Gerunds and Infinitives (Part 2)

7. Gerunds can often be modified with possessive forms such as his, her, its, your, their, our, John's, Mary's, the machine's, and so on. This makes it clearer who or what is performing the action.

Examples:

• I enjoyed their singing. They were singing.
• She understood his saying no to the offer. He said no.
• Sam resented Debbie's coming late to the dinner. Debbie came late to the dinner.
• We discussed the machine's being broken. The machine is broken.

8. Some verbs are followed by a noun plus an infinitive. In some situations, the noun is required. In other situations, the noun is optional. List of Verbs Followed by a Noun + an Infinitive

Examples:

• The police orderedthe man to stop. noun is required
• She asked to leave. noun is optional
• She asked himto leave. noun is optional

9. Some verbs are usually followed by a gerund, BUT they can also be followed by a noun plus infinitive. Using a noun plus infinitive will usually change who is performing the action. List of Verbs followed by a Gerund OR a Noun + Infinitive

Examples:

• I advised taking the train. in general
• I advised himto take the train. He will take the train.

10. There are many "go + gerund" expressions used for adventure sports and individual recreational activities.

Examples:

• I go swimming every weekend.
• Would you ever go skydiving?

11. Gerunds are used after prepositions. Most commonly, these are "verb + preposition" combinations. For reference, see the Verb + Preposition Dictionary and the Phrasal Verb Dictionary. You don't have to memorize these resources, you just need to remember that gerunds are used after prepositions!

Examples:

• They admitted tocommitting the crime.
• Leslie made up forforgetting my birthday.
• He is thinking aboutstudying abroad.

12. Remember that there are many "adjective + preposition" combinations and "noun + preposition" combinations in English as well. These are also followed by gerunds. (List of Adjective + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds and List of Noun + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds). Once again, you don't have to memorize these resources, you just need to remember that gerunds are used after prepositions!

Examples:

• Sandy is scared of flying. adjective + preposition
• Nick is anxious abouttaking the examination. adjective + preposition
• His interest inbecoming a professional snowboarder was well known. noun + preposition
• Thomas' story aboutseeing a grizzly bear was really exciting. noun + preposition

Verbs Followed by Nouns + Infinitives

9 9 = verb followed by a gerund OR a noun + an infinitive

10 13 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with a difference in meaning.

List 1: Verb + Required Noun + Infinitive

advise [9]	I advised them to see a doctor.
allow [9]	Ireland doesn't allow people to smoke in bars.
cause	He caused her to make a mistake.
convince	Ned convinced me to quit my job.
enable	Financial aid enabled the students to pay such expensive tuition fees.
encourage [9]	He encourages his patients to eat healthy foods.
force	The commander forced the soldiers to march in the rain.
get (cause to)	Isabelle got Mike to wash her car.
hire	Mr. Donelly hired Sarah to work as a receptionist.
invite	We invited them to join us.
order	The police ordered him to put his hands in the air.
permit [9]	California doesn't permit people to fish without a fishing license.
remind	They reminded me to pay the bills before the end of the month.
require [9]	The certificate requires students to complete two courses.
tell	He told me to shut up.
urge [9]	They urge citizens to recycle bottles and paper.
warn	She warned him not to be late.

List 2: Verb + Optional Noun + Infinitive

Notice in the examples below that the verbs can be followed by an infinitive or a noun plus an infinitive. When a noun is added, it usually changes who or what is performing the action. To understand this better, look at the first verb "ask" and its examples. In the first sentence, she is asking if she herself can leave. In the second sentence, she is requesting that a man leave. Study the examples below and consider how the optional noun changes the meaning.

ask	She asked to leave.	She asked him to leave.
choose	I chose to help out.	I chose him to help out.
expect	They expect to arrive early.	The expect him to arrive early.
need [13]	I need to clean the house.	I need her to clean the house.
prepare	They prepared to take the test.	They prepared her to take the test.
promise	She promised to stop smoking	She promised him to stop smoking.
threaten	He threatened to leave forever.	He threatened her to leave forever.
want	I want to study Spanish.	I want my son to study Spanish.
wish	I wish to stay.	I wish him to stay. rare form
would like	We would like to start now.	We would like him to start now.

Verbs Followed by Either Gerunds OR Nouns + Infinitives

advise	I advised seeing a doctor.	I advised them to see a doctor.
allow	Ireland doesn't allow smoking in bars.	Ireland doesn't allow people to smoke in bars.
encourage	He encourages eating healthy foods.	He encourages his patients to eat healthy foods.
permit	California doesn't permit fishing without a fishing license.	California doesn't permit people to fish without a fishing license.
require	The certificate requires completing two courses.	The certificate requires students to complete two courses.
urge	They urge recycling bottles and paper.	They urge citizens to recycle bottles and paper.

Go + Gerund List

go boating	go sailing
go bowling	go scuba diving
go bungee jumping	go shopping
go camping	go sightseeing
go canoeing	go skateboarding
go climbing	go skating
go dancing	go skiing
go fishing	go skinny-dipping
go hiking	go skydiving
go horseback riding	go sledding
go hunting	go snorkeling
go jogging	go snowboarding
go kayaking	go spearfishing
go mountain climbing	go surfing
go paragliding	go trekking
go parasailing	go water skiing
go rollerblading	go window shopping
go running	go windsurfing

Adjective + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds

The following is ONLY A SAMPLE LIST of the most commonly used adjective + preposition combinations that can be followed by gerunds.

accustomed to	He is accustomed to having his own office.
addicted to	She is addicted to watching TV.
afraid of	She is afraid of speaking in public.
anxious about	Norma is anxious about making the presentation.
bored of	I am bored of doing the same old job.
capable of	He is capable of winning a gold medal.
committed to	She is committed to improving her English.
concerned about	Nancy was concerned about being late.
content with	Tim is content with winning second place.
dedicated to	The organization is dedicated to ending poverty.
devoted to	The money will be devoted to protecting the environment.
disappointed with	Fiona was disappointed with coming in third place.
discouraged by	He was discouraged by not getting the job.
excited about	The researcher was excited about going to Africa.
famous for	That actor is famous for being extremely weird.
fond of	She is fond of having picnics.
frightened of	She is frightened of being alone at night.
guilty of	The banker was guilty of stealing money.
happy about	He was happy about winning the lottery.
interested in	She is interested in becoming a doctor.
involved in	He was involved in making the movie.
known for	She was known for causing problems.
proud of	He was proud of having completed the marathon.
remembered for	She is remembered for protecting mountain gorillas.
responsible for	He is responsible for causing the damage.
scared of	Tina is scared of being alone at night.
terrified of	The surfer is terrified of being attacked by a shark.
tired from	She is tired from working all day.
tired of	Margaret is tired of making dinner every night.
worried about	The hikers were worried about not having enough water.

Noun + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds

The following is ONLY A SAMPLE LIST of the most commonly used noun + preposition combinations that can be followed by gerunds.