Gerunds and Infinitives: Common Verbs (Part 3)

This exercise covers more advanced verbs that B1 learners need to know. You will practise gerund verbs including admit, deny, practise, risk, and delay. For example, "He admitted making a mistake" and "They risked losing everything." You will also practise infinitive verbs including claim, deserve, fail, hesitate, and afford. For example, "She claims to know him" and "I can't afford to buy it."

Several of these verbs have special usage notes. "Afford" is almost always used with "can" or "can't" — we say "I can't afford to buy it," not just "I afford to buy it." "Risk" is often followed by dangerous or negative outcomes: "risk losing," "risk being caught." "Delay" and its synonym "postpone" both take gerunds: "They delayed announcing the results." These more advanced verb patterns appear regularly in Cambridge B1 Preliminary and B2 First Use of English sections, where choosing the correct form is essential for scoring well.