Verb + preposition + -ing (Unit 62)
Pattern
Section titled “Pattern”verb + preposition + -ing
Common from Murphy English Grammar in Use Unit 62. The verb and preposition are a fixed pair; the verb after the preposition must be the -ing form (gerund), not the to-infinitive.
Common pairs
Section titled “Common pairs”| Verb pair | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| thank someone for | for | Jenny thanked me for coming to see her. |
| apologise for | for | I apologised for being late. |
| insist on | on | Joe insisted on coming with us. |
| look forward to | to | I’m looking forward to seeing you. |
| succeed in | in | We succeeded in solving the problem. |
| decide against | against | We decided against buying a car. |
| dream of | of | I’ve always dreamed of having a house by the sea. |
| approve of | of | Some parents don’t approve of their children watching TV. |
| accuse someone of | of | She accused me of causing the accident. |
| suspect someone of | of | He is suspected of using a false passport. |
| feel like | — | Do you feel like going out? (no preposition) |
Why -ing and not to-…?
Section titled “Why -ing and not to-…?”After a preposition, English only takes the gerund. “I look forward to see you” is wrong; “I look forward to seeing you” is right. The preposition to here is NOT the to-infinitive marker — it’s the preposition in the phrasal verb.
Not just verbs — adjectives and nouns too (Unit 60)
Section titled “Not just verbs — adjectives and nouns too (Unit 60)”The rule is about the preposition, not the verb. Anything + preposition + verb → -ing:
| frame | example |
|---|---|
| adjective + prep + -ing | good at making things · tired of waiting · afraid of flying · interested in joining |
| nothing against + -ing | I have nothing against watching TV (no objection) |
| noun + prep + -ing | a reason for helping · an excuse for being late |
| instead of / in favour of + -ing | instead of going · in favour of moving |
| despite / in spite of + -ing | despite being tired (note: despite never takes of + clause) |
Test: is the word before the gap a preposition (against, for, of, at, in, about, despite, instead of)? → verb goes -ing. No exceptions with prepositions.
Source
Section titled “Source”Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use (4th ed.), Unit 62. First seen in Ebot lesson 2026-08-29 with example: “It was nice of you to come to see me. Thank you.” → Jenny thanked me for coming to see her.