HIBISCUS TEACH C1 · Gerunds and Infinitives 3
Perfect and passive forms
Say what happened earlier, who received an action, and what someone claims.
Try the activities, then check your answers.
Discuss each question aloud. Ask your student to explain why before revealing the answer.
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Choose a short recording.
Grammar in a nutshell
01
Earlier?
to have sent
having sent
She claims to have sent it. = She says she sent it before now.
02
Someone receives the action?
to be interrupted
being interrupted
She dislikes being interrupted. = Other people interrupt her.
03
Both together?
to have been warned
having been warned
He denies having been warned. = He says he did not receive a warning earlier.
The first verb controls the pattern: claim / expect + to…; admit / deny / dislike + -ing. A claim or denial tells us what someone says, not whether it is true.
Useful background lessons
01Did it happen earlier?
Use to have + past participle after claim, or having + past participle after admit, to look back from the main verb. The earlier action is the key idea.
She claims to have sent the message.
She says she sent it before making the claim.
He admitted having overlooked the attachment.
First he overlooked it; later he admitted it.
Can you explain the meaning? · 2 questions
In “She claims to have sent it”, which comes first: sending or claiming?
Show answer
The sending comes first in her account. We still do not know whether her account is true.
Can “He admitted overlooking it” also refer to an earlier mistake?
Show answer
Yes. Having overlooked makes the earlier time explicit. Overlooking can work when the context already makes the order clear.
Can you say it? · 2 speaking prompts
See the visual explanation
Compare She claims to finish early, She claims to have finished early and She claims to have been warned. What changes?
02Who receives the action?
Use a passive form when something happens to the person or thing: being interrupted or to be contacted. Add have been when the action happened earlier.
She dislikes being interrupted.
Other people interrupt her.
The file appears to have been deleted.
Someone seems to have deleted the file earlier. We do not know who.
Can you explain the meaning? · 2 questions
Compare “She dislikes interrupting” and “She dislikes being interrupted”. Who interrupts whom?
Show answer
With interrupting, she interrupts other people. With being interrupted, other people interrupt her.
What do “have” and “been” add in “The file appears to have been deleted”?
Show answer
Have + past participle looks back to an earlier event. Been deleted makes it passive: someone deleted the file. Appears means this is how it seems.
Keep the direction of the action
Omar performed the criticism; Maya received it.
Maya performed the criticism; Omar received it.
Can you say it? · 2 speaking prompts
03Earlier, passive, or both?
Combine the two ideas when needed: having been warned means receiving a warning earlier. Keep words such as denies, appears and expects: they tell us how sure the speaker is.
He denies having been warned about the change.
He says he did not receive an earlier warning. That does not prove there was no warning.
They expect to be contacted tomorrow.
They think someone will contact them later. This is passive, but not perfect.
Can you explain the meaning? · 2 questions
“He denies having warned Maya” or “He denies having been warned by Maya”: who gives the warning in each account?
Show answer
In the first, he denies giving Maya a warning. In the second, he denies receiving a warning from Maya. Neither sentence confirms that a warning happened.
Change “We expect to be invited next week” to an earlier invitation that only seems to have happened.
Show answer
We seem to have been invited already. The invitation is earlier and passive; seem keeps the uncertainty.
Can you say it? · 2 speaking prompts
See the visual explanation
04Can you build and explain the sentences?
Say or write your answer. Open a model when you are ready.
The situation for questions 6–8
Lea says she sent the revised file before noon; nobody has checked. Omar admits missing the attachment. The older file seems to have been uploaded instead. We do not know who uploaded it.
1. She says she has checked the figures. Can you report this using claims?
Compare a model and explanation
She claims to have checked the figures.
The checking comes before the claim. We are reporting what she says.
2. She dislikes people interrupting her. Can you use being?
Compare a model and explanation
She dislikes being interrupted.
Other people interrupt her, so she receives the action.
3. It seems someone renamed the file earlier. Can you start The file appears…?
Compare a model and explanation
The file appears to have been renamed.
The renaming is earlier, and someone did it to the file.
4. What needs changing in He denied to have seen the message?
Compare a model and explanation
He denied having seen the message. / He denied seeing the message.
Use an -ing form after deny. Both answers can refer to an earlier event.
5. Compare He regrets having criticised Maya and He regrets having been criticised by Maya. Who criticised whom?
Compare a model and explanation
In the first he criticised Maya; in the second Maya criticised him.
The first makes him the critic. The second makes Maya the critic.
6. Using the situation below, how can you report Lea’s account without confirming it?
Compare a model and explanation
Lea claims to have sent the revised file before noon.
Claims keeps this as Lea’s account, not a checked fact.
7. Does He denies having been warned prove that nobody warned him? Why?
Compare a model and explanation
It reports his denial; the truth of the warning remains a separate question.
A denial tells us what he says. We still need evidence to decide what happened.
8. Can you make two passive sentences: one about a future invitation and one about an earlier invitation?
Compare a model and explanation
We expect to be invited next week. We seem to have been invited already.
Use to be invited for the future example and to have been invited for the earlier one.
05What do you understand when you listen?
Listen and answer
Listen, then answer the three questions. Open a transcript if you need it.
Open the conversation transcript
A: Has Lea confirmed what happened to the revised file?
B: She claims to have sent it before noon, but I haven’t checked the record.
A: And what does Omar say about the missing attachment?
B: He admits having overlooked it. The old file appears to have been uploaded instead.
Listen and answer
Listen, then answer the three questions. Open a transcript if you need it.
06Can you choose the meaning that fits?
Choose an answer for each question, then check your score.
07Can you use it in your own words?
Lea says she sent the revised file before noon; nobody has checked. Omar admits missing the attachment. The older file seems to have been uploaded instead. We do not know who uploaded it.
What happened to the file?
Give a short update using claims to have…, admits having… and appears to have been…. What is still uncertain?
Reveal a possible response
Lea claims to have sent the revised file before noon. Omar admits having overlooked the attachment. The older file appears to have been uploaded instead, but the note does not identify who uploaded it.
Check: Keep clear who says what, which actions came earlier and who is unknown.
Who regrets doing what?
Describe one person who regrets criticising a colleague and another who regrets receiving criticism. How does the grammar change?
Reveal a possible response
Someone may regret having criticised a colleague. The colleague may regret having been criticised in front of the group. These descriptions do not assign the same role to each person.
Check: Make clear who gives and who receives the criticism.
Can you say it two ways?
Make one short report with a perfect form. Then explain it using two ordinary sentences. Does the meaning stay the same?
Reveal a possible response
She claims to have checked it means that she claims she checked it earlier. It appears to have been renamed means that it appears someone renamed it before the present assessment.
Check: Keep the same time order and the same level of certainty.
What will you remember?
The first verb controls the pattern: claim / expect + to…; admit / deny / dislike + -ing. A claim or denial tells us what someone says, not whether it is true.
Listen to the original recap
I can express earlier events and passive relationships inside verb complements without changing agency or reporting certainty.