1. Verb + -ing (gerund)

Look at these examples:

• I enjoying spending time outdoors. (not I enjoy to spend)
• Would you mind opening the window? (not mind to open)
• She suggested meeting her earlier. (not suggested to meet)

After enjoy, mind and suggest, we use –ing (not “to + infinitive”).

We write “-ing” with a hyphen to show that it is a verb ending, not a separate word.

After these verbs, we use -ing (not “to + infinitive”).

Examples:

• Suddenly everyone stopped laughing. The room became quiet.
• I’ll call you when I’ve finished preparing the report.
• They postponed starting the project.
• She is considering applying for a new job.
• Have you ever considered moving to a different city?
• He admitted making a mistake.
• He denied taking the documents.
• She tried to avoid answering the question directly.
• You risk losing your data if you don’t save your work.
• Can you imagine living in another country?
• I don’t fancy staying at home tonight.
• She keeps forgetting her keys.
• He practises speaking English every day.
• They suggested going for a walk after dinner.

Negative Form

The negative form is: not + -ing

Examples:

• When I’m free, I enjoy not checking my emails all the time.
• They admitted not telling the truth.
• He considered not accepting the offer.

We also use –ing after:

• give up (= stop)
• put off (= postpone)
• go on / carry on (= continue)
• keep / keep on (= do something continuously or repeatedly)

Examples:

• I’ve given up drinking coffee in the evening.
• They decided to put off making a decision.
• She goes on working even after everyone leaves. (or: carried on working)
• He keeps asking the same question. (or: keeps on asking)

With some verbs, we can use the structure:
verb + somebody + -ing

Examples:

• I can’t imagine him driving in that traffic.
• You can’t stop me doing what I want.
• I don’t remember her saying anything about it.
• Sorry to keep you waiting.
• I heard someone knocking at the door.
• She saw him crossing the street.
• We watched them playing in the park.

Passive form

We also use the passive form: being + past participle (being done / seen / kept etc).

Examples:

• I don’t mind being kept waiting.
• She doesn’t like being told what to do.
• He hates being interrupted while he is working.

Having + past participle (finished actions)

When we talk about actions that happened before another action, we can use:
having + past participle (having done/said / stolen, etc.)

Examples:

• They admitted having taken the money.
• She denied having seen him before.
• He regretted having said those words.

Alternative (more common)

It is not necessary to use “having”. We often use the –ing form instead:

• They admitted taking the money.
• She denied seeing him before.
• He regretted saying those words.

Same meaning.

Both forms are correct. The meaning is the same:

• I regret saying what I said.
• I regret having said what I said.

“Having + past participle” emphasises that the action happened before.

Verb + that (alternative structure)

After some verbs (especially admit, deny, suggest), we can also use a “that” clause.

Examples:

• They denied that they had taken the money.
  (or: They denied taking the money)
• She denied that she had seen him before.
  (or: She denied seeing him before).
• They suggested that we try a different approach.
  (or: They suggested trying a different approach).
• Paul suggested that we go to the cinema.
  (or: Paul suggested going to the cinema)
• He admitted that he had made a mistake.
  (or: He admitted making a mistake)

Additional verbs (same structure)

Agree, claim, say

Examples:

• They agreed that it was a good idea.
• He claimed that he had completed the task.
• She said that she was feeling tired.

The “that” structure is more formal. The –ing form is often more common in everyday English.

Quick practice – Verb + -ing (gerund)

Try this quick test to check your understanding.

If you made mistakes, review the rule above and try again.