5 exercises — choose the correct verb form after technical verbs like consider, decide, fail, recommend, and try.
0 / 15 completed
1 / 15
The team decided ___ the deployment after discovering a critical bug in the payment module.
"Decide" is followed by an infinitive (to + verb). Other verbs that take infinitives include: agree, fail, manage, attempt, need, plan, refuse, and want. Compare with gerund verbs: "The team avoided rolling back by fixing the bug in place." Understanding which verbs take infinitives vs gerunds eliminates one of the most common non-native speaker errors in technical communication.
2 / 15
Have you considered ___ the database schema before migrating to the new ORM?
"Consider" always takes a gerund (verb + -ing), never an infinitive. The same applies to: avoid, recommend, suggest, finish, keep, practise, risk, and mind. "Consider to normalise" is a very common error for non-native English speakers. The gerund form "normalising" correctly follows "considered" here.
3 / 15
We tried ___ the container with more memory, but the OOM errors persisted.
"Try + gerund" means to experiment or attempt something as a solution: "We tried running the container with more memory" = we experimented with this approach. "Try + infinitive" means to make an effort or attempt: "We tried to run the container but it kept crashing" = we attempted but perhaps failed. In IT troubleshooting contexts, "try running X" (gerund) is the standard formulation for testing a solution.
4 / 15
The CI pipeline failed ___ the integration tests due to a missing environment variable.
"Fail + infinitive" describes not succeeding at an action: "failed to run the tests" = did not succeed in running them. This is the standard pattern in technical incident reports and deployment logs: "the service failed to start," "the query failed to return results," "the build failed to compile." "Failed running" would be ungrammatical in this context.
5 / 15
The documentation recommends ___ feature flags before ___ any major infrastructure changes.
"Recommend" always takes a gerund: "recommends enabling." The second slot requires "making" because it follows the preposition "before" — prepositions in English are always followed by gerunds, never infinitives (before making, after deploying, by running, without testing). Both slots require gerunds for different grammatical reasons: the first because of "recommend," the second because of the preposition "before."
6 / 15
'Sarah, could you please investigate npm install failing consistently on the staging server? The logs show a 'permission denied' error.'
This question tests understanding of using an infinitive after 'could you please' requesting action. The correct phrasing emphasizes the *action* being investigated – running `npm install`. The other options suggest a different kind of investigation or don't accurately reflect the request. It's common to use an infinitive here to describe an action someone is asked to perform.
7 / 15
In the PR description for the new authentication service: 'We've implemented a JWT strategy and are using bcrypt for password hashing. It's crucial that you review this code carefully, considering potential vulnerabilities.'
This question focuses on using a gerund after 'it's crucial that you'. The correct structure demands the gerund form ('reviewing') to modify the verb 'consider', which describes the action of reviewing. Incorrect options use incorrect word order or unnecessary phrasing, demonstrating a common grammatical error when describing tasks.
8 / 15
'Before deploying this feature, please ensure that all unit tests pass and the database schema is updated.'
This question checks the correct use of a gerund after 'please ensure'. The gerund form ('ensuring') functions as a noun phrase describing what needs to be done. Using 'to ensure' is grammatically incorrect in this context and sounds less natural for formal technical communication. It highlights a key difference between infinitives used for necessity and gerunds used to describe actions.
9 / 15
During the standup meeting, John said: 'I'm currently working on optimizing the query performance of the user profile endpoint. I'll let you know if I encounter any issues.'
This question assesses understanding of using an infinitive to express current activity. 'I'm working on…' correctly uses the present continuous tense with an infinitive to describe what John is doing at this moment. The other options use incorrect verb tenses or phrasing that doesn't accurately represent his statement.
10 / 15
'We need to update the API documentation with the new endpoint for retrieving user activity logs. The team is focusing on ensuring that the data returned is correctly formatted and includes all relevant fields.'
This question tests the usage of an infinitive after 'we need to'. Using 'updating' as a gerund here would be grammatically incorrect and less natural in this context. The infinitive clearly states the action that needs to be performed – updating the documentation. This reinforces how infinitives are often used to express necessity or obligation.
11 / 15
'Sarah, could you please investigate npm install failing consistently on the staging server? The logs show a 'permission denied' error.'
This question tests understanding of using an infinitive after 'could you please' requesting action. The correct phrasing emphasizes the *action* being investigated – running `npm install`. The other options suggest a different kind of investigation or don't accurately reflect the request. It's common to use an infinitive here to describe an action someone is asked to perform.
12 / 15
In the PR description for the new authentication service: 'We've implemented a JWT strategy and are using bcrypt for password hashing. It's crucial that you review this code carefully, considering potential vulnerabilities.'
This question focuses on using a gerund after 'it's crucial that you'. The correct structure demands the gerund form ('reviewing') to modify the verb 'consider', which describes the action of reviewing. Incorrect options use incorrect word order or unnecessary phrasing, demonstrating a common grammatical error when describing tasks.
13 / 15
'Before deploying this feature, please ensure that all unit tests pass and the database schema is updated.'
This question checks the correct use of a gerund after 'please ensure'. The gerund form ('ensuring') functions as a noun phrase describing what needs to be done. Using 'to ensure' is grammatically incorrect in this context and sounds less natural for formal technical communication. It highlights a key difference between infinitives used for necessity and gerunds used to describe actions.
14 / 15
During the standup meeting, John said: 'I'm currently working on optimizing the query performance of the user profile endpoint. I'll let you know if I encounter any issues.'
This question assesses understanding of using an infinitive to express current activity. 'I'm working on…' correctly uses the present continuous tense with an infinitive to describe what John is doing at this moment. The other options use incorrect verb tenses or phrasing that doesn't accurately represent his statement.
15 / 15
'We need to update the API documentation with the new endpoint for retrieving user activity logs. The team is focusing on ensuring that the data returned is correctly formatted and includes all relevant fields.'
This question tests the usage of an infinitive after 'we need to'. Using 'updating' as a gerund here would be grammatically incorrect and less natural in this context. The infinitive clearly states the action that needs to be performed – updating the documentation. This reinforces how infinitives are often used to express necessity or obligation.
What will I practise in "Infinitive vs Gerund in Technical English — Grammar Exercises"?
Practise infinitives and gerunds after common technical verbs — consider, decide, fail, recommend, try. 5 advanced exercises with detailed explanations.
How many exercises are in this module?
This module has 15 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
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Where can I find more Grammar exercises?
Browse the full Grammar hub for related drills, or check the "Next up" link below to continue with a connected topic.
How is this different from reading an article on the same topic?
Articles explain grammar rules in prose; this exercise tests and reinforces those rules through active recall with immediate feedback — the two work best together.
Who writes these exercises?
Every exercise is written by the CoderSlingo team, drawing on real workplace English used in IT roles, then reviewed for accuracy and clarity.