If a preposition (in/for/about etc.) is followed by a verb, the verb ends in ~ing. For example:
Are you interested in working for us?
I'm not very good at learning languages.
She must be fed up with studying.
What are the advantages of having a car?
This knife is only for cutting bread.
How about playing tennis tomorrow?
I bought a new bicycle instead of going away on holiday.
Carol went to work in spite of feeling ill.
You can also say 'interested in somebody (do)ing .....', fed up with you (do)ing...' etc.:
* I'm fed up with you telling me what to do.
Note the use of the following prepositions + ~ing:
before ~ing and after ~ing:
* Before going out, I phoned Sarah. (not 'Before to go out')
* What did you do after leaving school?
You can also say 'Before I went out ...' and '... after you left school'.
by ~ing (to say bow something happens):
* The burglars got into the house by breaking a window and climbing in.
* You can improve your English by reading more.
* She made herself ill by not eating properly. without ~ing:
* I ran ten kilometer without stopping.
* They climbed through the window without anybody seeing them. (or ... without being seen.)
* She needs to work without people disturbing her. (or ... without being disturbed.)
* It's nice to go on holiday without having to worry about money.
To ~ing
To is often part of the infinitive (to do/to see etc.):
* We decided to go out.
* Would you like to play tennis?
But to is also a preposition (like in/for/about/from etc.).:
* We drove from London to Edinburgh.
* I prefer tea to coffee.
* Are you looking forward to the weekend?
If a preposition is followed by a verb, the verb ends in ~ing; (in doing/about going etc. So, when to is a preposition and it is followed by a verb, you must say to ~ing:
* I prefer driving to travelling by train. (not 'to travel')
* Are you looking forward to seeing Ann again? (not 'looking forward to see')
EXERCISES
59.1 Complete the sentences so that they mean the same as the sentence(s) in brackets.
1. (Why is it useful to have a car?)
What are the advantages of _having a car_?
2. (I don't intend to lend you any money.)
I have no intention of ---
3. (Helen has a good memory for names.)
Helen is good at ---
4. (Mark won't pass the exam. He has no chance.)
Mark has no chance of ---
5. (Did you get into trouble because you were late?)
Did you get into trouble for ---
6. (We didn't eat at home. We went to a restaurant instead.)
Instead of ---
7. (Tom thinks that working is better than doing nothing.)
Tom prefers working to ---
8. (They got married. They didn't tell any of their friends.)
They got married without ---
9. (Our team played well but we lost the game.)
Our team lost the game in spite of ---
59.2 Complete the sentences using by ~ing. Use one of the following (with the verb in the correct form): borrow too much money break a window drive too fast put some posters up on the walls stand on a chair turn a key
1. The burglars got into the house _by breaking a window._
2. I was able to reach the top shelf ---
3. You start the engine of a car ---
4. Kevin got himself into financial difficulty ---
5. You can put people's lives in danger ---
6. We made the room look nicer ---
59.3 Complete the sentences with a suitable word. Use only one word each time.
1. I ran ten kilometers without _stopping._
2. He left the hotel without --- his bill.
3. It's a nice morning. How about --- for a walk?
4. I was surprised that she left without --- goodbye to anyone.
5. Before --- to bed, I like to have a hot drink.
6. We were able to translate the letter into English without --- a dictionary.
7. It was a very long journey. I was very tired after --- on a train for 36 hours.
8. I was annoyed because the decision was made without anybody --- me.
9. After --- the same job for ten years, I felt I needed a change.
59.4 For each, situation write a sentence with I'm (not) looking forward to.
1. You are going on holiday next week. How do you feel about this?
I'm looking forward to going on holiday.
2. Diane is a good friend of yours and she is coming to visit you soon. So you will see her again soon. How do you feel about this?
I'm ---
3. You are going to the dentist tomorrow. You don't like visits to the dentist. How do you feet about this?
I'm not ---
4. Carol is a student at school. She hates it but she is leaving school next summer. How does she feel about this? ---
5. You've arranged to play tennis tomorrow. You like tennis. How do you feel about this? ---
59.1
2 lending you any money.
3 remembering names.
4 passing the exam.
5 being late?
6 eating at home, we went to a restaurant.
7 doing nothing.
8 telling any of their friends.
9 playing well.
59.2
2 by standing on a chair.
3 by turning a key.
4 by borrowing too much money.
5 by driving too fast.
6 by putting some posters up on the walls.
59.3
2 paying 3 going
4 saying 5 going
6 using
7 travelling/being
8 telling
9 doing/having
59.4
2 I'm looking forward to seeing her.
3 I'm not looking forward to going to the dentist.
4 She's looking forward to leaving school (next summer).
5 I'm looking forward to playing tennis (tomorrow).
