Verb + -ing

Enjoy, Mind, Suggest + -ing

After enjoy, mind and suggest, use the -ing form of the verb — not to ….

• I enjoy reading the weekly sales report. (not enjoy to read)
• Would you mind closing the door to the meeting room? (not mind to close)
• Chris suggested going to the client’s office instead. (not suggested to go)

Other Verbs Followed by -ing

These verbs also take -ing:

Verb	Example
stop	Everyone stopped talking when the director walked in.
finish	I’ll review the budget when I’ve finished updating the spreadsheet.
avoid	He tried to avoid answering the interviewer’s question.
consider	Have you ever considered moving to a different department?
deny	She denied making any changes to the contract.
risk	If you skip the inspection, you risk losing the whole shipment.
fancy	I don’t fancy working late on a Friday.
admit	He admitted sending the email to the wrong client.
recommend	The consultant recommended hiring a project manager.
imagine	Can you imagine running a team of fifty people?

The negative form is not -ing:

• When I’m on leave, I enjoy not having to check my inbox every morning.

Phrasal Verbs + -ing

Some phrasal verbs are also followed by -ing:

Phrasal verb	Meaning	Example
give up	stop	I’ve given up buying coffee on the way to work.
put off	delay	You shouldn’t put off telling your manager what happened.
go on / carry on	continue	She doesn’t want to retire. She wants to go on working.
keep / keep on	do repeatedly	You keep interrupting me during the presentation.

Verb + Somebody + -ing

With some verbs, you can put a person between the verb and -ing.

• You can’t stop people doing what they want.
• I can’t imagine George running a department meeting.
• I don’t remember her saying that at the briefing.
• Sorry to keep you waiting so long.

Having Done (Finished Actions)

When you talk about finished actions, you can use having done instead of doing. Both forms are correct.

• They admitted stealing the money. or They admitted having stolen the money.
• I now regret saying that to the client. or I now regret having said that to the client.

Other Structures with Admit, Deny, Suggest, Recommend

These verbs can also be followed by a that-clause:

-ing form	that-clause
They denied doing anything wrong.	They denied that they had done anything wrong.
Chris suggested going to the office.	Chris suggested that we go to the office.
I recommend travelling by train.	I recommend that you travel by train.

Quick Self-Check