Gerund after prepositions
1. Gerund after prepositions that stand alone
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after
After having a shower, I waited for Steven.
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before
The tablet must not be taken before getting up in the morning.
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by
I manage it by working much longer than 40-hour weeks.
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in spite of
In spite of studying a lot he didn't pass the exams.
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on
What was her reaction on hearing the news?
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without
He told the joke without laughing.
2. Gerund after Adjective + Preposition
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afraid of
They are afraid of losing the match.
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angry about/at
Pat is angry about walking in the rain.
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bad at/good at
John is good at working in the garden.
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crazy about
The girl is crazy about playing tennis.
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disappointed about/at
He is disappointed about seeing such a bad report.
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excited about
We are excited about making our own film.
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famous for
Sandy is famous for singing songs.
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fed up with
I'm fed up with being treated as a child.
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fond of
Hannah is fond of going to parties.
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glad about
She is glad about getting married again.
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happy about/at
The children are not happy about seeing a doctor.
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interested in
Are you interested in writing poems?
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keen on
Joe is keen on drawing.
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proud of
She is proud of speaking English.
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sick of
We're sick of sitting around like this.
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sorry about/for
He's sorry for eating in the lesson.
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tired of
I'm tired of waiting for you.
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used to
She is used to smoking.
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worried about
I'm worried about making mistakes.
3. Gerund after Noun + Preposition
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advantage of
What is the advantage of farming over hunting?
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chance of
There's a chance of catching a cold these days.
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choice between
There's a choice between flying to London Heathrow or Stansted.
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danger of
Peggy is in danger of making a mistake.
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difficulty in
He has difficulty in texting.
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doubt about
He is in doubt about buying the correct software for his computer system.
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hope of
There's little hope of catching the new Corvette.
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idea of
I like the idea of setting up a new email account.
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interest in
There's no interest in writing letters.
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method of
This is a simple method of finding solutions.
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opportunity of
There's some opportunity of bringing her parents together again.
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possibility of
These wheels offer the possibility of riding tubeless.
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problem of
He has the problem of swimming too slow.
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reason for
There's a real reason for winning the contest.
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risk of
There's a risk of digging too deep.
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trouble for
He was in trouble for stealing.
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way of
This is a new way of building a wall.
4. Gerund after Verb + Preposition
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accuse of
They were accused of breaking into a shop.
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agree with
I agree with playing darts.
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apologize for
They apologize for being late.
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believe in
She doesn't believe in getting lost in the wood.
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blame for
The reporter is blamed for writing bad stories.
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complain about
She complains about bullying.
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concentrate on
Do you concentrate on reading or writing?
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congratulate sb. on
I wanted to congratulate you on making such a good speech.
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cope with
He is not sure how to cope with getting older.
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decide against
They decided against stealing the car.
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depend on
Success may depend on becoming more patient.
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dream about/of
Sue dreams of being a pop star.
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feel like
They feel like going to bed.
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get used to
You must get used to working long hours.
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insist on
The girls insisted on going out with Mark.
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look forward to
I'm looking forward to seeing you soon.
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prevent sb. from sth.
How can I prevent Kate from working in this shop?
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rely on sth.
He doesn't rely on winning in the casino.
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succeed in
How then can I succeed in studying chemistry?
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specialize in
The firm specialized in designing websites.
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stop sb. from
I stopped Andrew from smoking.
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talk about/of
They often talk about travel(l)ing to New Zealand.
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think about/of
Frank thinks of playing chess.
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warn sb. against
We warned them against using this computer.
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worry about
The patient worries about having the check-up.
Thanks to Chloe, Josef and Ulrike.