Verb + ing
Verbs + -ing
Here are some more verbs that are followed by -ing:
delay, fancy, consider, admit, miss, involve, finish, postpone, imagine, avoid, deny, risk, practice
I'll do the shopping when I've finished cleaning the flat.
He tried to avoid answering my question.
I don't fancy going out this afternoon.
Have you ever considered going to live in another city?
Notice the negative form not -ing:
When I'm on holiday, I enjoy not having to get up early.
You also use -ing after some phrasal verbs, for example:
Rachel has given up smoking.
We must do something. We can't go on living like this!
Don't keep interrupting me while I'm speaking. (or Don't keep on interrupting…)
With some verbs you can use the structure verb + somebody + -ing:
I can't imagine Joe riding a horse.
Notice the passive form (being done / seen / kept etc.)
I don't mind being kept waiting. ( I don't mind people keeping me…)
When you are talking about finished actions, you can say having done / stolen / said etc.:
She admitted having stolen the money.
But it is not necessary to use having (done). You can also use the -ing form alone for finished actions:
She admitted stealing the money.
I now regret saying (or having said) what I said.
Some verbs must have an object before an -ing form:
The police found the man climbing the fence.
He overheard them talking about the new factory.
Other verbs like this include:
catch, discover, feel, hear, leave, notice, observe, see, spot, and watch.
Beware, however, that this is not the case when these verbs are in the passive:
The man was found climbing the fence.
Some verbs can have an object or no object before an -ing form:
They can't stand (him) driving his old motorcycle.
Other verbs like this include: detest, dislike, dread, envisage, hate, imagine, like, love, mind (in questions and negatives), miss, recall, regret, resent, risk, start, and stop.
Some verbs can't have an object before an -ing form:
Despite his injury he continued playing.
Other verbs like this include admit, advise, consider, delay, deny, deserve, escape, face, finish, forget, propose, put off, and suggest.
These pairs of sentences have the same meaning:
I resented Jim winning the game. and I resented Jim's winning the game.
Susan recalled him borrowing the video. and Susan recalled his borrowing the video.
Other verbs that can be followed by an object with a possessive and then an -ing form include verbs of (dis)liking such as detest, disapprove of, dislike, hate, like, love, object to, and verbs of thinking such as envisage, forget, imagine, remember, think of.
Note that you only use a possessive form (Jim's, his) like this to talk about a person or a group of people:
I remembered the horse winning the race. (but not …the horse's winning…)
The possessive form of this pattern is usually considered to be rather formal.