Part of a compound verbal aspect predicate

• Excuse me for being late.

Note that excuse also has the meaning 'exempt': • The headmaster excused him from doing gym.

3) An active gerund with need means the same as the passive
infinitive:

• The room needs redecorating = The room needs to be redecorated. Require and want are also sometimes used in this way:

• The dress wants cleaning.

4) Prevent can be used both with and without from:

• The man was instructed to prevent people entering.

• It prevented me from coming in time.

2) The gerund is used after a number of verbs with prepositions:

accuse of depend on object to speak of

agree to dream of/about persist in succeed in

approve of feel like prevent from suspect of

apologize for insist on rely on take to

complain of look like reproach with thank of

• He dreamed of having a car.

• She apologized for disturbing us.

• I object to their coming here.

• I feel like taking a walk.

МинченковА. Г.

Verbals

3) The gerund is used after the following prepositional expressions:

to be aware of to be proud of

to be capable of to be sure of

to be fed up with (to have enough of) to be surprised at

to be fond of to be tired of

to be for/against to be/get used to

to be guilty of to be worth

to be happy about what is the use of..?

to be indignant at to have difficulty (in)

to be pleased about (= 'happy about') to look forward to

there is no point in

• I am used to getting up early.

• The risk is worth taking 1.

• What is the use of waiting?

• I will be looking forward to seeing you.

• She had difficulty (in) finding the book.

Note: With the expression to be worth we use Active Gerund with passive meaning.

4) There are a number of verbs which can be followed by either the
infinitive or the gerund:

a) remember, forget

We use the infinitive if we remember or forget to do something we have or had to do:

• Remember to lock the door (He забудьзакрытьдверь).

• I forgot to ask him.

We use the gerund if we remember or forget something that took place in the past:

• She remembered seeing this film. (Oнa помнила, что смотрела этот фильм).

• She forgot ever going there.

Note: With these verbs we normally use Indefinite Gerund with reference to the past.

b) like, love, prefer, hate

The difference between the infinitive and the gerund used after these verbs is revealed mostly in the negative. We use the infinitive when we have feelings beforehand about what may happen, so that the meaning of these verbs is close to wish, want

• I did not like to tell her that (= 'I did not want to, thought it unwise').

• I preferred not to speak at all.

We use the gerund when our feelings accompany or follow what is going on, so that the meaning of these verbs is close to not enjoy:

• I did not like being a nuisance, but I felt that I was.

In the affirmative we can use both the infinitive and the gerund with
practically no difference in meaning:

• I love skating / to skate.

• I prefer staying / to stay at home.

However, to express a particular action in the past the infinitive is usually used:

• I preferred to stay at home.

Note also the common patterns with prefer.

• I prefer walking in the park to staying at home.

• I prefer to walk in the park than (to) stay at home.

c) dread, regret

Dread is used with the infinitive of think; regret — with the infinitive of say, tell, inform:

• I dread to think what is going on there (= 'I try not to think').

• I regret to say that you are not accepted.

We use the gerund when we want to describe something unpleasant that is most likely to happen in the future (dread) or has happened in the past (regret):

• He regretted having told her that.

МинченковА. Г.

• I dreaded them coming.

• I dread going to the dentist but I am going.

d) to be afraid

If you are afraid to do something you try not to do it at all in a particular situation.

We use to be afraid + the gerund to show that somebody wants to avoid an awkward situation or is generally afraid of something or somebody:

• She was afraid to go = She did not go.

• He was afraid even to move = He did not move.

• The girl was afraid of offending anyone.

• The boy was afraid of going to school, though he went there every day.

e) advise, intend, recommend

Two options are possible with these verbs:

verb + gerund verb + (pro) noun + infinitive

She advised taking a bus. He advised me not to buy it.
He intended staying until The doctor did not recommend
the small hours. her to have children.