In English, verbs followed if you want to follow a verb with another action, you must use a gerund or infinitive.
A gerund is a verb ending in “ing” that functions as a noun. An infinitive is the basic or root form of a verb, typically preceded with “to.”
For example:
We resumed talking.
(gerund – verb + ing)I want to see a movie.
(infinitive – to + base verb)
There are certain verbs that can only be followed by one or the other, and these verbs must be memorized
60 Verbs Followed by Gerunds
These are 60 verbs followed by gerunds with examples
Verb | Example |
admit | He admitted cheating on the test. |
Acknowledge | She acknowledged receiving assistance. |
advise | The doctor generally advised doing exercises |
allow | Ireland doesn’t allow smoking in bars. |
anticipate | I didn’t anticipate having to do the cooking myself |
appreciate | I appreciated her helping me. |
avoid | She always avoid going to the dentist |
begin | I began learning English when I was 16 |
can’t bear | He can’t bear talking to his old classmates |
can’t help | He can’t help bringing that topic again and again |
can’t see | I can’t see paying so much money for a car. |
can’t stand | He can’t stand her smoking in the office. |
cease | The government ceased providing free healthcare. |
complete | He completed renovating those two buildings |
consider | She considered moving to an European country |
continue | He continued watching Netflix shows for hours |
defend | The lawyer defended her making such statements. |
delay | He delayed doing my exercises routines |
defer | She deferred writing my thesis. |
deny | He denied committing crimes in Colombia |
despise | She despises waking up early. |
discuss | We discussed working at the company. |
dislike | She dislikes working in those big companies. |
don’t mind | I don’t mind helping you. |
dread | She dreads getting up at 5 AM. |
encourage | He encourages eating healthy foods. |
enjoy | We enjoy hiking and camping in the mountains |
finish | He finished playing video games around midnight |
forget | I forgot giving you the money for the rent |
hate | I hate cleaning windows and toilets |
imagine | I can’t imagine living in a haunted house |
involve | This procedure involves testing each sample twice. |
intend | I hear they intend marrying. |
keep | They keep interrupting our conversation |
like | She likes cooking and writing recipes |
love | I love jogging and running in the mountain |
mention | He mentioned going to a private university |
mind | Do you mind waiting here for a few minutes. |
miss | She misses living near the coast |
need | The house needs cleaning. |
neglect | She neglected doing her homework. |
permit | Costa Rica does not permit smoking in restaurants. |
postpone | He postponed returning to Paris. |
practice | She practiced singing all Coldplay songs |
prefer | He prefers sitting at the back of the movie theater. |
propose | I proposed having lunch at the beach. |
quit | She quit worrying about her misbehaved son |
recall | Tom recalled using his credit card at the store. |
recollect | She recollected living and studying in Netherlands |
recommend | Mike recommended taking the train to Boston |
regret | She regretted being friends with that kind of people |
remember | She remembered visiting her old school friends |
report | He reported her stealing the money. |
require | The certificate requires completing two courses. |
resent | I resent having to do their military service. |
resist | He resisted asking for money and help |
risk | He risked being caught when he was in Honduras |
start | He started studying harder for his tests |
stop | She stopped attending church in 2016 |
suggest | She suggested staying in the Bates Motel |
support | Five things that you can do to support recycling |
tolerate | We don’t tolerate smoking in the library |
try | Sam tried opening the lock with a paperclip. |
understand | I understand his joking |
urge | They urge recycling plastic in all of its forms |
Verbs Followed by Gerunds Exercises
These are some verbs followed by Gerunds Exercises
Verbs followed by Gerunds: Exercise from 1 to 3
- Gerunds and Infinitives Exercise 1
- Gerunds and Infinitives Exercise 2
- Gerunds and Infinitives Exercise 3
Verbs followed by Gerunds: Exercise from 4 to 6
- Gerunds and Infinitives Exercise 4
- Gerunds and Infinitives Exercise 5
- Gerunds and Infinitives Exercise 6
Verbs followed by Gerunds: Exercises from 6 to 10