GERUND or INFINITIVE

GERUND or INFINITIVE

Read the letter carefully and pay attention to the way the verbs work, like in the bold example.

Dear Amanda,

I did enjoy reading your news in your last letter, and I'm sorry this reply is so late, but I put off writing to you until our holiday plans were settled.   Jane and I have decided to go on a safari this year and we've been spending a lot of time planning the trip.  Our neighbours recommended us to go, though they suggested going on a package holiday.   However, we dislike travelling in groups and so we're planning to travel independently.   We hope to hire a minibus, drive to the south of Europe and then put it on a boat.   It's much more fun but a lot more work!

We're setting out on 1st September and expect to be away for a couple of months at least.   We've arranged for friends to come and look after the house while we're away.  My parents-in-law offered to come and live here, but I couldn't help worrying what would happen when we returned.  They might not agree to move out again!  We've also had some problems with our jobs.  Jane's employers threatened to sack her if she took any more time off this year, so she's handed in her notice. Luckily, a friend of ours has promised to give her a job as manager of a small shop when we return.  As for me, I finish working at the end of July and have to start again in January, otherwise I risk losing my job.

As you can imagine, we've been pretty busy recently.  Jane's been practising taking photos of birds in the back garden, though she complains that they refuse to stand still long enough!  I hope she manages to sort things out in time.  Sometimes I think that we must be mad, especially as we can't really afford to go away for so long. Jane's very keen to go, though - she's missed travelling since getting her job - and I must admit feeling excited myself.

Well, I hope your exams go well. You certainly deserve to pass them, considering how much work you've done.   We'll be in touch before we go.

Love, John

Now choose between a gerund (-ing) and an infinitive (to do). Choose from the drop down list and then click to check your answers.

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