When a verb follows a preposition, the verb must be in the gerund form [verb+ing].
This is a rules that has no exception. A lot of prepositions follow verbs (adjust to, agree with, depend on, etc), and if a second verb follows the prepositions , it MUST be gerund.
Verb + Preposition + Gerund
- adapt to
People need to adapt to changing environmental conditions. - adjust to
The twins had to adjust to living as singles. - agree (with) on
I could not agree on spending more money on the kids. - apologize for
I apologize for interrupting. - approve of
I don’t approve of leaving small children home alone. - argue about/against
You can’t argue about having an extra pair of hands. - ask about
She asked about making another cup of tea. - believe in
I believe in giving peace a chance. - blame for
Who’s to blame for rising food prices? - care about
She doesn’t care about getting into this college. - complain about
Mother complained about being tired. - consist of
Kid’s summers consist of going to the pool or the library. - decide on
Ken decided on going abroad next year. - depend on
I had come to depend on seeing her in my dreams. - disapprove of
Some people disapprove of helping migrants. - discourage from
Teenagers should be discouraged from going into internet chat rooms. - engage in
Students were engaged in learning the new grammar rules. - forgive for
I think Jessica will never forgive for lying. - get used to
I can’t get used to living in such a crowded city. - give up
Oh, I will never give up trying to find him. - help with
Some children require lots of help with reading. - inquire about
He inquired about attending Bob Jones University. - insist on
He insisted on seeing me off at the airport. - interfere with
I’m afraid your dance routine will interfere with studying. - keep on
We need to keep on trying. - look forward to
I look forward to going home next weekend. - object to
I object to changing plans at this late date. - participate in
All students participated in doing pantomimes. - persist in
Some people persist in calling Pluto the ninth planet. - plan on
What do you plan on doing? - prepare for
Instructors vary in how they prepare for teaching a course. - profit from
Henry profited from selling his parents’ house. - prohibit from
We are prohibited from doing lots of things in this school. - put off
Do you ever put off going to a doctor? - succeed in
She’s succeeded in making you jealous, hasn’t she? - suffer from
Doctors say children can suffer from playing video games. - talk about
We talked about going to Italy for our summer vacations. - take part in
Many people took part in bringing the lost child home. - there’s no point in
There is no point in arguing with them. - think about
Jake and Julia think about getting married. - warn about
They warned us about speeding on this road. - work on
Brian really has to work on improving his vocabulary. - worry about
I always worry about losing things.
Can you think of any other examples?
If you have any questions or doubts, please ask in the comments or send me a private message.
Follow me on Instagram: @englishyourwaybr
or look for the hashtag #LearnEnglishWithCarlo
