Open the brackets and fill in with the proper verbal (infinitives, gerunds or participles).
1. After (get) (know) him better, I regretted (judge) him unfairly.
2. The man the police found (act) suspiciously in the shop doorway was charged with (loiter) with intent.
3. I can’t bear the thought of (you, go) home without someone (accompany) you.
4. A job worth (do) is worth (do) well.
5. I should prefer (go) to the cinema rather than (sit) here (listen) to the radio.
6. Don’t stand there (do) nothing.
7. He tried (speak) German but found that he couldn’t. His attempts at (speak) Spanish were unsuccessful.
8. I tried (cook) eggs and bacon together, and found that this was a much quicker way of (prepare) a meal.
9. Surely you recollect (he, say) that he would agree to (I, borrow) his car if I didn’t mind (pay) for the petrol.
10. You know I hate (disappoint) you, but much as I would like (go) out this evening, I have to finish (decorate) this room.
11. At present the new child is very shy of (join) in with the others, but very soon I expect (have, he, show) more confidence.
Explanation: After is followed by the gerund form of the verb (getting) because it indicates an action that happened in the past. "Getting to know" is a long process that happened before the regret, so the gerund form is used. "Regretted" is used in the simple past tense to show that the regret happened in the past.
2. The man the police found acting suspiciously in the shop doorway was charged with loitering with intent.
Explanation: "Acting" is the present participle and it describes the action of the man that the police found. "Loitering" is a gerund and it describes the charge that was made against the man. "With intent" is a prepositional phrase that provides more information about the charge.
3. I can't bear the thought of you going home without someone accompanying you.
Explanation: "Going" is the gerund form of the verb and it describes the action of you going home. "Accompanying" is the present participle and it describes the action of someone being with you. "Of" is a preposition that connects the thought to the action.
4. A job worth doing is worth doing well.
Explanation: "Worth doing" is a phrase that uses the gerund form of the verb and it describes the job that is worth doing. The phrase is repeated to emphasize the importance of doing the job well.
5. I should prefer to go to the cinema rather than sit here listening to the radio.
Explanation: "To go" is the infinitive form of the verb and it describes the action of going to the cinema. "Sit" is the base form of the verb and it describes the action of sitting. "Listening" is the present participle and it describes the action of listening to the radio.
6. Don't stand there doing nothing.
Explanation: "Doing" is the present participle and it describes the action of doing nothing. The phrase emphasizes the need to do something instead of nothing.
7. He tried to speak German but found that he couldn't. His attempts at speaking Spanish were unsuccessful.
Explanation: "To speak" is the infinitive form of the verb and it describes the action of trying to speak. "Speaking" is the gerund form of the verb and it describes the attempts at speaking Spanish. The verb "found" is used in the past tense to show that he couldn't speak German.
8. I tried cooking eggs and bacon together, and found that this was a much quicker way of preparing a meal.
Explanation: "Cooking" is the gerund form of the verb and it describes the action of cooking eggs and bacon together. "Preparing" is the gerund form of the verb and it describes the action of preparing a meal. The phrase "this was" uses the past tense to show the result of the cooking.
9. Surely you recollect him saying that he would agree to me borrowing his car if I didn't mind paying for the petrol.
Explanation: "Saying" is the present participle and it describes the action of him saying something. "Borrowing" is the gerund form of the verb and it describes the action of me borrowing his car. "Paying" is the gerund form of the verb and it describes the action of paying for the petrol.
10. You know I hate disappointing you, but much as I would like to go out this evening, I have to finish decorating this room.
Explanation: "Disappointing" is the present participle and it describes the action of me disappointing you. "To go" is the infinitive form of the verb and it describes the action of me wanting to go out. "Decorating" is the gerund form of the verb and it describes the action of me finishing the decoration of the room.
11. At present, the new child is very shy of joining in with the others, but very soon, I expect him to show more confidence.
Explanation: "Joining in" is the gerund form of the verb and it describes the action of the new child joining in with the others. "To show" is the infinitive form of the verb and it describes the action of the child showing more confidence. The phrase "I expect" indicates a future expectation.