Chapter 5: Use of Non-Finites

Chapter 5: Use of Non-Finites

Exercise 1 (Solved)

Fill in the blanks with a To-Infinitive:

1. I would like to read a good story. (read)
2. He wanted to buy some new clothes for party. (buy)
3. I plan to open a new factory. (open)
4. I would like to come to the party with you. (come)
5. I am learning to speak English. (speak)
6. She helped me to carry my suitcases. (carry)
7. He decided to study Biology. (study)
8. He asked to come with us. (come)
9. I promise to help you tomorrow. (help)
10. We hope to visit Goa next month. (visit)

Exercise 2 (Solved)

1. He is quick to respond. (respond)
2. We are delighted to see you. (see)
3. I was quick to reply. (reply)
4. It is time to sleep now. (sleep)
5. It is not right to find faults with others. (find)
6. This apple is ripe to eat. (eat)
7. They had no time to waste. (waste)
8. He likes to sing old songs. (sing)
9. I didn’t want to leave yet. (leave)
10. You have to solve this sum. (solve)

Exercise 3 (Solved)

1. To err is human. (err)
2. He is too weak to walk. (walk)
3. Everyone wants to make money quickly. (make)
4. I have to pick some books from table. (pick)
5. To waste time is a folly. (waste)
6. Do you have anything more to tell? (tell)
7. She seems to be happy. (be)
8. I find it sensible to remain silent. (remain)
9. This room is to let. (let)
10. To toil is the lot of mankind. (toil)

Exercise 4 (Unsolved)

1. Children love to play. (play)
2. They like to read newspapers. (read)
3. This is not the time to quarrel. (quarrel)
4. He finds this word difficult to pronounce. (pronounce)
5. I want to write a book. (write)
6. I asked him to complete his work first. (complete)
7. He had a plan to follow. (follow)
8. You need to do a lot. (do)
9. The match was about to begin. (begin)
10. Aliens are here to stay now. (stay)

Exercise 5 (Unsolved)

1. He asked the girl to pick up a pebble. (pick)
2. Students are anxious to learn. (learn)
3. He wanted to help the poor. (help)
4. It is a criminal offence to hit anyone with a stick. (hit)
5. Give the beggar something to eat. (eat)
6. He refused to accept our proposal. (accept)
7. You are advised not to mislead your friends. (mislead)
8. I gave him a chance to rethink his stance. (rethink)
9. He doesn’t dare to tell me a lie. (tell)
10. The judge began to pronounce his final judgment. (pronounce)

Exercise 6 (Solved)

Fill in the blanks with Bare-Infinitive:

1. Let us work hard to win. (work)
2. We must go for final push. (go)
3. He made her happy. (make)
4. We bade them goodnight. (bid)
5. I watched the car disappear in the darkness. (disappear)
6. He dare not break the law. (break)
7. He will start a new business. (start)
8. I shall narrate an interesting story. (narrate)
9. He may guide you. (guide)
10. He wanted his enemy defeated. (defeated)

Exercise 7 (Solved)

1. The students made the teacher sing. (sing)
2. The teacher let them play during the recess period. (play)
3. Bid him come here. (bid)
4. Let her go now. (go)
5. You dare not shout at me. (shout)
6. We heard her cry. (hear)
7. I saw him do it. (do)
8. You need not worry. (worry)
9. You should tell the truth. (tell)
10. You must finish your homework at the earliest. (finish)

Exercise 8 (Solved)

1. I saw the thief run. (run)
2. His friends made him laugh. (laugh)
3. They had better vacate their room. (vacate)
4. Please let me study. (study)
5. Let the children play there. (play)
6. He would sooner go than wait for them. (go)
7. He did more than help me. (help)
8. We must respect our teachers. (respect)
9. He would rather die than steal. (die)
10. How dare you steal my money? (steal)

Exercise 9 (Unsolved)

1. She made the child smile. (smile)
2. The coach made the players play. (play)
3. He did more than lend me money. (lend)
4. We can see the water level rising in the river. (rise)
5. Need I warn you? (warn)
6. I have seen him working for success. (work)
7. He can understand many European languages. (understand)
8. A soldier must aim to kill. (aim)
9. I saw the tiger cross the road. (cross)
10. We had nothing to do but sleep in the afternoon. (sleep)

Exercise 10 (Solved)

1. The poor man had five children. He must provide for them.
   The poor man had five children to provide for.
2. Turn to the left. You will find my house.
   Turn to the left for my house.
3. My teacher will learn about my success. He will be delighted.
   My teacher will be delighted to learn about my success.
4. This box is very big. He can’t lift it.
   This box is too big for him to lift.
5. I had no money. I could buy no clothes.
   I had no money to buy any clothes.

Exercise 11 (Unsolved)

1. The table was very big. Two boys could not lift it.
   The table was too big for two boys to lift.
2. She buys antique paintings. It is her passion.
   She buys antique paintings as her passion.
3. He takes light breakfast. He wants to control his weight.
   He takes light breakfast to control his weight.
4. I have some problems. I must solve them.
   I have some problems to solve.
5. He went to Delhi. He has to attend a marriage.
   He went to Delhi to attend a marriage.

Editorial note: In Question 2, the source sentences do not combine naturally using an infinitive without changing the intended meaning. “Buying antique paintings is her passion” is a more natural alternative, but it changes the structure of the original sentence.

Exercise 12 (Solved)

Complete the following sentences using Gerund:

1. She is good at dancing. (dance)
2. He is crazy about singing. (sing)
3. He doesn’t like playing cards. (play)
4. I am afraid of swimming in the canal. (swim)
5. He should give up smoking. (smoke)
6. Harry dreams of being a great athlete. (be)
7. I am always interested in making friends. (make)
8. He is scared of travelling by air. (travel)
9. They insisted on cooking the dinner at home. (cook)
10. I suggest doing some more sums. (do)

Exercise 13 (Solved)

Fill in the blanks with suitable Gerunds:

1. The endings of those movies were disappointing. (The end)
2. Using computers saves a lot of time. (Use)
3. Fans enjoy seeing a good game. (see)
4. They don’t mind sitting in the cold night air. (sit)
5. They hate seeing their team lose. (see)
6. I thanked him for fixing my door. (fix)
7. You can open it by using a knife. (use)
8. What’s it for? It is for tying things together. (tie)
9. Jason read the manual before beginning the installation. (begin)
10. You can’t turn it on without plugging it in. (plug)

Editorial note: The printed answer to Question 8 ends with a question mark, although the sentence is not a question. The punctuation has been retained from the source question rather than silently altered.

Exercise 14 (Unsolved)

Complete the following sentences using Gerund:

1. I am afraid of telling the truth. (tell)
2. She never ceased talking of increasing prices. (talk)
3. He regrets saying such words. (say)
4. What about taking a cup of tea? (take)
5. How about sleeping in the verandah? (sleep)
6. I hate telling lies. (tell)
7. He advises doing more activities before resting. (do)
8. Fans enjoy seeing a good game. (see)
9. They enjoyed seeing him win the trophy. (see)
10. Avoid eating sweets. (eat)

Exercise 15 (Solved)

Combine the following sentences by using a gerund:

1. He goes to his office. He finds it closed.
   He finds his office closed on reaching there.
2. They have to write an essay everyday. They don’t like it.
   They don’t like writing an essay every day.
3. He heard the news of my arrival. He was overjoyed.
   He was overjoyed on hearing the news of my arrival.
4. She began to grumble over her problems. Nobody liked it.
   Nobody liked her grumbling over her problems.
5. He acts on the stage. He wins many prizes.
   He wins many prizes by acting on the stage.

Exercise 16 (Unsolved)

Combine the following sentences by using a Gerund:

1. He serves his nation. He gets satisfaction.
   He gets satisfaction from serving his nation.
2. She eats fruits. She keeps herself fit.She keeps herself fit by eating fruits.
3. The boys were flying kites. They spent the whole evening.
   The boys spent the whole evening flying kites.
4. A boy has stolen his book. There was enough proof of that.
   There was enough proof of the boy’s having stolen his book.
5. Follow traffic rules. It is everyone’s duty.
   Following traffic rules is everyone’s duty.

Exercise 17 (Solved)

Fill in the blanks with Present Participle:

1. The man driving the car is a friend of mine.
2. Lorries coming over the bridge have to be careful of the wind.
3. Who was the girl wearing the red dress?
4. Students submitting their essays late will lose ten marks.
5. The budding flowers looked very beautiful.
6. The running bus rammed against the wall.
7. Hearing the noise, he rushed to the spot.
8. They told us an amusing account of their journey.
9. I saw the lion approaching us.
10. He watched them fighting over trifles.

Exercise 18 (Solved)

Fill in the blanks with Present Participle:

1. We saw many exciting tricks in the magic show.
2. Keeping in mind his health, the doctor advised him rest.
3. He felt pity on the crying child.
4. The peon came running to the office.
5. A rolling stone gathers no moss.
6. Don’t get off a running car.
7. Would you mind my coming too?
8. Climbing mountains is my passion.
9. You should stop advising others.
10. Singing can be a rewarding career too.

Exercise 19 (Solved)

Fill in the blanks with Present Participle/Gerund:

1. Hearing the lion’s roar, the deer ran away.
2. While crossing the road, the old beggar was hit by a speeding truck.
3. She has a smiling face.
4. Her charming smile wins many hearts.
5. We must prevent their going away.
6. The man sitting on the bench is known to me.
7. Cars speeding away can be very dangerous for pedestrians.
8. I found him drinking beer.
9. He began shouting at the poor man.
10. Children love eating chocolates.

Exercise 20 (Unsolved)

Fill in the blanks with Present Participle:

1. The movie, now, playing at the city theatre is my favourite.
2. My mother is preparing a cake for my birthday.
3. The ship sailing to Mexico is leaving tonight.
4. The letters needing immediate answers are on the desk.
5. The boring class ended just a few minutes ago.

Exercise 21 (Solved)

Fill in the blanks with Past Participle:

1. She found her torn book on the floor.
2. He has left the windows open.
3. The college has closed for summer vacation.
4. They saw a few rupees thrown on the roadside.
5. We watched a movie directed by Raj Kapoor.
6. He seemed to be a man with a broken heart.
7. A burnt child dreads the fire.
8. The man looked worried.
9. He looked a bit confused.
10. We gave him a written complaint.

Exercise 22 (Unsolved)

Fill in the blanks with Past Participles:

1. Julie wasn’t at home, she had gone to the shop.
2. We’ve already had lunch.
3. This was the first time she had done her homework.
4. They have begun painting the living room.
5. We have kept this secret for three years.
6. He has never driven a motorbike before.
7. I have been sick all week.
8. By the time we arrived, the children had eaten all the chocolates.
9. The books had fallen off the table, and were all over the floor.
10. The patient had died before the doctor arrived.

Exercise 23 (Solved)

Fill in the blanks with Past Participle:

1. Having selected the best eleven, they started their practice.
2. Having finished the day’s work, we went to see a movie.
3. Having won the tournament, the Indian team had a great party.
4. The food having been cooked, she laid it on the dining table.
5. Having taken proper rest, they felt ready for a long game.

Exercise 24 (Unsolved)

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate Participle:

1. I‘d lent my umbrella to John, so I got wet.
2. I’ve been looking for ages, but I haven’t found my keys yet.
3. The birds have flown south for the winter.
4. She has finally come.
5. Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about the meeting.
6. It had become very cold, so we went inside.
7. You have bought a lot of new clothes recently.
8. I’d got a lovely new bike for my birthday, so I was keen to try it.
9. She’d brought a cake to the party, but we didn’t eat it.
10. Have you chosen your university yet?

Editorial note: Suggested answers. “I’d” and “She’d” are contractions that can represent “I had”/“I would” and “she had”/“she would”; the context here supports the past-perfect readings.

Exercise 25 (Unsolved)

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate Participle:

1. Have you ever drunk Turkish coffee?
2. I’ve given some money to Julia.
3. Had you heard of this band before you came to the USA?
4. She has known about the problem for three months.
5. Why has John left already?
6. While he was ploughing his fields, a scorpion stung him.
7. His father looked worried.
8. He became discouraged.
9. It was a tiring exercise.
10. They shall be writing a letter.

Exercise 26 (Solved)

Fill in the blanks with correct form of the verb (To-Infinitive, the Gerund or the Participle) given in brackets.

1. To find fault is easy.
2. It is not worth reading.
3. I found the snake killed.
4. He made me listen to old songs.
5. He was busy packing.
6. Don’t make me laugh.
7. The light is too weak to read.
8. He enjoys smoking.
9. Most boys like playing games.
10. They let him speak.

Exercise 27 (Solved)

Fill in the blanks with correct form of the verb (To-Infinitive, the Gerund or the Participle) given in brackets.

1. He told me to go.
2. The parcel is too heavy to carry.
3. We found the child crying.
4. He wanted to study medicine.
5. Jogging is a good exercise.
6. It is a sin to tell a lie.
7. Smoking is injurious to health.
8. He does nothing but complain.
9. Kids like playing games.
10. We decided to wait for her.

Exercise 28 (Unsolved)

Combine the following pairs of sentences by making use of a participle:

1. She went home. She was ill.
   Being ill, she went home.
2. I was hungry. I prepared some noodles.
   Being hungry, I prepared some noodles.
3. He found his book. He started reading it.
   Having found his book, he started reading it.
4. Parth finished his homework. He went out to play.
   Having finished his homework, Parth went out to play.
5. The mayor was busy. He had no time to meet anyone.
   Being busy, the mayor had no time to meet anyone.
6. The bus reached the last stop. He got down.
   When the bus reached the last stop, he got down.
7. It was raining. No one could go out.
   It being rainy, no one could go out.
8. We saw a beggar. He was limping.
   We saw a beggar limping.
9. They missed their train. They began to walk back.
   Having missed their train, they began to walk back.
10. I saw her result. I began to dance.
    Having seen her result, I began to dance.

Exercise 29 (Solved)

Do as directed:

1. She has no choice but to tell the truth.
   (Fill up the blank with an Infinitive)
2. His mother bade him take the medicine immediately.
   (Fill in the blank with an Infinitive)
3. Every team has a manager. He manages the administrative needs of the team.
   (Combine these sentences into a single sentence using To-Infinitive)Every team has a manager to manage their administrative needs of the team.
4. Playing carom amuses every child.
   (Fill in the blank with a Gerund)
5. The teacher prevented him from quarrelling with his classmates.
   (Fill in the blank with a Gerund)
6. The fire fighters entered the burnt house.
   (Fill in the blank with a Participle)
7. He hurt his toe. He stopped walking.
   (Combine into a single sentence using a Participle)Having hurt his toe, he stopped walking.
8. You will pass only by studying regularly.
   (Fill up the blank with a Gerund.)
9. He came to collect his money.
   (Fill in the blank with To-Infinitive)
10. I saw a man walking on the rope.
    (Fill in the blank with a Participle)

Exercise 30 (Solved)

Do as directed:

1. I am always ready to learn new things.
   (Fill up the blank with a To-Infinitive)
2. He was asked to explain his behaviour.
   (Fill in the blank with To-Infinitive)
3. Shelly drove very fast. She reached her class in time.
   (Combine these sentences into a single sentence using an Infinitive)
   Shelly drove very fast to reach her class in time.
4. They will get the contract only by cooperating with each other.
   (Fill in the blank with a Gerund)
5. Children kept on playing in the sun.
   (Fill in the blank with a Gerund)
6. The singing bird stole the show.
   (Fill up the blank with a Participle)
7. Ravi opened the lock. He entered the room.
   (Combine into a single sentence using a Participle)
   Opening the door, Ravi entered the room.
8. Swimming is a healthy exercise.
   (Fill up the blank with a Gerund)
9. He has the ability to top in the exam.
   (Fill in the blank with an Infinitive)
10. Following the right path, he achieved his aim.
    (Fill up the blank with a Participle)

Exercise 31 (Unsolved)

Do as directed:

1. He is eager to succeed.
   (Fill in the blank with To-Infinitive)
2. Let me try this sum.
   (Fill in the blank with To-Infinitive)
3. He has a big farm. He manages affairs of the farm.
   (Combine these sentences into a single sentence using an Infinitive)
   He has a big farm to manage its affairs.
4. Reading novels was his favourite pastime.
   (Fill in the blank with a Gerund)
5. I never enjoyed going to the dentist.
   (Fill in the blank with a Gerund)
6. The doctor was attending the wounded soldier.
   (Fill in the blank with a Participle)
7. The servant stole some money. He wanted to hide it somewhere.
   (Combine into a single sentence using a Participle)
   Having stolen some money, the servant wanted to hide it somewhere.
8. A miser hates wasting his money.
   (Fill in the blank with a Gerund.)
9. He refused to sit for a test.
   (Fill in the blank with To-Infinitive)
10. Having been thrown out from the party, he wanted to start a new group now.
    (Fill in the blank with a Participle)