Complete the sentences with the correct form (infinitive or gerund) of the verb.
Early automobiles
Many inventors were trying _to
build_ gas-powered, self-propelled
build
vehicles in the late 1800's. A French inventor succeeded in
_creating_
a steam-powered tricycle in 1769. A German engineer,
create
Niklaus August Otto, is known for
_inventing_ the four-stroke
invent
gas-powered engine in 1876. Both Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz
managed _to
build_ and _sell_ autos in Germany
in the 1880s.
build sell
By 1898 there were 50 companies responsible
for _marketing_ cars in
market
in the United States alone. That
number happened _to expand_ to
expand
241 by 1908. It was in 1908 when
Henry Ford started _to make OR making_ automotive
make
history. It was in that year that
he managed _to put_ together the
put
first assembly line and _lower_
the price of automobiles so that
lower
everyone could buy one. He began
_to arrange OR arranging_ workers so that
they could
arrange
each do a small part of the job in
sequence. This prevented _repeating_
repeat
a lot of unnecessary steps in the assembly process. By 1913 he managed
_to produce_
250,000 cars a year. His first mass-produced car, the
produce
Model T, guaranteed _to
give_ modest-incomed Americans decent
give
transportation for a reasonable ($500
USD!) price.
Henry Ford
went on _to lead_ the U.S. automobile industry
for
lead
many years. Though he tried, he failed
_to get_ elected to
get
the U.S. Senate in 1918. His company was started with just $28,000
and, by 1913, managed _to
pay_ dividends of $11 million.
pay
While Ford declined _to
give_ away more than a modest amount
give
during his lifetime, the Ford Foundation
arranges _to donate_
donate
millions of dollars each year to deserving causes.
Answer
Key
Gerunds and
Infinitives List
Green Table
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© David Tillyer 1998