Gerunds after Prepositions
1. Gerund after prepositions that stand alone – some examples:
after
After having a shower, I went to bed.
before
I have breakfast before leaving for work in the morning.
by
I passed by studying every evening for a month.
in spite of
In spite of living in the country he cannot speak the language.
on
What did he say on learning your news?
without
You cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs.
2. Gerund after Adjective + Preposition – some examples:
afraid of
He is afraid of losing his job.
bad at/good at
John is good at explaining things.
crazy about
She is crazy about seeing me.
interested in
I am interested in learning Japanese.
sorry about/for
He’s sorry for being late.
worried about
I’m worried about having no money.
3. Gerund after Noun + Preposition – some examples:
advantage of
What is the main advantage of living in the country?
chance of
Is there a chance of getting free tickets?
difficulty in
He has difficulty in sleeping.
interest in
He has no interest in earning lots of money.
problem of
They have solved the problem of storing energy.
trouble for
He was in trouble for fighting.
4. Gerund after Verb + Preposition – some examples:
apologize for
They apologized for being late.
decide against
She decided against marrying him.
dream about/of
Freda dreams of being a pop star.
feel like
I feel like getting drunk.
look forward to
I’m looking forward to seeing you soon.
talk about/of
He often talks about visiting me in London.
worry about
I wouldn’t worry about having an injection.