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How to use the gerund (V-ING):
➡️ 1) with prépositions (of course, not with 'but' and the 'to' of the infinitive).
- He came in without knocking at the door.
- Call me before coming.
- I'm fond of skiing.
➡️ 2) With verbs of taste: (to enjoy, to love, to like, to hate, to prefer...)
- I like travelling.
- She enjoyed walking in the rain.
- I hate getting up early.
⚠️ How to choose between "to" and "-ing"?
Have a look at these two sentences:
- I prefer to cook now. (we are speaking of something we are going to do).
- I like cooking. (taste).
➡️ 3) With verbs telling the beginning or the end of an action: to start, to begin, to go on, to stop, to keep, to continue...
- It started raining.
- He went on working.
- Stop talking, keep working.
N.B. : You can use both forms with 'To start', 'to begin', 'to continue'.
⚠️ Warning- differents meanings with 'to stop':
- She stopped to drink (her aim is to have a drink)
- She stopped drinking (she likes drinking but she no longer drinks.)
➡️ 4) With 'how about', 'what about' :
- How about going to the restaurant tonight?
- What about going to the restaurant tonight?
➡️ 5) With 'no' meaning you can't do something:
- No smoking!
➡️ 6) With 'to mind':
- I don't mind coming early.
➡️ 7) With a few idioms:
- It's no use crying.
- To be worth...
- I can't help...
- To be busy...
- I feel like...
- I'm fed up with...
- I avoid...
- I can't bear...
- I can't stand...
- to spend time...
➡️ 8) With 'to remember' and 'to forget':
Both forms are correct, but it is not the same meaning:
- I remember posting the letter! (I've done it)
- Remember to post the letter! (Don't forget to do it).
➡️ 9) With 'to want', 'to need'...
- Your hair needs cutting.
➡️ 10) How to build the gerund:
It is easy, but there are 2 main rules:
- remove the final "e": come => coming, take => taking
- when the verb has only 1 syllable and if it ends in consonant-vowel-consonant, there are 2 final consonants:
✔️ sit => sitting
✖️ help => helping
Fill in with TO + Verb OR V-ING.
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