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 good at	John is good at working in the garden.
clever at	He is clever at skateboarding.
crazy about	The girl is crazy about playingtennis.
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 beingtreated 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 farmingover hunting?
chance of	There's a chance of catching a cold these days.
choice between	There's a choice between flyingto 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 ridingtubeless.
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 winningin 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 usingthis 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	Wedislike readingpoems.
can't help	He couldn't help falling in love with her.
enjoy	I enjoy playingchess.
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	Shepractised playing hockey.
regret*	Do you regret havingmentioned it?
risk	You risk catching a cold.
suggest	She suggested flying to Cairo.

* After regret the to-infinitive is used when announcing bad news:
We regret to inform you that the flight to Munich has been cancelled.

We use the Gerund after the following phrases:
to be busy	He is busy readingthe 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.

The Infinitive

To sneeze, to smash, to cry, to shriek, to jump, to dunk, to read, to eat, to slurp —all of these are infinitives. An infinitive will almost always begin with to followed by the simple form of the verb, like this:

to + verb = infinitive

Important Note: Because an infinitive is not a verb, you can not add s, es, ed, or ing to the end. Ever!

	Active	Passive
Simple	to ask	to be asking
Continuous	to be asking	-
Perfect	to have asked	to have been asking
Perfect Continuous	to have been asking	-

Gerund and Infinitive (no difference in meaning)

 

We use the Gerund or the Infinitive after the following verbs:
begin	He began talking. He began to talk.
continue	They continue smoking. They continue to smoke.
hate	Do you hate working on Saturdays? Do you hate to work on Saturdays?
like	I like swimming. I like to swim.
love	She loves painting. She loves to paint.
prefer	Pat prefers walking home. Pat prefers to walk home.
start	They start singing. 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
advise	They advise walking to town. They advise us to walk to town.
allow	They do not allow smoking here. They do not allow us to smoke here.
encourage	They encourage doing the test. They encourage us to do the test.
permit	They do not permit smoking here. They do not permit us to smoke here.

We use the following structures with the word recommend:

recommend

They recommend walkingto town. They recommend that we walk to town.

Gerund and Infinitive - difference in meaning

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

	GERUND	INFINITIVE
forget	He'll never forget spendingso much money on his first computer.	Don't forget to spend money on the tickets.
go on	Go on reading the text.	Go on to read the text.
mean	You have forgotten your homework again. That means phoning your mother.	I meant to phone your mother, but my mobile didn't work.
remember	I remember switching offthe lights when I went on holiday.	Remember to switch offthe lights when you go on holiday.
stop	Stop reading the text.	Stop to read the text.
try	Why don't you try running after the dog?	Itried to run after the dog, but I was too slow.

II PRACTICE

Articles

1. Insert a, an, the or --

1. My mother is...... doctor.

2. My pretty...... doll.

3. Do you have...... ball?

4. We buy books in...... shop.

5....... children play basketball.

6. I see...... big red car.

7. My daughter goes to...... school.

8. I have...... apple.

9. What is...... North Pole?

10. I was to...... British Museum.

Choose the right variant.

1. Bring..... from the kitchen.

a) milk b) a milk c)the milk

2. The acting was poor, but we enjoyed......

a) music b) a music c) the music

3. Are you studying foreign languages at school, like.....?

a) French b) a French c) the French

4. My friend likes to eat......

a) fish b) a fish c) the fish

5. It is evident that..... want peace.

a) people b) a people c) the people

6...... is the main modern art museum in London.

a) Tate Gallery b) A Tate Gallery c) The Tate Gallery

7. It is important sometimes to stop and look around you at all the wonderful things....

a) nature b) in nature c) in the nature

8. Great Britain consists of..... parts.

a) three b) a three c) the three

9. Could you close....., please?

a) door b) a door c) the door

10. Can anyone give me..... please because I have just fallen over?

a) hand b) a hand c) the hand

Choose the right variant.

1. There is______sand in my shoes.

a) — c) the

b) a d) an

2. The news was______very depressing.

a) a c) —

b) the d) an

3.______man and______woman were sitting opposite me.

a) a, the с) а, а

b)the, a d) -, -

4. Paris is______capital of France.

a) the c) an

b)a d) -

5. Chinese eat______rice every day.

a) the с) а

b) - d) an

6. There were______very few people in the shops today.

a) an c) —

b) a d) the

7. What is______longest river in______world?

a) a, a c) the, a

b) the, the d) a, the

8. Did you hear______noise just now?

a) the с) а

b) - d) an

9. What did you have for______breakfast?

a) - с) а

b) the d) an

10. Have you got these shoes in______size 43?

a) the c) an

b) a d) -

11. Ken's brother is in______prison now for robbery.

a) the с) а

b) - d) an

12. Bob is_______seaman. He spends most of his time at

______sea.

a) a, — c) an, the

b) the, - d) a, the

13.______giraffe is______tallest of all animals.

a) the, the c) a, the

b) a, a d) -, -

14. We had______very nice lunch.

a) - c) the

b)a d) an

15. We visited _____ Canada and______United States.

a) a, a c) the, the

b) -, - d) -, the

16. Jill has gone to______hospital to visit Jack.

a) the c) -

b) a d) an

17. We took______ children to the Zoo.

a) - c) an

b) a d) the

18. It can be dangerous to swim in_______sea.

a) - с) а

b) the d) an

19. Have you ever been to______British Museum?

a) a c) the

b) - d) an