Question

Fill in the blank with a suitable option:
They refuse _________ out on trips if it’s too hot.
a. to going
b. to go
c. going
d. go

Answer 1

Hint: Usually, before prepositions and after verbs, one makes use of infinitives.

Complete answer:
An infinitive is formed from a verb but doesn't act as a verb. It acts as either a noun, adjective, or adverb. It is constructed in the following way: to + verb. These two words together act as an infinitive. Infinitives are a form of the non-finite verb, meaning they are not subject to change.
Usually before prepositions, one uses an infinitive. They are placed after the main verb.
For example, in the sentence ‘Sally decided to swim in the ocean’, the infinitive ‘to swim’ is placed after the main verb ‘decided’ and before the preposition ‘in’.
Now let’s look at our given options:
to going - This phrase would be grammatically incorrect if we filled the blank with this. It is not an infinitive. So, this is an incorrect option.

to go - This is an infinitive and is grammatically correct. So, this is the correct option.

going - This is not an infinitive, and it would be grammatically incorrect to use it in the given sentence. So, this is an incorrect option.
go - This is also not an infinitive, and would be grammatically unsound for use in the given sentence. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note: Find the required form of the verb from the given options. Try to identify the verb that fits correctly with the rest of the sentence.