Verbs Followed by –ing

Verbs Followed by –ing (Gerunds) in English (A Clear Guide with Examples)

Hello dear English learners! Today, we are looking at a very important grammar point: some verbs in English must be verbs followed by –ing, not to + infinitive. This comes up all the time in everyday English, and it’s especially important if you are preparing for the B2 First or C1 Advanced exam.

Let’s look at how these verbs work — with plenty of natural examples to help you remember them.

Verbs that ALWAYS take –ing

Some common verbs are followed by –ing, not to + verb.

These include:

enjoy, mind, suggest, stop, finish, postpone, consider, admit, deny, avoid, risk, imagine, fancy

Examples

• I really enjoy cooking at the weekend.
• (❌ enjoy to cook)
• Would you mind turning the music down a little?
• (❌ mind to turn)
• Liam suggested meeting earlier next time.
• (❌ suggested to meet)
• The teacher suddenly stopped speaking, and the room fell silent.
• We’ll go out after I’ve finished organising the presentation.
• She tried to avoid giving a direct answer.
• They denied breaking the window, although nobody believed them.
• I don’t fancy staying in tonight. Let’s go out!
• Have you ever considered working abroad?
• You might risk losing your passport if you leave your bag unattended.

Negative Forms

To make the –ing form negative, put not in front of it:

• When I’m travelling, I enjoy not cooking every day.
• He admitted not following the instructions properly.

Phrasal Verbs Followed by –ing

These expressions also take –ing:

• give up – stop
• put off – postpone
• go on / carry on – continue
• keep / keep on – do repeatedly or continuously

Examples

• I’ve given up eating late at night.
• Let’s put off meeting until next week.
• She wants to go on studying after finishing university.
• You keep interrupting me when I’m trying to work!

Verb + Somebody + –ing

Some verbs are followed by somebody + –ing:

Examples

• I can’t imagine Emily travelling alone around South America.
• You can’t stop me doing what’s right.
• I remember you telling me that story years ago.
• “Sorry to keep you waiting.” — “Don’t worry at all.”

Passive Form (being + past participle)

Use being + V3 when something is happening to the subject.

Examples

• I don’t mind being asked questions during the presentation.
• He hates being interrupted when he’s concentrating.

Finished actions: having done

We can use having + past participle to talk about something that happened earlier. But it is optional — the simple –ing form is usually fine.

Examples

• She admitted having taken the documents.
• (Also correct: admitted taking)
• I regret saying
• (Also correct: having said)

After admit / deny / suggest: –ing OR that…

Some verbs allow two structures:

Examples

They denied stealing the files. / They denied that they had stolen the files.

Oliver suggested going for a walk. / Oliver suggested that we go for a walk.

Quick Summary

Use –ing after verbs like enjoy, mind, suggest, stop, finish, avoid, and many others.

You can also use it after certain phrasal verbs and with verb + somebody + –ing.

The passive form uses being, and for past actions you can use having done, though it is optional.

Download exercise for this lesson in PDF

If you really want to learn English but don’t know how to do it and where to start, don’t hesitate to contact us. Book an online English lesson with one of our certified and experienced English teachers and take a test and consultation! Tap the banner to learn more!