Verb Patterns: More Practice
Grammar Explanation
Some verbs are followed by verb + -ing. For example: admit making, risk losing, delay answering.
Some verbs are followed by to + verb. For example: agree to help, promise to call, offer to pay.
Some verbs can take both forms. Sometimes the meaning is almost the same. Sometimes there is a small difference. For example, continue working and continue to work are very similar. But remember to call means you remember first and then call. remember calling means you remember the action from the past.
| Category | 6 More Common Verbs | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Verb + -ing | admit, deny, risk, delay, miss, practise | admit making, deny taking, risk losing, delay answering, miss seeing, practise speaking |
| Verb + to + Verb | agree, promise, offer, refuse, seem, afford | agree to help, promise to call, offer to pay, refuse to answer, seem to know, afford to buy |
| Both Forms | continue, remember, forget, try, regret, stop | continue working / continue to work, remember calling / remember to call, try opening / try to open |
❌ He admitted to make a mistake.
✅ He admitted making a mistake.
❌ She promised helping us.
✅ She promised to help us.
✅ I remembered to send the email. = I remembered first, then sent it.
✅ I remember sending the email. = I remember the past action.
1. He admitted ______ a mistake in the report.
making
a) making
b) to make
[Er gab zu, im Bericht einen Fehler gemacht zu haben.]
2. She agreed ______ the meeting next week.
to attend
a) attending
b) to attend
[Sie stimmte zu, nächste Woche an der Besprechung teilzunehmen.]
3. They continued ______ after the short break.
working / to work
a) working
b) to work
[Sie arbeiteten nach der kurzen Pause weiter.]
4. The manager denied ______ the information.
sharing
a) sharing
b) to share
[Der Manager bestritt, die Informationen weitergegeben zu haben.]
5. He promised ______ the documents by Friday.
to send
a) to send
b) sending
[Er versprach, die Unterlagen bis Freitag zu schicken.]
6. I remembered ______ the client before lunch.
to call
a) calling
b) to call
[Ich dachte daran, den Kunden vor dem Mittagessen anzurufen.]
7. They risked ______ the contract.
losing
a) to lose
b) losing
[Sie riskierten, den Vertrag zu verlieren.]
8. She offered ______ for the taxi.
to pay
a) to pay
b) paying
[Sie bot an, das Taxi zu bezahlen.]
9. I remember ______ him at the conference last year.
meeting
a) meeting
b) to meet
[Ich erinnere mich daran, ihn letztes Jahr auf der Konferenz getroffen zu haben.]
10. We delayed ______ the decision until Monday.
making
a) to make
b) making
[Wir verschoben die Entscheidung auf Montag.]
11. He refused ______ the new conditions.
to accept
a) to accept
b) accepting
[Er weigerte sich, die neuen Bedingungen zu akzeptieren.]
12. She forgot ______ the attachment.
to add
a) adding
b) to add
[Sie vergaß, den Anhang hinzuzufügen.]
13. I miss ______ with that team.
working
a) working
b) to work
[Ich vermisse es, mit diesem Team zu arbeiten.]
14. He seems ______ the answer already.
to know
a) knowing
b) to know
[Er scheint die Antwort schon zu kennen.]
15. Try ______ the sentence more slowly.
saying
a) saying
b) to say
[Versuch, den Satz langsamer zu sagen.]
16. We practised ______ difficult words aloud.
saying
a) to say
b) saying
[Wir übten, schwierige Wörter laut auszusprechen.]
17. They cannot afford ______ another mistake.
to make
a) to make
b) making
[Sie können es sich nicht leisten, noch einen Fehler zu machen.]
18. He stopped ______ because he was tired.
working
a) working
b) to work
[Er hörte auf zu arbeiten, weil er müde war.]
19. She regrets ______ so quickly.
answering
a) to answer
b) answering
[Sie bereut, so schnell geantwortet zu haben.]
20. The assistant offered ______ us with the booking.
to help
a) to help
b) helping
[Der Assistent bot an, uns bei der Buchung zu helfen.]
21. He admitted ______ too fast in the presentation.
speaking
a) speaking
b) to speak
[Er gab zu, in der Präsentation zu schnell gesprochen zu haben.]
22. She promised ______ more clearly next time.
to explain
a) explaining
b) to explain
[Sie versprach, es beim nächsten Mal klarer zu erklären.]
23. We continued ______ the problem together.
discussing / to discuss
a) discussing
b) to discuss
[Wir diskutierten das Problem gemeinsam weiter.]
24. He denied ______ the email.
reading
a) to read
b) reading
[Er bestritt, die E-Mail gelesen zu haben.]
25. They refused ______ without a clear agreement.
to continue
a) to continue
b) continuing
[Sie weigerten sich, ohne klare Vereinbarung weiterzumachen.]