Complete the following sentences using infinitives or –ing forms. Each question is followed by two answer choices. Choose the most appropriate one.

1. Please give me some water ………………………….. (to drink / drinking)

Incorrect: They insisted on me resigning the post.
Correct: They insisted on my resigning the post.

Incorrect: They objected to John playing for the team.
Correct: They objected to John’s playing for the team.

Gerund
A form of verb ending in –ing. Consider the verb read, and consider this example: I enjoy reading books. Here read stands in its gerund form reading, and reading exhibits verbal properties: in this case it takes the object books.

Gerunds and infinitives are often interchangeable, both as subjects and objects of verbs. Compare:

Smoking is injurious to health.
To smoke is injurious to health.

Complete the following sentences using gerunds.

1. He earns his living by …………………..

2. She is very good at …………………….

3. This mechanic is good at ………………….

Replace the gerund by an infinitive and the infinitive by a gerund in the following sentences.

1.       To laugh is better than to frown.

2.       Writing a story is not easy.

Incorrect: They were counting on me helping them.
Correct: They were counting on my helping them.

Incorrect: They insisted on me resigning the post.
Correct: They insisted on my resigning the post.