As a general rule, gerunds are always after prepositions.
preposition + gerund
She had snacks after finishing her homework.
The tourists are excited about visiting the Trevi Fountain.
Try to sober up before leaving the party.
Note that we do not follow prepositions with infinitives. Noun clauses come after prepositions. When you put a verb after it, the verb must be a gerund. That verb then act as a noun.
Preposition + Gerund
after
After finishing her studies, she moved to the big city.before
Check facts before reposting news or stories from disreputable websites.by
They won the award by working hard as a team.in spite of
In spite of failing too many times, he didn’t give up.on
What was the President’s reaction on learning about the issue?without
He hit his wife and children without batting an eyelash.
Adjectives
Adjective + Preposition + Gerund
angry about/at
Laura is angry about waiting for John for two hours.disappointed about/at
Matt is disappointed about finding out he failed the test.fed up with
They are fed up with being discriminated against.interested in
Is she interested in taking care of a dog?tired of
He’s tired of listening to you whine all day.
Nouns
Noun + Preposition + Gerund
advantage of
What is the advantage of exercising?chance of
There’s a chance of raining today.choice between
There’s a choice between traveling to Brazil or Mexico.danger of
Donald is in danger of committing a serious felony.difficulty in
He has difficulty in remembering names and faces.
Verbs
Verb + Preposition + Gerund
accuse of
He was accused of embezzling the organization’s funds.apologize for
I would like to apologize for treating you this way.complain about
They complained about overpricing.concentrate on
You need to concentrate on studying.cope with
Luis and his family are not sure how to cope with having to downsize.
Gerunds After Prepositions Exercise
Answer this exercise on gerunds after prepositions.
1. Can you sleep ______ ?
a. without snoring
b. without snore
2. Her sister decided ______ her studies this coming semester.
a. against postpone
b. against postponing
3. Do you think he can ______?
a. give up smoke
b. give up smoking
4. I ______ from you soon.
a. look forward to hearing
b. look forward to hear
5. Are you ______ up late?
a. used to staying
b. used to stay
6. My father got exhausted ____ all day.
a. after drive
b. after driving
7. In spite ______ the long route, we still arrived early to the wedding.
a. of taking
b. of take
8. I find no sense ______.
a. in complain
b. in complaining
9. I would like to ______ you this way.
a. apologize for treating
b. apologize to treat
10. You need to _______.
a. concentrate to study
b. concentrate on studying
Find the answers to this exercise here.
See also: Verb + -ing/infinitive: Like and Gerunds
For additional information on this topic, check out this Education First lesson.
For other English grammar lessons, go to this page.