FAQ 4

 

QUESTIONS
1. Which verbs are followed by gerund?
2. Any examples of reporting verbs?

1. VERBS FOLLOWED BY '- ING' FORM

VERBS FOLLOWED BY THE GERUND

The gerund is used after certain verbs.

Example:

miss: I miss living in England.

The most important of these verbs are shown below.
Those marked * can also be followed by a that-clause

Example:

VERB	GERUND
She admitted...	breaking the window
	THAT-CLAUSE
She admitted...	that she had broken the window.

acknowledge,* admit,* anticipate,* appreciate,* avoid, celebrate, consider, contemplate, defer, delay, deny,* detest, dislike, dread, enjoy, entail, escape, excuse, fancy (=imagine)*, finish, forgive, imagine,* involve,

keep, loathe, mean,(=have as result)* mention,* mind, miss, pardon, postpone, prevent, propose,* recall,* recollect,* remember, report,* resent, resist, risk, save (=prevent the wasted effort) stop, suggest,* understand,*

Notes:

Appreciate is followed by a possessive adjective and the gerund when the gerund does not refer to the subject. Compare :
I appreciate having some time off work. (I'm having the time...)
I appreciate your giving me some time off work. (You're giving me the time...)

Excuse, forgive, pardon can be followed by an object and the gerund or for + object and the gerund (both common in spoken English), or a possessive adjective + gerund (more formal and less likely to be said):
Excuse me interrupting.
Excuse me for interrupting.
Excuse my interrupting.

Suggest can be used in a number of ways, but BE CAREFUL. It is important not to confuse these patterns:

suggest/suggested (+ possessive adjective) + gerund:
He suggests going to Glastonbury
He suggested going to Glastonbury
He suggested/suggests my going to Glastonbury

suggest/suggested + that-clause (where both that and should may be omitted):
He suggests that I should go to Glastonbury
He suggested that I should go to Glastonbury
He suggested/suggests I should go to Glastonbury
He suggested/suggests I go to Glastonbury
He suggested I went to Glastonbury.

suggest/suggested + question word + infinitive:
He suggested where to go.

Propose is followed by the gerund when it means 'suggest':
John proposed going to the debate
but by the infinitive when it means 'intend':
The Government proposes bringing in new laws..

Stop can be followed by a gerund or infinitive, but there is a change of meaning - Stop doing something is do not continue with what you are doing. Stop to do something is interrupt a previous activity to start a new one..

Dread is followed by the infinitive when used with 'think', in the expression 'I dread to think':
I dread to think what she'll do next.

Prevent is followed

EITHER by a possessive adjective + gerund:
You can't prevent my leaving.

OR by an object + from + gerund:
You can't prevent me from leaving.

Examples:

• Normally, a mouse wouldn't contemplate marrying an elephant.
• Most mice dread meeting elephants.
• We can't risk getting wet - we haven't got any dry clothes.
• If you take that job it will mean getting home late every night.
• I can't imagine living in that big house.
• If you buy some petrol now, it will save you stopping on the way to London.
• She couldn't resist eating the plum she found in the fridge.
• They decided to postpone painting the house until the weather improved.

 

 

2. REPORTED SPEECH - SUMMARY OF REPORTING VERBS

Note that some reporting verbs may appear in more than one of the following groups.

1. Verbs followed by 'if' or 'whether' + clause:

ask know remember

say see

2. Verbs followed by a that-clause:

add admit agree announce answer argue boast claim comment complain confirm consider deny

doubt estimate explain fear feel insist mention observe persuade propose remark remember repeat

reply report reveal say state suggest suppose tell think understand warn

3. Verbs followed by either a that-clause or a to-infinitive:

decide expect guarantee hope

promise swear threaten

4. Verbs followed by a that-clause containing should
(but note that it may be omitted, leaving a subject + zero-infinitive):

advise beg demand

insist prefer propose

recommend request suggest

5. Verbs followed by a clause starting with a question word:

decide describe discover discuss explain forget guess

imagine know learn realise remember reveal say

see suggest teach tell think understand wonder

6. Verbs followed by object + to-infinitive

advise ask beg command

forbid instruct invite

teach tell warn

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