We use the Gerund after prepositions.

adjective + preposition

We use the Gerund after the following phrases:

afraid of They are afraid of losing the match.
angry about/at Pat is angry about walking in the rain.
bad at
John is good at working in the garden.
good at
clever at He is clever at skateboarding.
crazy about The girl is crazy about playing tennis.
disappointed about/at He is disappointed about seeing such a bad report.
excited about We are excited about making our own film.
famous for Sandy is famous for singing songs.
fed up with I'm fed up with being treated as a child.
fond of Hannah is fond of going to parties.
glad about She is glad about getting married again.
happy about/at The children are not happy about seeing a doctor.
interested in Are you interested in writing poems?
keen on Joe is keen on drawing.
proud of She is proud of riding a snowboard.
sick of We're sick of sitting around like this.
sorry about/for He's sorry for eating in the lesson.
tired of I'm tired of waiting for you.
used to She is used to smoking.
worried about I'm worried about making mistakes.

noun + preposition

We use the Gerund after the following nouns:

advantage of What is the advantage of farming over hunting?
chance of There's a chance of catching a cold these days.
choice between There's a choice between flying to London Heathrow or Stansted.
danger of Peggy is in danger of making a mistake.
difficulty in He has difficulty in sending SMS.
doubt about He is in doubt about buying the correct software for his computer system.
hope of There's little hope of catching Schumacher's Ferrari.
idea of I like the idea of setting up a new email account.
interest in There's no interest in writing letters.
method of This is a simple method of finding solutions.
opportunity of There's some opportunity of bringing her parents together again.
possibility of These new wheels offer the possibility of riding tubeless.
problem of He has the problem of swimming too slow.
reason for There's a real reason for winning the contest.
risk of There's a risk of digging too deep.
trouble for He was in trouble for stealing.
way of This is a new way of building a wall.

verb + preposition

Exception: to
Here we use the phrase:
looking forward to + Gerund

Example:
I'm looking forward to seeing you soon.

We use the Gerund after the following phrases:

accuse of They were accused of breaking into a shop.
agree with I agree with playing darts.
apologize for They apologize for being late.
believe in She doesn't believe in getting lost in the wood.
blame for The reporter is blamed for writing bad stories.
complain about She complains about bullying.
concentrate on Do you concentrate on reading or writing?
congratulate sb. on I wanted to congratulate you on making such a good speech.
cope with He is not sure how to cope with getting older.
decide against They decided against stealing the car.
depend on Success may depend on becoming more patient.
dream about/of Sue dreams of being a pop star.
feel like They feel like going to bed.
get used to You must get used to working long hours.
insist on The girls insisted on going out with Mark.
look forward to I'm looking forward to seeing you soon.
prevent sb. from sth. How can I prevent Kate from working in this shop?
rely on sth. He doesn't rely on winning in the casino.
succeed in How then can I succeed in learning chemistry?
specialize in The firm specialized in designing websites.
stop sb. from I stopped Andrew from smoking.
talk about/of They often talk about travelling to New Zealand.
think of Frank thinks of playing chess.
warn sb. against We warned them against using this computer.
worry about The patient worries about having the check-up.

We use the Gerund after the following verbs:

admit He admitted having driven too fast.
avoid They avoid going on holiday on Saturdays.
carry on If we carry on sleeping so badly, we may need help.
consider Ralph is considering buying a new house.
delay I delayed telling Max the news.
deny She denies reading the book.
dislike We dislike reading poems.
can't help He couldn't help falling in love with her.
enjoy I enjoy playing chess.
finish They finished working in the garden.
give up Susan gives up playing ice-hockey.
imagine He imagined driving a new car.
include Your responsibility includes taking reservations on the phone.
involve The project will involve growing plants.
justify I cannot justify paying $100 for this ticket.
keep (on) They keep on running.
mention Did Alex ever mention playing baseball?
mind I don't mind sleeping on the couch.
miss They miss playing with their friends.
practise She practised playing hockey.
regret Do you regret having mentioned it?
risk You risk catching a cold.
suggest She suggested flying to Cairo.

We use the Gerund after the following phrases:

to be busy He is busy reading the paper.
couldn't help She couldn't help eating another apple.
don't mind I don't mind telling them my opinion.
feel like We feel like having a cup of tea.
how about How about walking home instead of taking the car?
it's (no) good It's no good talking to this girl.
it's no use It's no use talking to the headmaster.
spend one's time They spend their time reading.
there's no There's no cheating anymore.
there's no point There's no point in complaining further.
what about What about going to the zoo?
worth The book is worth reading.
We use the Gerund after the following prepositions:
after After having a shower, I waited for Steven.
before The tablet must not be taken before getting up in the morning.
by I manage it by working much longer than 40-hour weeks.
in spite of In spite of studying a lot he didn't pass the exams.
on She insisted on calling her sister.
without He told the joke without laughing.

We use the Gerund or the Infinitive after the following verbs:

He began talking.
begin
He began to talk.
They continue smoking.
continue
They continue to smoke.
Do you hate working on Saturdays?
hate
Do you hate to work on Saturdays?
I like swimming.
like
I like to swim.
She loves painting.
love
She loves to paint.
Pat prefers walking home.
prefer
Pat prefers to walk home.
They start singing.
start
They start to sing.

We use the Gerund or the Infinitive after the following verbs. There are two possible
structures after these verbs.
Gerund: verb + -ing
Infinitive: verb + person + to-infinitive
They advise walking to town.
advise
They advise us to walk to town.
They do not allow smoking here.
allow
They do not allow us to smoke here.
They encourage doing the test.
encourage
They encourage us to do the test.
They do not permit smoking here.
permit
They do not permit us to smoke here.

We use the following structures with the word recommend:

They recommend walking to town.

recommend They recommend that we walk to
town.

Some verbs have different meaning. (when used with Gerund or Infinitive)

  GERUND INFINITIVE
He'll never forget spending so
Don't forget to spend money on
forget much money on his first
the tickets.
computer.
  GERUND INFINITIVE
go on Go on reading the text. Go on to read the text.

  GERUND INFINITIVE
You have forgotten your
I meant to phone your mother, but
mean homework again. That means
my mobile didn't work.
phoning your mother.

  GERUND INFINITIVE
I remember switching off the Remember to switch off the lights
remember
lights when I went on holiday. when you go on holiday.

  GERUND INFINITIVE
stop Stop reading the text. Stop to read the text.

  GERUND INFINITIVE
Why don't you try running after I tried to run after the dog, but I
try
the dog? was too slow.

1) I can't imagine Peter __________(go) by bike. 2) He agreed ________(buy) a

new car. 3) The question is easy ______(answer). 4) The man asked me how
_________(get) to the airport. 5) I look forward to _________(see) you at the
weekend. 6) Are you thinking of _______(visit) London? 7) We decided
________ (run) through the forest. 8) The teacher expected Sarah
_______(study) hard. 9) She doesn't mind _________(work) the night shift. 10) I
learned ________(ride) the bike at the age of 5.
1) We decided -----------(buy) a new car.
2) They've got some work ----------- (do).
3) Peter gave up ----------(smoke).
4) He'd like --------- (fly) an aeroplane.
5) I enjoy -----------(write) picture postcards.
6) Do you know what ------------(do) if there's a fire in the shop?
7) Avoid ------------(make) silly mistakes.
8) My parents wanted me -----------(be) home at 11 o'clock.
9) I dream about -------------(build) a big house.
10) I'm hoping -------------(see) Lisa.

1) I can't imagine Peter going by bike. 2) He agreed to buy a new car. 3) The
question is easy to answer. 4) The man asked me how to get to the airport. 5) I
look forward to seeing you at the weekend. 6) Are you thinking of visiting
London? 7) We decided to run through the forest. 8) The teacher expected Sarah
to study hard. 9) She doesn't mind working the night shift. 10) I learned to ride
the bike at the age of 5.

1) We decided to buy a new car.

2) They've got some work to do.
3) Peter gave up smoking.
4) He'd like to fly an aeroplane.
5) I enjoy writing picture postcards.
6) Do you know what to do if there's a fire in the shop?
7) Avoid making silly mistakes.
8) My parents wanted me to be home at 11 o'clock.
9) I dream about building a big house.
10) I'm hoping to see Lisa.
1) We decided to buy a new car.
2) They've got some work to do.
3) Peter gave up smoking.
4) He'd like to fly an aeroplane.
5) I enjoy writing picture postcards.
6) Do you know what to do if there's a fire in the shop?
7) Avoid making silly mistakes.
8) My parents wanted me to be home at 11 o'clock.
9) I dream about building a big house.
10) I'm hoping to see Lisa.
Gerunds as Subject, Object or Complement
Try to think of gerunds as verbs in noun form.

Like nouns, gerunds can be the subject, object or complement of a sentence:

 Smoking costs a lot of money.

 I don't like writing.
 My favourite occupation is reading.

But, like a verb, a gerund can also have an object itself. In this case, the whole expression
[gerund + object] can be the subject, object or complement of the sentence.

 Smoking cigarettes costs a lot of money.

 I don't like writing letters.
 My favourite occupation is reading detective stories.

Like nouns, we can use gerunds with adjectives (including articles and other
determiners):

 pointless questioning
 a settling of debts
 the making of Titanic
 his drinking of alcohol

But when we use a gerund with an article, it does not usually take a direct object:

 a settling of debts (not a settling debts)

 Making "Titanic" was expensive.
 The making of "Titanic" was expensive.

GERUND

Definition: A Gerund is the form of a verb when it acts as a noun; a gerund (often known
as an -ing word) is a noun formed from a verb by adding -ing.
For example:

 Studying is good for you.

Formation: Base Form + ING

Gerunds can act as the subject or object of a main verb.

For example:

 Going to parties is fun.

 Hunting elephants is dangerous.
 Flying makes me nervous.

* Here, gerunds are subjects

 I enjoy reading.
* Here, gerund is object

Use
Certain words like adjectives, prepositions, verbs, nouns are followed by an Ing-Form.

Use after certain adjectives

Adjectives (with Prepositions) followed by the Gerund

afraid of crazy about

angry about / at disappointed about
bad at excited about
busy famous for
clever at fond of
interested in sorry about
proud of worried about

For example:

 He’s afraid of going by plane.

 I am interested in visiting the museum.
 He is clever at skateboarding.
 The girl is crazy about playing tennis.
 I'm worried about making mistakes.

Use after certain prepositions

Prepositions followed by the Gerund
 about by
after in
apart from instead of
because of on
before without

For example:

 Before going to bed he turned off the lights.

 She avoided him by walking on the opposite side of the road.
 We arrived in Madrid after driving all night.
 He told the joke without laughing.

Use after certain verbs

Verbs followed by the Gerund

admit consider
advise delay
allow deny
appreciate dislike
avoid enjoy
suggest resist
understand imagine
miss permit
reject practise

For example:

 I enjoy cooking.
 He admitted having driven too fast.
 Ralph is considering buying a new house.
 I delayed telling Max the news.
 They miss playing with their friends.

Use after certain nouns

Nouns with Prepositions followed by the Gerund

advantage of idea of
alternative of interest in
chance of opportunity of
choice between pleasure in
danger of problem
doubt about reason for
 experience in trouble in
fun use
hope of waste of money
point in waste of time

For example:

 We had problems finding our way back home.

 There's no point in waiting any longer.
 What is the advantage of farming over hunting?
 He is in doubt about buying the correct software for his computer system.
 There's a real reason for winning the contest.

Rules:

 If a verb ends with -e, it loses the last letter before adding the -ing suffix.

Here is a brief review of the differences between gerunds and infinitives.

Gerunds are formed with walking, talking, thinking,
ING: listening
Infinitives are formed with to walk, to talk, to think, to
TO: listen
Gerunds and infinitives can do several jobs:
Both gerunds and infinitives can be the subject of a
sentence::
Writing in English is difficult.
To write in English is difficult.

Both gerunds and infinitives can be the object of a verb::

I like writing in English.
I like to write in English.

But...
Only gerunds can be the object of a preposition::
We are talking about writing in English.
It is often difficult to know when to use a gerund and when to use an infinitive. These
guidelines may help you:

Gerunds are often used when actions are real, concrete or

completed::
I stopped smoking.
(The smoking was real and happened until I stopped.)

Infinitives are often used when actions are unreal, abstract, or

future::
I stopped to smoke.
(I was doing something else, and I stopped; the smoking
had not happened yet.)
Gerunds and Infinitives

Yuri was in his first year at university, studying History. He was

rather a lazy student, and he tended to avoid (work) whenever he
could. In the middle of the semester, his history professor gave out
an assignment, due in two weeks. Yuri intended (do) the
assignment, but he postponed (write) it for a week. The following
week, he forgot (do) it. The night before the assignment was due,
he suddenly remembered it, and rushed to the library. He tried
(read) as much as possible on the topic, but there wasn't enough
time. Yuri considered (ask) for more time to do his paper, but the
History professor was known to be very tough on students, so
finally he decided (cheat) and copy his paper from somewhere
else. He found an old article on the same topic, and quickly typed
it out. The next day, he submitted the paper.
The following week, he was alarmed (see) the professor
approaching him, looking angry.
"Is this your own work, or did you copy it?" asked the professor.
Yuri denied (copy) the paper.
"If you expect me (believe) that, you must be very stupid," said the
professor. "Every word is taken from an article I wrote myself five
years ago. Did you really think I would forget (write) it?"

1. a really good time . . . all of us . . . have . . . play soccer in the park . . .

yesterday
2. find . . . have trouble . . . Omar . . . my house . . . last night

3. my bicycle . . . my mother . . . try to steal . . . catch . . . some

neighborhood kids . . . yesterday
4. at the window . . . stand . . . when the boss walked into the office . . .
all of the employees . . . watch the parade on
the street below
5. my father always said, ". . . read novels . . . your time . . . from other
kinds of books . . . when you could be
learning something worthwhile . . . don't waste"
6. when Mrs. Smith checked on the children last night . . . play a game . .
. find . . . instead of sleeping . . . them . . .
she
7. Susan . . . find . . . when I opened the door . . . I . . . on her bed . . . cry
. . . lie
3. Hearing the other side of the story would be interesting.
4. It is unusual to see Joan awake early in the morning.
5. If you know how, it is easy to float in the water for a
long time.
6. Mastering a second language takes time and patience.
7. Driving to Atlanta will take us ten hours.
8. It takes courage to dive into the sea from a high cliff.

'- ING' FORM

GERUND OR INFINITIVE?

B. Verbs where there is a clear difference in meaning:

Verbs marked with an asterisk* can also be followed by a that-clause.

come mean* stop

forget* regret* try
go on remember*
NOTES:

Come:
Come + gerund is like other verbs of movement followed by the
gerund, and means that the subject is doing something as they move:

 She came running across the field.

Come + to-infinitive means that something happens or develops,

perhaps outside the subject's control:

 At first I thought he was crazy, but I've come to appreciate his

sense of humour.
 How did you come to be outside the wrong house?

 This word has come to mean something quite different.

Forget, regret and remember:
When these verbs are followed by a gerund, the gerund refers to an
action that happened earlier:

 I remember locking the door (= I remember now, I locked the

door earlier)
 He regretted speaking so rudely. (= he regretted at some time
in the past, he had spoken rudely at some earlier time in the
past.)

Forget is frequently used with 'never' in the simple future form:

 I'll never forget meeting the Queen.

When these verbs are followed by a to-infinitive, the infinitive refers

to an action happening at the same time, or later:

 I remembered to lock the door (= I thought about it, then I did

it.)
 Don't forget to buy some eggs! (= Please think about it and
then do it.)

 We regret to announce the late arrival of the 12.45 from

Paddington. (= We feel sorry before we tell you this bad news.)
Go on:
Go on + gerund means to continue with an action:

 He went on speaking for two hours.

  I can't go on working like this - I'm exhausted.

Go on + to-infinitive means to do the next action, which is often the

next stage in a process:

 After introducing her proposal, she went on to explain the

benefits for the company.

 John Smith worked in local government for five years, then

went on to become a Member of Parliament.
Mean:
Mean + gerund expresses what the result of an action will be, or what
will be necessary:

 If you take that job in London it will mean travelling for two
hours every day.
 We could take the ferry to France, but that will mean spending
a night in a hotel.

Mean + to-infinitive expresses an intention or a plan:

 Did you mean to dial this number?

 I mean to finish this job by the end of the week!

 Sorry - I didn't mean to hurt you.

Stop:
Stop + gerund means to finish an action in progress:

 I stopped working for them because the wages were so low.

Stop tickling me!

Stop + to-infinitive means to interrupt an activity in order to do

something else, so the infinitive is used to express a purpose:

 I stopped to have lunch. (= I was working, or travelling, and I

interrupted what I was doing in order to eat.)

 It's difficult to concentrate on what you are doing if you have

to stop to answer the phone every five minutes.
Try:
Try + gerund means to experiment with an action that might be a
solution to your problem.

 If you have problems sleeping, you could try doing some yoga
before you go to bed, or you could try drinking some warm
 milk.
 'I can't get in touch with Carl.' 'Have you tried e-mailing him?'

Try + to-infinitive means to make an effort to do something. It may

be something very difficult or even impossible:

 The surgeons tried to save his life but he died on the operating
table.
 We'll try to phone at 6 o'clock, but it might be hard to find a
public telephone.

 Elephants and mice have to try to live together in harmony.