'- ING' FORM

VERBS FOLLOWED BY THE GERUND

The gerund is used after certain verbs.

Example:

miss: I miss living in England.

The most important of these verbs are shown below.
Those marked * can also be followed by a that-clause

Example:

VERB	GERUND
She admitted...	breaking the window
	THAT-CLAUSE
She admitted...	that she had broken the window.

acknowledge,* admit,* anticipate,* appreciate,* avoid, celebrate, consider, contemplate, defer, delay, deny,* detest, dislike, dread, enjoy, entail, escape, excuse, fancy (=imagine)*, finish, forgive, imagine,* involve,

keep, loathe, mean,(=have as result)* mention,* mind, miss, pardon, postpone, prevent, propose,* recall,* recollect,* remember, report,* resent, resist, risk, save (=prevent the wasted effort) stop, suggest,* understand,*

Notes:

Appreciate is followed by a possessive adjective and the gerund when the gerund does not refer to the subject. Compare :
I appreciate having some time off work. (I'm having the time...)
I appreciate your giving me some time off work. (You're giving me the time...)

Excuse, forgive, pardon can be followed by an object and the gerund or for + object and the gerund (both common in spoken English), or a possessive adjective + gerund (more formal and less likely to be said):
Excuse me interrupting.
Excuse me for interrupting.
Excuse my interrupting.

Suggest can be used in a number of ways, but BE CAREFUL. It is important not to confuse these patterns:

suggest/suggested (+ possessive adjective) + gerund:
He suggests going to Glastonbury
He suggested going to Glastonbury
He suggested/suggests my going to Glastonbury

suggest/suggested + that-clause (where both that and should may be omitted):
He suggests that I should go to Glastonbury
He suggested that I should go to Glastonbury
He suggested/suggests I should go to Glastonbury
He suggested/suggests I go to Glastonbury
He suggested I went to Glastonbury.

suggest/suggested + question word + infinitive:
He suggested where to go.

Propose is followed by the gerund when it means 'suggest':
John proposed going to the debate
but by the infinitive when it means 'intend':
The Government proposes bringing in new laws..

Stop can be followed by a gerund or infinitive, but there is a change of meaning - see GERUND / INFINITIVE? section.

Dread is followed by the infinitive when used with 'think', in the expression 'I dread to think':
I dread to think what she'll do next.

Prevent is followed

EITHER by a possessive adjective + gerund:
You can't prevent my leaving.

OR by an object + from + gerund:
You can't prevent me from leaving.

Examples:

• Normally, a mouse wouldn't contemplate marrying an elephant.
• Most mice dread meeting elephants.
• We can't risk getting wet - we haven't got any dry clothes.
• If you take that job it will mean getting home late every night.
• I can't imagine living in that big house.
• If you buy some petrol now, it will save you stopping on the way to London.
• She couldn't resist eating the plum she found in the fridge.
• They decided to postpone painting the house until the weather improved.