Gerund after prepositions

1. Gerund after prepositions that stand alone

  • 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

    What was her reaction on hearing the news?

  • without

    He told the joke without laughing.

2. Gerund after Adjective + Preposition

  • 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.

  • 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 speaking English.

  • 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.

3. Gerund after Noun + Preposition

  • 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 texting.

  • doubt about

    He is in doubt about buying the correct software for his computer system.

  • hope of

    There's little hope of catching the new Corvette.

  • 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 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.

4. Gerund after Verb + Preposition

  • 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 studying chemistry?

  • specialize in

    The firm specialized in designing websites.

  • stop sb. from

    I stopped Andrew from smoking.

  • talk about/of

    They often talk about travel(l)ing to New Zealand.

  • think about/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.

Thanks to Chloe, Josef and Ulrike.