Gerunds: A Comprehensive Guide to Usage, Examples, and More

What is a GERUND? Gerund Examples

What is a gerund? Gerunds are words that are formed with verbs but act as nouns. For example: playing, singing, working, doing, etc.

Gerunds act as subjects in the sentences:

• Reading is one of the best ways of improving your vocabulary.
• Listening is an important part of the job.

Gerunds act as direct objects in the sentences:

• I dislike being away from my family. 
• My mom really loves cooking.

Gerunds act as indirect objects in the sentences:

• She never admits making mistakes.
• Last night, I forgot doing my homework. 

Gerunds act as objects of prepositions in the sentences:

• My passion for painting was forever. 
• By writing will help you think well. 

Gerunds act as predicate nouns in the sentences:

• My favorite activity is singing. 
• Her responsibility is checking. 

100 Verbs Followed by Gerunds and examples

Verb	Example Sentence
Admit	She admitted stealing the money.
Advise	He advised taking a break.
Anticipate	We anticipate winning the game.
Appreciate	They appreciate receiving your support.
Avoid	I avoid eating junk food.
Begin	The concert began attracting a large crowd.
Can’t stand	She can’t stand listening to loud music.
Complete	He completed writing the report.
Consider	They considered changing their plans.
Contemplate	I contemplated quitting my job.
Continue	He continued studying for the exam.
Delay	The train was delayed arriving at the station.
Deny	She denied breaking the vase.
Despise	They despise being ignored.
Detest	He detests doing household chores.
Dislike	I dislike running in the rain.
Enjoy	We enjoy watching movies together.
Finish	She finished reading the book.
Forgive	He forgave her for making a mistake.
Imagine	They imagined traveling the world.
Keep	Keep practicing to improve your skills.
Like	She likes playing tennis.
Love	He loves swimming in the ocean.
Mind	Do you mind me asking a question?
Miss	I miss spending time with my friends.
Permit	The teacher permitted using calculators.
Praise	The coach praised winning the championship.
Prefer	They prefer eating pizza for dinner.
Quit	He quit smoking last year.
Recall	She recalled meeting him at the party.
Recommend	We recommend trying the new restaurant.
Regret	He regretted not attending the event.
Remember	Do you remember meeting her before?
Report	They reported finding a lost dog.
Resist	I can’t resist eating chocolate.
Risk	She risked losing her job.
Start	He started learning to play the guitar.
Suggest	They suggested going for a walk.
Support	We support recycling efforts.
Understand	Do you understand what he’s saying?
Abhor	She abhors lying.
Acknowledge	He acknowledged receiving the email.
Adore	They adore dancing in the rain.
Advocate	The organization advocates protecting the environment.
Allow	The rules allow using personal laptops.
Announce	They announced the launching of a new product.
Apologize	She apologized for arriving late.
Argue	He argued against raising taxes.
Arrange	We arranged meeting at the café.
Assess	The teacher assessed writing skills.
Attach	Please attach signing the document.
Believe	They believe in living a healthy lifestyle.
Challenge	She challenged completing the puzzle.
Change	He changed jobs to pursue his passion.
Claim	They claimed witnessing the accident.
Complain	I complain about waiting in line.
Condone	We cannot condone cheating.
Confess	He confessed stealing the money.
Confront	She confronted him about the issue.
Consider	They considered moving to a new city.
Defend	He defended protecting endangered species.
Define	Can you define living a meaningful life?
Demand	They demanded receiving fair treatment.
Denounce	She denounced using animal products.
Describe	He described seeing a shooting star.
Disapprove	They disapprove of drinking alcohol.
Discuss	We discussed implementing new policies.
Dispute	She disputed receiving the incorrect order.
Emphasize	He emphasized staying focused.
Encourage	They encourage participating in sports.
Envision	She envisions becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Examine	The doctor examined treating the symptoms.
Excuse	Please excuse arriving late.
Explain	He explained solving the math problem.
Express	She expressed enjoying the concert.
Fear	They fear losing their jobs.
Feel like	I feel like going for a walk.
Focus on	He focuses on improving his skills.
Foresee	We foresee achieving great success.
Give up	She gave up trying to convince him.
Hate	They hate doing chores.
Highlight	He illustrated an understanding the concept.
Hope	I hope to finding a solution.
Illustrate	He illustrated understanding the concept.
Imply	She implied knowing the secret.
Indicate	The study indicated eating a balanced diet.
Insist	They insist on following the rules.
Intend	He intends on pursuing higher education.
Involve	The project involves developing new software.
Justify	She justified taking a day off.
Keep on	Keep on practicing to improve.
Look forward to	I look forward to seeing you again.
Mention	He mentioned considering a career change.
Mind	Do you mind sharing your opinion?
Permit	They permit using cell phones in class.
Picture	She pictured traveling to exotic destinations.
Plan	We planned attending the conference.
Praise	He praised winning the award.
Prefer	She prefers reading novels over watching TV.
Propose	They proposed organizing a charity event.

50 sentences with ‘Be + Adjective + Prep. + Gerund’

1. She is excited about going on vacation.
2. He is proud of winning the award.
3. They are tired of waiting in line.
4. I am grateful for having supportive friends.
5. The children are afraid of swimming in deep water.
6. We are happy about receiving good news.
7. He is worried about making a mistake.
8. She is enthusiastic about participating in the project.
9. They are annoyed by his constant complaining.
10. I am delighted with finding a solution.
11. The team is confident about winning the game.
12. She is skeptical about trusting strangers.
13. He is relieved by finishing the difficult task.
14. They are interested in learning new languages.
15. We are frustrated with dealing with bureaucracy.
16. She is fascinated by exploring different cultures.
17. He is ashamed of forgetting his lines.
18. They are bored with doing the same thing every day.
19. I am surprised by hearing the unexpected news.
20. The students are motivated by achieving good grades.
21. She is anxious about speaking in public.
22. He is pleased with completing the project ahead of schedule.
23. They are concerned about protecting the environment.
24. We are overwhelmed by the amount of work.
25. He is content with living a simple life.
26. She is jealous of her friend’s success.
27. They are impressed by his artistic skills.
28. I am ashamed of being late to the meeting.
29. The parents are proud of their children’s accomplishments.
30. He is fascinated by studying ancient history.
31. She is cautious about taking risks.
32. They are excited about starting a new chapter in their lives.
33. We are satisfied with achieving our goals.
34. He is curious about exploring new technologies.
35. She is irritated by his constant interruptions.
36. They are pleased with their team’s performance.
37. I am relieved by finding a solution to the problem.
38. The students are eager to learn new concepts.
39. He is embarrassed about making a public speaking mistake.
40. She is grateful for having supportive family members.
41. They are tired of dealing with the traffic every day.
42. We are happy about accomplishing our objectives.
43. He is worried about losing his job.
44. She is enthusiastic about pursuing her passion.
45. They are annoyed by the loud noise.
46. I am delighted with receiving positive feedback.
47. The team is confident in achieving their targets.
48. She is skeptical about believing the rumors.
49. He is relieved by resolving the conflict.
50. They are interested in exploring different career options.

Remember, these sentences showcase the structure “be + adjective + preposition + gerund.” However, note that the choice of adjective, preposition, and gerund may vary depending on the specific context and intended meaning.

50 Verb + Prepposition + Gerund

1. Accuse of: They accused him of stealing the money.
2. Admit to: She admitted to making a mistake.
3. Apologize for: He apologized for arriving late.
4. Believe in: We believe in supporting each other.
5. Benefit from: They benefited from attending the workshop.
6. Care about: She cares about helping those in need.
7. Complain about: He complained about the poor service.
8. Concentrate on: They concentrated on improving their skills.
9. Confess to: She confessed to breaking the vase.
10. Consist of: The recipe consists of mixing flour and eggs.
11. Count on: We can count on him to lend a hand.
12. Dream about: She dreams about traveling the world.
13. Feel like: I feel like going for a walk.
14. Focus on: They focused on achieving their goals.
15. Insist on: He insisted on being heard.
16. Look forward to: We look forward to seeing you again.
17. Object to: They object to paying high fees.
18. Plan on: She plans on attending the conference.
19. Rely on: We rely on him to provide accurate information.
20. Succeed in: He succeeded in completing the project.
21. Thank for: They thanked her for helping them.
22. Apologize to: He apologized to his friend for his behavior.
23. Blame for: They blamed him for the accident.
24. Depend on: We depend on them for support.
25. Insist upon: She insisted upon having her own way.
26. Participate in: He participated in organizing the event.
27. Prevent from: They prevented him from entering the building.
28. Pride oneself on: She prides herself on being punctual.
29. Provide with: We provided them with the necessary tools.
30. React to: He reacted strongly to the criticism.
31. Speak about: She spoke about her experiences abroad.
32. Talk about: They talked about their plans for the future.
33. Think about: We need to think about finding a solution.
34. Vote for: They voted for her in the election.
35. Apologize in: He apologized in person for his mistake.
36. Believe of: She believes of reaching her goals.
37. Complain to: He complained to the manager about the service.
38. Count on: We can count on him to keep his word.
39. Dream of: She dreams of becoming a successful writer.
40. Focus upon: They focused upon improving their productivity.
41. Insist upon: He insisted upon having a fair chance.
42. Look forward to: We look forward to hearing from you.
43. Object to: They object to his behavior.
44. Plan for: She planned for a successful career.
45. Rely upon: We rely upon their expertise.
46. Succeed in: He succeeded in completing the task.
47. Thank for: They thanked him for his help.
48. Apologize for: He apologized for his mistake.
49. Blame for: She blamed him for the accident.
50. Depend on: We depend on them for support.

These examples demonstrate different verb + preposition combinations followed by gerunds. However, keep in mind that the choice of preposition and gerund can vary depending on the specific context and intended meaning.