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Grammar Exercises🔤 VerbsGerunds
A2Verbs

Gerunds

~2 min readUpdated July 30, 20260 practice exercises
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🗺️ GERUNDS GRAMMAR MAP
GERUND AS SUBJECT / OBJECT

Verb + -ing functioning as a noun in the sentence.

(+) Positive Swimming is fun, I enjoy reading, Stop talking
(-) Negative Not eating healthy is risky
(?) Question Do you like swimming?
AFTER PREPOSITIONS & SPECIFIC VERBS

Always use V-ing after prepositions (in, at, of, about, before, after) and verbs like enjoy, avoid, mind, finish.

(+) Positive interested in learning, good at drawing, finished writing
(-) Negative avoid making mistakes
(?) Question Are you good at cooking?

1. Form & Structure

Common Verbs & Prepositions Followed by Gerunds

  • Verbs taking Gerunds: enjoy, mind, avoid, finish, suggest, consider, practice, keep, miss, admit
  • Verbs of Preference: like, love, hate, prefer (can also take infinitive)
  • After Prepositions: after finishing, before going, good at, interested in, thanks for, dream of
  • Gerund as Subject: Reading expands your mind. Learning English is useful.
Example / Question Positive / Short Answer Negative / Short Answer
After Verb: enjoy I enjoy playing tennis. Not: I enjoy to play tennis
After Preposition: good at She is good at singing. Not: good at sing
As Subject Cooking is my hobby. Verb: SINGULAR (is)

2. Key Rules & Formation

Rule Base / Standard Form Applied Form
Preposition + V-ing Rule Any verb following a preposition (in, on, at, about, for, without) MUST be in V-ing form! thank you for helping me (NOT "thank you for help me")

3. Practical Usage & Examples

1. Expressing Activities & Hobbies

Talk about activities or pursuits in general noun terms.

  • Running is good for your heart.
  • She loves traveling around the world.

4. Signal Words & Usage Context

V-ingenjoy + V-ingfinish + V-inggood at + V-inginterested in + V-ing
Gerund Trigger:
  • After prepositions (in, at, for, about, without) → ALWAYS use V-ing!

💡 Common Mistakes & Memory Tips

  • Mistake 1: Using to-infinitive after "enjoy" or "avoid"
    ❌ Incorrect: I enjoy to watch movies.
    ✓ Correct: I enjoy watching movies.
    Note: Enjoy is strictly followed by V-ing.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is the difference between a Present Participle and a Gerund?

They look identical (-ing), but a Gerund functions as a NOUN ("Swimming is fun"), while a Present Participle functions as a VERB ("He is swimming").

Other Verbs lessons

Be VerbAction VerbsStative VerbsVerb Forms (V1, V2, V3, V-ing)InfinitivesGerunds vs InfinitivesVerb Patterns

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