Verbs Followed by Gerunds

9 = verb followed by a gerund OR a noun + an infinitive
13 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with a difference in meaning
14 = verb followed by a gerund OR an infinitive with little difference in meaning

admit	He admitted cheating on the test.
advise [9]	The doctor generally advised drinking low-fat milk.
allow [9]	Ireland doesn't allow smoking in bars.
anticipate	I anticipated arriving late.
appreciate	I appreciated her helping me.
avoid	He avoided talking to her.
begin [14]	I began learning Chinese.
can't bear [14]	He can't bear having so much responsibility.
can't help	He can't help talking so loudly.
can't see	I can't see paying so much money for a car.
can't stand [14]	He can't stand her smoking in the office.
cease [14]	The government ceased providing free healthcare.
complete	He completed renovating the house.
consider	She considered moving to New York.
continue [14]	He continued talking.
defend	The lawyer defended her making such statements.
delay	He delayed doing his taxes.
deny	He denied committing the crime.
despise	She despises waking up early.
discuss	We discussed working at the company.
dislike	She dislikes working after 5 PM.
don't mind	I don't mind helping you.
dread [13]	She dreads getting up at 5 AM.
encourage [9]	He encourages eating healthy foods.
enjoy	We enjoy hiking.
finish [13]	He finished doing his homework.
forget [13]	I forgot giving you my book.
hate [14]	I hate cleaning the bathroom.
imagine	He imagines working there one day.
involve	The job involves traveling to Japan once a month.
keep	She kept interrupting me.
like [14]	She likes listening to music.
love [14]	I love swimming.
mention	He mentioned going to that college.
mind	Do you mind waiting here for a few minutes.
miss	She misses living near the beach.
need [13]	The aquarium needs cleaning.
neglect [14]	Sometimes she neglects doing her homework.
permit [9]	California does not permit smoking in restaurants.
postpone	He postponed returning to Paris.
practice	She practiced singing the song.
prefer [14]	He prefers sitting at the back of the movie theater.
propose [14]	I proposed having lunch at the beach.
quit [13]	She quit worrying about the problem.
recall	Tom recalled using his credit card at the store.
recollect	She recollected living in Kenya.
recommend	Tony recommended taking the train.
regret [13]	She regretted saying that.
remember [13]	I remember telling her the address yesterday.
report	He reported her stealing the money.
require [9]	The certificate requires completing two courses.
resent	Nick resented Debbie's being there.
resist	He resisted asking for help.
risk	He risked being caught.
start [14]	He started studying harder.
stop [13]	She stopped working at 5 o'clock.
suggest	They suggested staying at the hotel.
tolerate	I tolerated her talking.
try [13]	Sam tried opening the lock with a paperclip.
understand	I understand his quitting.
urge [9]	They urge recycling bottles and paper.

Just, yet, still, already

These words are often used with the present perfect tense although yet, still and already can all be used with other tenses.

Just

‘Just’ is usually used only with the present perfect tense and it means ‘a short time ago’.

I’ve just seen Susan coming out of the cinema.
Mike’s just called. Can you ring him back please?
Have you just taken my pen? Where has it gone?

In the present perfect, ‘just’ comes between the auxiliary verb (‘have’) and the past participle.

Yet

‘Yet’ is used to talk about something which is expected to happen. It means ‘at any time up to now’. It is used in questions and negatives.

Have you finished your homework yet? The speaker expects that the homework will be finished.
I haven’t finished it yet. I’ll do it after dinner.

‘Yet’ usually comes at the end of the sentence.

Still

‘Still’ is used to talk about something that hasn’t finished – especially when we expected it to finish earlier.

I’ve been waiting for over an hour and the bus still hasn’t come.
You promised to give me that report yesterday and you still haven’t finished it.

‘Still’ usually comes in ‘mid-position’

Still is often used with other tenses as well as the present perfect.

I’ve still got all those letters you sent me.
Are you still working in the bookshop?

Already

‘Already’ is used to say that something has happened early – or earlier than it might have happened.

I’ve already spent my salary and it’s two weeks before pay day.
The train’s already left! What are we going to do?

‘Already’ usually comes in mid-position.

Prepositions of Time: at, in, on

We use:

at for a PRECISE TIME
in for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS
on for DAYS and DATES

at	in	on
PRECISE TIME	MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS	DAYS and DATES
at 3 o'clock	in May	on Sunday
at 10.30am	in summer	on Tuesdays
at noon	in the summer	on 6 March
at dinnertime	in 1990	on 25 Dec. 2010
at bedtime	in the 1990s	on Christmas Day
at sunrise	in the next century	on Independence Day
at sunset	in the Ice Age	on my birthday
at the moment	in the past/future	on New Year's Eve

Look at these examples:

I have a meeting at 9am.
The shop closes at midnight.
Jane went home at lunchtime.
In England, it often snows in December.
Do you think we will go to Jupiter in the future?
There should be a lot of progress in the next century.
Do you work on Mondays?
Her birthday is on 20 November.
Where will you be on New Year's Day?

Notice the use of the preposition of time at in the following standard expressions:

Expression	Example
at night	The stars shine at night.
at the weekend*	I don't usually work at the weekend.
at Christmas*/Easter	I stay with my family at Christmas.
at the same time	We finished the test at the same time.
at present	He's not home at present. Try later.

Notice the use of the prepositions of time in and on in these common expressions:

in	on
in the morning	on Tuesday morning
in the mornings	on Saturday mornings
in the afternoon(s)	on Sunday afternoons
in the evening(s)	on Monday evening

When we say last, next, every, this we do not also use at, in, on.

I went to London last June. (not in last June)
He's coming back next Tuesday. (not on next Tuesday)
I go home every Easter. (not at every Easter)
We'll call you this evening. (not in this evening)

Prepositions of Place: at, in, on

In general, we use:

at for a POINT
in for an ENCLOSED SPACE
on for a SURFACE

at	in	on
POINT	ENCLOSED SPACE	SURFACE
at the corner	in the garden	on the wall
at the bus stop	in London	on the ceiling
at the door	in France	on the door
at the top of the page	in a box	on the cover
at the end of the road	in my pocket	on the floor
at the entrance	in my wallet	on the carpet
at the crossroads	in a building	on the menu
at the front desk	in a car	on a page

Look at these examples:

Jane is waiting for you at the bus stop.
The shop is at the end of the street.
My plane stopped at Dubai and Hanoi and arrived in Bangkok two hours late.
When will you arrive at the office?
Do you work in an office?
I have a meeting in New York.
Do you live in Japan?
Jupiter is in the Solar System.
The author's name is on the cover of the book.
There are no prices on this menu.
You are standing on my foot.
There was a "no smoking" sign on the wall.
I live on the 7th floor at 21 Oxford Street in London.

Notice the use of the prepositions of place at, in and on in these standard expressions:

at	in	on
at home	in a car	on a bus
at work	in a taxi	on a train
at school	in a helicopter	on a plane
at university	in a boat	on a ship
at college	in a lift (elevator)	on a bicycle, on a motorbike
at the top	in the newspaper	on a horse, on an elephant
at the bottom	in the sky	on the radio, on television
at the side	in a row	on the left, on the right
at reception	in Oxford Street	on the way

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Comparatives and Superlatives

Form the comparative and superlative forms of a one-syllable adjective by adding –er for the comparative form and –est for the superlative.

One-Syllable Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form

tall taller tallest

old older oldest

long longer longest

Mary is taller than Max.

Mary is the tallest of all the students.

Max is older than John.

Of the three students, Max is the oldest.

My hair is longer than your hair.

Max's story is the longest story I've ever heard.

If the one-syllable adjective ends with an e, just add –r for the comparative form and –st for the superlative form.

One-Syllable Adjective with Final -e Comparative Form Superlative Form

large larger largest

wise wiser wisest

Mary's car is larger than Max's car.

Mary's house is the tallest of all the houses on the block.

Max is wiser than his brother.

Max is the wisest person I know.

If the one-syllable adjective ends with a single consonant with a vowel before it, double the consonant and add –er for the comparative form; and double the consonant and add –est for the superlative form.

One-Syllable Adjective Ending with a Single Consonant with a Single Vowel before It Comparative Form Superlative Form

big bigger biggest

thin thinner thinnest

fat fatter fattest

My dog is bigger than your dog.

My dog is the biggest of all the dogs in the neighborhood.

Max is thinner than John.

Of all the students in the class, Max is the thinnest.

My mother is fatter than your mother.

Mary is the fattest person I've ever seen.

One-Syllable Adjective	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
tall	taller	tallest
old	older	oldest
long	longer	longest

One-Syllable Adjective with Final -e	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
large	larger	largest
wise	wiser	wisest

One-Syllable Adjective Ending with a Single Consonant with a Single Vowel before It	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
big	bigger	biggest
thin	thinner	thinnest
fat	fatter	fattest

Two-syllable adjectives.

With most two-syllable adjectives, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.

Two-Syllable Adjective	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
peaceful	more peaceful	most peaceful
pleasant	more pleasant	most pleasant
careful	more careful	most careful
thoughtful	more thoughtful	most thoughtful

This morning is more peaceful than yesterday morning.
Max's house in the mountains is the most peaceful in the world.
Max is more careful than Mike.
Of all the taxi drivers, Jack is the most careful.
Jill is more thoughtful than your sister.
Mary is the most thoughtful person I've ever met.

If the two-syllable adjectives ends with –y, change the y to i and add –er for the comparative form. For the superlative form change the y to i and add –est.

Two-Syllable Adjective Ending with -y	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
happy	happier	happiest
angry	angrier	angriest
busy	busier	busiest

John is happier today than he was yesterday.
John is the happiest boy in the world.
Max is angrier than Mary.
Of all of John's victims, Max is the angriest.
Mary is busier than Max.
Mary is the busiest person I've ever met.

Two-syllable adjectives ending in –er, -le, or –ow take –er and –est to form the comparative and superlative forms.

Two-Syllable Adjective Ending with -er, -le, or -ow	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
narrow	narrower	narrowest
gentle	gentler	gentlest

The roads in this town are narrower than the roads in the city.
This road is the narrowest of all the roads in California.
Big dogs are gentler than small dogs.
Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.

Adjectives with three or more syllables.

For adjectives with three syllables or more, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.

Adjective with Three or More Syllables	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
generous	more generous	most generous
important	more important	most important
intelligent	more intelligent	most intelligent

John is more generous than Jack.
John is the most generous of all the people I know.
Health is more important than money.
Of all the people I know, Max is the most important.
Women are more intelligent than men.
Mary is the most intelligent person I've ever met.

Exceptions.

Irregular adjectives.

Irregular Adjective	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
good	better	best
bad	worse	worst
far	farther	farthest
little	less	least
many	more	most

Italian food is better than American food.
My dog is the best dog in the world.
My mother's cooking is worse than your mother's cooking.
Of all the students in the class, Max is the worst.

Two-syllable adjectives that follow two rules. These adjectives can be used with -er and -est and with more and most.

Two-Syllable Adjective	Comparative Form	Superlative Form
clever	cleverer	cleverest
clever	more clever	most clever
gentle	gentler	gentlest
gentle	more gentle	most gentle
friendly	friendlier	friendliest
friendly	more friendly	most friendly
quiet	quieter	quietest
quiet	more quiet	most quiet
simple	simpler	simplest
simple	more simple	most simple

Big dogs are gentler than small dogs.
Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.
Big dogs are more gentle than small dogs.
Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the most gentle.

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Prepositions of time

The preposition AT is used in the following descriptions of time:

With clock times:

My last train leaves at 10:30.
We left at midnight.
The meeting starts at two thirty.

With specific times of day, or mealtimes:

He doesn’t like driving at night.
I’ll go shopping at lunchtime.
I like to read the children a story at bedtime.

With festivals:

Are you going home at Christmas/Easter?

In certain fixed expressions which refer to specific points in time:

Are you leaving at the weekend?**
She’s working at the moment.
He’s unavailable at present.
I finish the course at the end of April.
We arrived at the same time.

**Note that in American English, on the weekend is the correct form.

The preposition IN is used in the following descriptions of time:

With months, years, seasons, and longer periods of time:

I was born in 1965.
We’re going to visit them in May.
The pool is closed in winter.
He was famous in the 1980’s.
The play is set in the Middle Ages.
They’ve done work for me in the past.

With periods of time during the day:

He’s leaving in the morning.
She usually has a sleep in the afternoon(s).
I tried to work in the evening.

To describe the amount of time needed to do something:

They managed to finish the job in two weeks.
You can travel there and back in a day.
To indicate when something will happen in the future:
She’ll be ready in a few minutes.
He’s gone away but he’ll be back in a couple of days.

The preposition ON is used in the following descriptions of time:

With days of the week, and parts of days of the week:

I’ll see you on Friday.
She usually works on Mondays.
We’re going to the theatre on Wednesday evening.

Note that in spoken English, on is often omitted in this context, e.g.: I’ll see you Friday.

With dates:

The interview is on 29th April.
He was born on February 14th 1995.

With special days:

She was born on Valentine’s day.
We move house on Christmas Eve.
I have an exam on my birthday.

If we examine these different aspects of usage for the three prepositions, a general pattern emerges. At is generally used in reference to specific times on the clock or points of time in the day. In generally refers to longer periods of time, several hours or more. On is used with dates and named days of the week

Verb Tense Review and Exercises

Here is a helpful table with the tenses, a quick explanation and some helpful words/phrases associated with each of them.

	Past	Present	Future
Simple	An action that ended at a point in the past.	An action that exists , is usual, or is repeated.	A plan for future action.
	cooked	cook / cooks	will cook
(time clue)*	e.g. He cooked yesterday.	e.g. He cooks dinner every Friday.	e.g. He will cook tomorrow.
Progressive be + main verb +ing	An action was happening (past progressive) when another action happened (simple past).	An action that is happening now.	An action that will be happening over time, in the future, when something else happens.
	was / were cooking	am / is / are cooking	will be cooking
(time clue)*	e.g. He was cooking when the phone rang.	e.g. He is cooking now.	e.g. He will be cooking when you come.
Perfect have + main verb	An action that ended before another action or time in the past.	An action that happened at an unspecified time in the past.	An action that will end before another action or time in the future.
	had cooked	has / have cooked	will have cooked
(time clue)*	e.g. He had cooked the dinner when the phone rang.	e.g. He has cooked many meals.	e.g. He will have cooked dinner by the time you come.
Perfect Progressive have + be + main verb + ing	An action that happened over time, in the past, before another time or action in the past.	An action occurring over time that started in the past and continues into the present.	An action occurring over time, in the future, before another action or time in the future.
	had been cooking	has / have been cooking	will have been cooking
(time clue)*	e.g. He had been cooking for a long time before he took lessons.	e.g. He has been cooking for over an hour.	e.g. He will have been cooking all day by the time she gets home.

*Time clues: these are words that give some information about when an action occurs. Some examples are:

yesterday
every day
tomorrow
while
now

simple past
simple present
simple future
past progressive
present progressive

There are many words that are time clues; some can be used to indicate a number of tenses, for instance that something happened in the past or that it will happen in the future. If you learn to recognize these time clues, you will find them very helpful. Note that some time clues can be used with more than one verb tense and also that this table is not a complete listing of all the time clues that can be used with all of the tenses

CHART—TIME CLUES AND VERB TENSE

	Past	Present	Future
Simple	Simple Past	Simple Present	Simple Future
	yesterday last year/ month/ etc. before for five weeks/days/etc. one year/ month ago	every morning / day / etc. always usually frequently sometimes	tomorrow tonight next week/month/etc. soon in the future
Progressive	Past Progressive	Present Progressive	Future progressive
	while when	now right now this week/minute/etc.	when after as soon as before
Perfect	Past Perfect	Present Perfect	Future Perfect
	before already by the time until then/last week/etc. after	until now since ever never many times/ weeks/years/etc. for three hours/ minutes/etc/	by the time you go (somewhere) by the time you do (something) already
Perfect Progressive	Past Perfect progressive	Present Perfect Progressive	Future Perfect Progressive
	before for one week/hour/etc. since	for the past year/ month/ etc. for the last 2 months/ weeks/etc. up to now for 6 weeks/hours/etc. since	by the time for ten days/weeks/etc. by

MILI B1 EN

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Grammar Points