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 New York
* He suggested that I should go to New York
* He suggested/suggests I should go to New York
* He suggested/suggests I go to New York
* He suggested I went to New York.
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 - see GERUND / INFINITIVE? section.
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 girl wouldn't think of marrying a man she did not love.
* Most people don't like receiving bad news.
* 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.
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