The gerund is formed:

Active Voice Passive Voice

(*Remember that the passive verb is
formed: be + pp of the main verb)

 Verb+ ing  Being + pp of main verb

(present & Future Reference) (present & Future Reference)
e.g. I don’t remember ever meeting him. e.g. I don’t remember ever being told to
do this.

 Having + past participle of

 Having been + pp of main
main verb
verb
(Past reference)
(Past reference)
e.g. I don’t remember having met him
before. e.g. I don’t remember having been told
how to do that.
 We use the gerund:
1. As a noun, when referring to an activity.
e.g. Smoking is bad for your health.
e.g. Living in a contemporary society can be very stressful.
e.g. Not travelling by car can reduce the air pollution rates in cities.
2. After all verbs that express general preference (e.g. like,
enjoy, prefer, love, adore, hate, detest, abhor etc.)
e.g. I love going to the beach.
e.g. I hate studying vocabulary.
e.g. I prefer going out to studying English.
BUT REMEMBER! I would prefer to go out / I would rather go out.

e.g. I like going to the movies (general preference)

BUT REMEMBER: I like to help people (= I think it’s a good idea to help people)
 We use the gerund:
 After all prepositions, except the preposition ‘to’
e.g. He became rich by working hard and without borrowing money from anyone!
 BUT! We use a gerund after the following prepositional
phrases with ‘to’:

 Watch out for the difference! (All phrases mean the same thing!)
 You are here in order to/so as to / to pass the ECPE exam
 You are here with a view to passing the ECPE Exam.
 We use the gerund:
 The gerund is used after these common SOS phrases:
 He’s/she’s/it’s not worth + gerund
 E.g. It’s not worth worrying about things out of our hands.
 It’s no good+ gerund
 E.g. It’s no good trying! The car needs a mechanic!
 It’s no/little use + gerund
 E.g. It’s no use calling her! She is angry with you and won’t answer!
 There is no point (in) + gerund
 E.g. There is no point (in)giving up! I will never give up on you!
 There is no chance/hope of+ gerund
 E.g. There is no hope of finding any more survivors after so many days.
 Have difficulty (in) + gerund
 E.g. I have great difficulty (in) learning all the details in English Grammar
 What’s the use/point of + gerund
 E.g. What’s the use/point of learning all this knowledge?
Because you will need it in the exam!
 What about…/ How about… + gerund (for suggestions)
 E.g. How about ordering a pizza tonight and watching a movie?
BUT: Why not order a pizza tonight and watch a movie?
 We use the gerund:
 After the phrases, when we want to add additional
information :
 As well as + gerund (activity)
 E.g. As well as learning basic skills at college, it is essential that
students learn skills needed for the workplace.
 In addition to + gerund (activity)
 E.g. In addition to taking measures against animal cruelty, the
government must enforce them.

 We use it after the preposition ‘for’ to express the

purpose (the reason why we use) the object or material
 E.g. This knife is for cutting meat.
 E.g. This unit of grammar is for passing the Grammar section of the
GCVR.
 We use the gerund:
 After the verbs: ‘need’, ‘want’ & ‘require’ with a passive
meaning:

NOTE the difference!

I need to go home (Active)
NEED The car needs washing. (Passive)

WANT I want to go on holiday. (Active)

The dishes want washing. (want= needs) (Passive)

REQUIRE I require you to study this unit carefully (Active)

The unit requires studying. (Passive)
 We use the gerund:
 After the following verbs and phrases:
(Watch out for the ones that are ticked!)
 The following words and phrases can be used with
either a gerund of full infinitive without any difference
in meaning:
 Watch out for the differences in the following
structures! (No difference in meaning!)
 Advise
 I advise taking a cab. (No object immediately after verb)
 I advise you to take a cab (Object)
 I advise that he take a cab (Subjunctive – there is a sense of urgency!)
 Allow
 The teacher does not allow using cellphones during class. (No object immediately
after verb)
 The teacher does not allow us to use cellphones during class. (Object)
 Forbid
 I forbid arriving late for class. (No object immediately after verb)
 I forbid you to arrive late for class. (Object)
 Permit
 I do not permit coming to class without any homework. (No object immediately
after verb)
 I do not permit you to come to class without any homework (Object)
 Watch out for the differences in the following
structures! (The meaning IS DIFFERENT in each case!)
 Remember
 I must remember to buy some milk from the supermarket. (= don’t forget)
 Do you remember talking to her yesterday.( = remember a past event)
 Forget
 He forgot to pay the electricity bill. (= didn’t remember)
 He will never forget meeting his wife for the first time (= forget a past event)
 Stop
 I stopped buying expensive clothes. (= no longer do)
 I stopped to drink some water before continuing my training. (=stopped to take a
break before continuing to do sth)
 Go on
 The teacher went on talking for ours and we nearly fell asleep (= continued non-
stop)
 After teaching us the new grammar, Cathy went on to correct our homework
(=after first completing one task, the person started a new one)
 Try
 Try taking an aspirin for your headache. (= Why don’t you try? –Suggestion)
 I am trying to remember all these grammar points. (= I am making an effort to)
 Watch out for the differences in the following structures!
(The meaning IS DIFFERENT in each case!)
 Regret
 I regret to inform you that you did not get the job. (= I am sorry to tell you –
Formal)
 I regret speaking to her so horribly. (= I have second thoughts about an action)
 Mean
 To pass the ECPE exam means studying. (= involves)
 I didn’t mean to hurt you! ( = it was not my intention to)
 Propose
 I propose going to the cinema tonight (= suggest – 1 subject!)
 I propose to go to a lawyer to seek justice. (=intend to – 1 subject!)
 I propose ( that) the government take measures to help its citizens.
(Subjunctive, a matter of urgency – 2 subjects!)
 Afraid
 I am afraid to travel/ of travelling by plane (=unwilling to do sth because of
fear)
 Many people are afraid of becoming unemployed nowadays (=afraid of what
may happen in the future)
 Watch out for the differences in the following structures!
(The meaning IS DIFFERENT in each case!)
 Agree
 Will he agree to doing the task?(= say yes)
 I agree with going out to that restaurant. (= I think it is the right thing to do!)
 Anxious
 I am anxious to start my vacation ( = I can’t wait!)
 I am anxious about taking this exam ( = I am worried about)