Many verbs have the structure verb + preposition (in/for/about etc.) + object. For example:
| verb + | preposition | + object |
| We talked | about | the problem. |
| You must apologise | for | what you said. |
If the object is another verb, it ends in -ing:
| verb + | preposition | + object |
| We talked | about | going to South America. |
| You must apologise | for | not telling the truth. |
Some more verbs with this structure:
| approve (of) | He doesn't approve | of | swearing. |
| decide (against) | We have decided | against | moving to London . |
| dream (of) | I wouldn't dream | of | asking them for money. |
| feel (like) | Do you feel | like | going out tonight? |
| insist (on) | They insisted | on | paying for the meal. |
| look forward (to) | I'm looking forward | to | meeting her. |
| succeed (in) | Have you succeeded | in | finding a job yet? |
| think (of/about) | I'm thinking | of/about | buying a house. |
You can also say 'approve of
somebody doing something', 'look forward to
somebody doing something' etc :
- I don't approve of people killing animals for fun.
- We are all looking forward to Andy coming home.
The following verbs can have the structure verb + object + preposition + -ing:
| verb + | + object | preposition | + -ing (object) |
| accuse (of) | They accused | us | of | telling lies. |
| congratulate (on) | We all congratulated | Lisa | on | winning the first prize. |
| excuse (for) | Excuse | me | for | phoning you so late. |
| prevent (from) | What prevented | you | from | coming to see us? |
| stop (from) | The rain didn't stop | us | from | enjoying our holiday. |
| suspect (of) | Nobody suspected | the general | of | being a spy. |
| thank (for) | I forgot to thank | them | for | helping me. |
You can say '
stop somebody
doing' or '
stop somebody
from doing':
- You can't stop me doing what I want. or You can't stop me from doing what I want.
The following examples are with
not -
ing:
- They accused us of not telling the truth.
- Excuse me for not replying to your email until now.
Some of these verbs are often used in the
passive. For example:
- We were accused of telling lies.
- The general was suspected of being a spy.
Note that we say 'apologise
to somebody for ... ':
- I apologised to them for keeping them waiting. (not I apologised them)
