Continuing from a series of exercises that identify and aid understanding for the bare infinitive in different tenses (see the exercise for bare infinitive in the past for more), here’s a quick exercise spanning both the past and present. The answers are given below.

Bare Infinitives in Mixed Tenses Exercise

Complete the following sentences with the verb in brackets, using either a bare infinitive or simple verb conjugation (in the past or present).

1. We _____ to the lakes last summer. (to go)
2. Did they _____ a good time at the opera? (to have)
3. What does that light fixture _____ like to you? (to look)
4. Many sweets that I _____ when I was young are no longer available. (to enjoy)
5. Did you _____ which room the toilet is in? (to remember)
6. I always thought he _____ with a slight limp. (to walk)
7. Don’t you know that the banjo _____ a forbidden instrument in my school? (to be)
8. She always _____ the ducks stale bread. (to feed)
9. Can she _____ now? (to walk)
10. There didn’t _____ to be anything wrong with him. (to appear)
11. If you boil vegetables for too long, they _____ all their nutrients. (to lose)
12. Towards the end of Saturday’s race, people _____ very tired. (to become)

Answers:

1. went (irregular past)
2. have (bare infinitive)
3. look (bare infinitive)
4. enjoyed (regular past)
5. remember (bare infinitive)
6. walked (regular past)
7. is / was (irregular present)
8. feeds (regular present)
9. walk (bare infinitive)
10. appear (bare infinitive)
11. lose (irregular present)
12. became (irregular past)