either (same meaning) like, love, hate, start, begin, continue, prefer 'They like swimming.' / 'They like to swim.'
Either (different meaning) remember, forget, stop, try, regret 'I stopped smoking.' vs 'I stopped to smoke.'

When to Use Gerunds and Infinitives

Describing General Activities and Habits: Use a gerund when an activity is the topic of a sentence rather than a specific plan or goal, as in the way a job applicant might write 'Working in teams is something I genuinely enjoy.'

Expressing Plans and Intentions: Use an infinitive after verbs like 'want', 'plan', 'hope', and 'decide' to show that an action is a target or intention rather than something already in progress, as in 'She decided to apply for the promotion.'

Signalling a Change in Meaning: With verbs like 'stop', 'remember', and 'try', choosing a gerund or infinitive changes the meaning of the sentence entirely, which is why 'I stopped to check my phone' means something very different from 'I stopped checking my phone.'

3-Step Framework for Teaching Gerunds and Infinitives

1. Build Awareness with a Board Game: Start with a board game that forces students to choose between gerund and infinitive on every turn. Players land on prompt squares and must produce a complete sentence in the correct form. A square like 'I enjoy...' demands a gerund, so a player might say 'I enjoy spending time with my family.' The game also includes prompts like 'I like...' that accept either form, which opens up a natural classroom conversation about which verbs are flexible and which are not.

2. Classify and Practice with a Worksheet: Follow up with a worksheet that begins with a classification task. Students work through a list of verbs and mark each one 'G' for gerund, 'I' for infinitive, or 'E' for either, training themselves to sort the vocabulary before they use it in a sentence. The worksheet then runs as an information-gap activity where both partners have the same text but with different words missing, so comparing answers becomes a real communicative moment rather than a simple check.

3. Lock in the Learning with a Maze Game: Round off the sequence with a maze-style board game that assigns each player a grammatical identity. One player becomes Mr Gerund, the other becomes Mr Infinitive, and each can only move onto verbs that take their character's form, which means every square demands an accurate sentence. If a player's path gets blocked, they return to the bottom of the maze and try a different route, keeping the pressure on right to the end. Since students switch characters after the first round, they end up practicing both sides of the grammar in the same activity.

Common Mistakes with Gerunds and Infinitives

Gerund After a Verb That Requires an Infinitive: Students often use a gerund after verbs like 'want', 'need', 'decide', and 'hope', when these verbs always require an infinitive as their complement. Wrong: 'I want going to the party.' Correct: 'I want to go to the party.'

Infinitive After a Preposition: Students often place an infinitive directly after a preposition, not realizing that English always requires a gerund in that position. Wrong: 'She is good at to play chess.' Correct: 'She is good at playing chess.'

Common Questions About Teaching Gerunds and Infinitives

What is a useful speaking activity for practicing gerunds and infinitives?

A speaking activity for gerunds and infinitives works well when the questions feel personal. In the free Discussion Time activity, students take turns picking up a card, reading the question to their group, and starting a discussion with a gerund or infinitive — for example answering 'What is something you refuse to try?' with 'I refuse to try skydiving because...' The card-based format keeps the pace moving and gives every student a turn to speak.

What is an effective classroom game for practicing gerunds and infinitives?

Gerund and Infinitive Dominoes is an effective B1 card-matching game in which players place a domino so the verb in bold matches the gerund or infinitive at the end of the chain, then make a sentence with that verb and form to prove the match is correct. A wrong sentence or grammatical error means the domino goes back, which keeps students accountable for accuracy throughout the game.

What is a good worksheet for teaching gerunds and infinitives?

Gerunds and Infinitives Practice is a well-structured A2 worksheet that builds from controlled input to free production. Students begin with two focused gap-fill exercises — one for gerunds and one for infinitives — then complete sentences with the correct form of verbs in brackets, and finish by writing sentences with their own ideas. The gradual increase in independence makes it suitable for pre-intermediate classes encountering these forms for the first time.

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