Adjective + To Infinitive Patterns
In English, many adjectives are naturally followed by a to infinitive to express feelings, give opinions, or describe how difficult something is. For example, you might say, "I am thrilled to see you," or "This puzzle is hard to solve." Using the to infinitive instead of a gerund (-ing form) after these specific adjectives is a key pattern for sounding natural.
In this challenge, you will practice pairing adjectives with the correct infinitive forms across a variety of fun and dramatic scenarios. You'll help a horrified student whose pet iguana ate their history essay, complete a clumsy wizard's diary, review a ridiculously tall burger that is "impossible to eat," and log an astronaut's struggles with zero-gravity coffee.
You will work through 12 questions featuring a mix of single-choice, multi-choice, drop-down, and drag-and-drop formats.
Try the quiz to check your knowledge!
The correct answers are ready to open, prepared to exit, and eager to leave.
Adjectives expressing readiness, willingness, or eagerness (like ready, prepared, eager) are followed by a to-infinitive (to open, to exit, to leave). Using a preposition + gerund (for opening) or just a gerund (exiting) sounds unnatural or is grammatically incorrect here!
Help the food critic finish their review of the ridiculously tall "Tower of Terror" burger.
The burger looked absolutely delicious, but it was impossible ___ without dislocating my jaw.
The correct answer is to eat.
Adjectives that describe how easy or difficult something is (such as impossible, hard, difficult, or easy) are commonly followed by a to-infinitive. We use this structure to talk about the action that is being evaluated.
Complete the clumsy wizard's diary entry by dragging the correct words into the blanks.
It is quite difficult to master the levitation spell. I was absolutely amazed to see my cat float away instead of my wand!
It is quite difficult to master the levitation spell. I was absolutely amazed to see my cat float away instead of my wand!
We often use the structure Adjective + To Infinitive to express how hard or easy an action is (e.g., difficult to master).
We also use this structure with adjectives of feeling or emotion to explain the reason for that feeling (e.g., amazed to see).
Complete the student's dramatic email to their history professor.
Professor, I was absolutely horrified ___ that my pet iguana had eaten my entire essay on the French Revolution!
The correct answer is to discover.
Many adjectives that express emotions or reactions (like horrified, happy, surprised, or sad) are followed by a to-infinitive to explain the reason for that feeling. In this case, the student was horrified because they discovered what the iguana did!
Complete the astronaut's daily log from the Mars colony.
We are ready to explore the new crater tomorrow morning. However, we are unlikely to leave the base if the dust storm continues.
We are ready to explore the new crater tomorrow morning. However, we are unlikely to leave the base if the dust storm continues.
We use the Adjective + To Infinitive pattern to talk about preparation or willingness (e.g., ready to explore, eager to go).
We also use it to talk about probability or the chance of something happening (e.g., unlikely to leave, sure to win).
Choose the correct phrase to complete the narrator's description of Captain Pajamas.
Despite the city being under attack by giant mutant hamsters, the sleepy hero was quite reluctant ___ his cozy blankets.
The correct answer is to leave.
Adjectives that describe a person's willingness, readiness, or hesitation (like reluctant, eager, willing, or hesitant) take a to-infinitive to show what action they are (or aren't) prepared to do.
I was shocked to see that it was actually melting the bowl! It is impossible to recommend this place to anyone.
Many adjectives describing feelings (like shocked, happy, sad) and evaluations (like impossible, easy, hard) are followed by a to-infinitive rather than an -ing form or a bare verb.
The correct answers are This cheese soufflé is incredibly hard to bake perfectly, The recipe is easy to mess up if you aren't careful, and It is impossible to whisk this heavy batter by hand.
Adjectives that describe how easy, difficult, or possible an action is (like hard, easy, impossible) are followed by a to-infinitive (to bake, to mess up, to whisk). We do not use the -ing form (gerund) after them in this structure.
Help the food critic finish their review of the new alien-themed restaurant.
The glowing green soup was impossible to eat with a normal spoon. However, I was delighted to discover that the fried tentacles tasted just like chicken!
The glowing green soup was impossible to eat with a normal spoon. However, I was delighted to discover that the fried tentacles tasted just like chicken!
When giving an opinion about an action, we use an Adjective + To Infinitive (e.g., impossible to eat).
When describing a personal reaction or feeling, we use an -ed Adjective + To Infinitive (e.g., delighted to discover).
The correct answers are I am so thrilled to tell you that I passed! and I was amazed to see an A on my paper.
When we want to express the reason for a feeling or emotion, we often use the pattern: Adjective + to + infinitive (e.g., thrilled to tell, amazed to see). Using a gerund (-ing) directly after these adjectives is grammatically incorrect!
The suspect is likely to strike again tonight, so we must be ready to chase him down before he raids the local bowling alley.
Adjectives expressing probability (like likely, unlikely, sure, certain) and preparedness (like ready, prepared) take a to-infinitive to complete their meaning.
I am thrilled to report that floating around the cabin is amazing, but it is quite difficult to drink coffee without making a huge mess.
We use the to-infinitive after adjectives that express emotions (like thrilled, glad, afraid) and after adjectives describing how challenging something is (like difficult, hard, simple).
Adjective
Adjective vs adverb: both describe things, but adjectives attach to nouns while adverbs attach to verbs. A quick answer (adjective → noun) vs answered quickly (adverb → verb).
An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun — telling you what kind, which one, or how many: a red car, something useful, three heavy boxes.
Diagnostic test: if the word describes a thing or person, use the adjective form. If it describes an action, you need the adverb (-ly) form instead.
Complement
Complement vs modifier: a complement is required — remove it and the sentence breaks (She is ___. / We consider him ___. ). A modifier is optional — remove it and the sentence still works (She spoke quietly → She spoke).
A complement completes the meaning of a verb or expression: subject complements follow linking verbs; object complements follow specific transitive verbs like call, elect, consider.
Diagnostic: can the verb survive without this element? No → complement. Yes → modifier or adjunct.
Gerund
Gerund vs infinitive: the biggest source of errors for non-native speakers. Some verbs take only gerund (enjoy reading ✅), some only infinitive (want to read ✅), some take both with different meanings (stop reading ≠ stop to read). There's no logical rule — these must be learned by verb.
A gerund is the -ing verb form used as a noun. After prepositions = always gerund. After certain verbs (enjoy, avoid, finish) = always gerund. After to (preposition, not infinitive marker) = gerund (I look forward to seeing you).
Diagnostic: can you replace the -ing word with "it" or "something"? I enjoy it → yes, it's acting as a noun = gerund.
Infinitive
Infinitive vs gerund: the #1 verb-pattern confusion. Some verbs take only infinitive (want to go ✅), some only gerund (enjoy going ✅), some both with different meanings (stop to smoke ≠ stop smoking). No logical rule exists — learn by verb.
The infinitive = base verb form used non-finitely. To-infinitive (to go) after certain verbs. Bare infinitive (go) after modals and causatives.
Diagnostic: what's the main verb? Check whether it takes to-infinitive, bare infinitive, or gerund. If unsure, try both and see which sounds natural to native speakers.
Participle
Present participle vs gerund: both are -ing forms, but a participle acts as an adjective/adverb (the running water, She sat reading), while a gerund acts as a noun (Running is fun). Same form, different grammatical job.
A participle = verb form used as modifier or in compound tenses. Present (-ing): progressive + adjective. Past (-ed/irregular): perfect + passive + adjective.
Diagnostic: is the -ing word describing a noun or modifying a verb? → participle. Is it being a noun (subject, object)? → gerund.
Phrase
Phrase vs clause: a phrase has NO subject-verb pair (on the table, the old man). A clause HAS a subject-verb pair (the man sat, because she left). This is the fundamental structural division in grammar — clauses contain phrases, not the other way around.
A phrase = group of words functioning as one unit: noun phrase, verb phrase, prepositional phrase, adjective/adverb phrase. No subject + verb.
Diagnostic: does the word group have both a subject AND a verb? Yes → clause. No → phrase. Name the head word to identify the phrase type (noun = NP, preposition = PP, etc.).
Present tense
Simple present vs present progressive: simple present = habits, routines, permanent facts (I work here). Present progressive = right now, temporary, changing (I'm working from home today). The most common confusion: using progressive for habits (I'm working here ❌ for permanent job) or simple for right-now (I work now ❌ for current activity).
The present tense has four forms: simple, progressive, perfect, perfect progressive — each relating the action to "now" differently.
Diagnostic: is it a habit/permanent fact? → simple. Happening right now? → progressive. Started in past but still relevant? → perfect. Ongoing duration up to now? → perfect progressive.
Verb
Verb vs noun vs adjective: nouns name things. Adjectives describe. Verbs express what happens or what IS. The test: can it take tense (walked, will walk)? Can it take -ing? Can it follow to as an infinitive (to walk)? Yes to any → verb. English often converts freely between classes (run = noun or verb), so context decides.
A verb = action/state/occurrence word. 5 forms (base, -s, past, past participle, -ing). Carries tense, aspect, mood, voice. The one required element in every sentence.
Diagnostic: does it change for tense (walk → walked)? Can you put to before it (to walk)? Does it take -ing (walking)? → verb.
Simple tense
Simple vs progressive vs perfect: simple = "just the fact" (I work). Progressive = "ongoing right now" (I am working). Perfect = "connected to a reference time" (I have worked). Simple is the default — use it unless you have a reason to add progressive or perfect meaning.
The simple aspect = unmarked form. Habits, facts, completed events, scheduled future. The starting point for all tense learning.
Diagnostic: do you need to signal "ongoing" (progressive) or "relevant to now" (perfect)? No? → simple is correct. Most sentences use simple tense — it's the unmarked default.
B1 | Intermediate
B1 vs B2: B1 handles standard everyday communication and simple opinions. B2 handles abstract topics, sustained arguments, and nuanced register. If you can chat about your life but struggle to debate an issue or write a formal essay, you're B1.
B1 is the intermediate CEFR level: independent handling of familiar topics, second conditional, basic passive, reported speech, and linking words for cause and contrast.
Diagnostic: can you read a newspaper article on a familiar topic and summarise the argument? Comfortably → B2. Struggle with abstractions → still B1.
Medium
Medium vs Easy: Easy has one obviously correct answer and clearly wrong distractors. Medium has one correct answer but plausible distractors — you need to actually know the rule, not just guess from sound.
The Medium tag filters for A2–B1 challenges with realistic difficulty: one rule per question, plausible alternatives, everyday contexts.
Diagnostic: if you're scoring 90%+ on Easy, move here. If you're below 60% on Medium, go back to Easy for that topic. Target 70–80% accuracy for maximum learning.