The Gerund

1. Have you finished writing? 2. Taking a cold shower in the morning is very useful. 3. I like skiing, but my sister prefers skating. 4. She likes sitting in the sun. 5. It looks like raining. 6. My watch wants repairing. 7. Thank you for coming. 8. I had no hope of getting an answer before the end of the month. 9. I had the pleasure of dancing with her the whole evening. 10. Let’s go boating.

Try to remember the following verbs and expressions, which require after themselves Gerund with definite preposition:

to accuse of

to agree to

to approve of

to be afraid of

to complain of

to depend on

to feel like

to give up the idea of

to insist on

to look forward to

to object to

to persist in

to prevent from

to relay on

to succeed in

to suspect of

to thank for

to think of

2. Complete these sentences, putting the verbs into the gerund and using one of the following prepositions. Some of them are used more than once:

1. They accuse him of having robbed the house. 2. He never agreed to their going on that dangerous voyage. 3. He did not approve of her drinking so much coffee. 4. The teacher of mathematics did not approve of his pupils dreaming. 5. All the happiness of my life depends on your loving me. 6. I don’t feel like seeing him. 7. I insist on being told the truth. 8. I object to his borrowing money from you. 9. I stretched out my hand to prevent her from falling. 10. My friend succeeded him of deceiving her.

4. Open the brackets, using the Gerund in active or passive forms:

1. Why do you avoid (to speak) to me? 2. She tried to avoid (to speak) to. 3. The doctor insisted on (to send) the sick man to hospital. 4. The child insisted on (to send) home at once. 5. Do you mind him (to examine) by a heart specialist? 6. He showed no sign of (to recognize) me. 7. She showed no sign of (to surprise). 8. He had a strange habit of (to interfere) in other people’s business. 9. I was angry at (to interrupt) every other moment. 10. He was always ready for (to help) people.

5. Translate into your native language, pay attention to nouns and pronouns before the Gerund:

1. I had no idea of his leaving St. Petersburg so soon. 2. Aunt’s coming here gives me much pleasure. 3. The librarian did not object to the reader keeping the book one day longer. 4. She said that she new nothing about the door having been left open. 5. The mother was surprised at her daughter having tidied up the room so quickly. 6. My trying to convince him is of no use. 7. When asked why she had missed the train, she said something about her watch being slow. 8. She stayed in town the whole summer because of her daughter being ill.

6. Fill the gaps with the gerund from the box. Use each verb once only: