The gerund as the object

TASK 15. Complete the sentences using an infinitive or a gerund as objects.

1. They delayed taking the decision until they had read the report.

2. He refused to return the book back to the shop.

3. We'd rather not go with you. We'll stay at home.

4. It's not worth inviting John to the party. He won't come.

5. I'm really looking forward to going to the theatre on Saturday.

6. It was kind of Mark to see you home after the party.

7. They were very happy to hear the good news.

8. You had better hurry or you'll miss the train.

9. She spends most of her spare time playing the piano.

10. Patrick tried to avoid answering my question.

11. Do you really enjoy listening to this music?

12. I considered applying for the job but in the end I decided against it.

13. If you walk into the road without looking, you risk being knocked down.

14. Jim is 65 but he isn't going to retire yet. He wants to carry on working.

15. I don't mind your using the phone as long as you pay for all your calls.

16. Hello! Fancy seeing you here! What a surprise!

17. I've put off writing the letter so many times. I really must do it today.

18. The professor recommends using mnemonics as an aid to memory.

19. Actors say there is no easy way to learn /of learning their lines.

20. Please don't hesitate to call me if you need any help.

21. I'm looking forward to hearing from you in due course.

22. I haven't managed to find a jacket to match my new pair of trousers.

23. Do you dare (to) ask the visiting expert such an impertinent question?

24. Being an actor means learning long texts by heart in a short time.

25. All the way Ted went on complaining that he was not used to travelling in such terrible conditions.

TASK 16. Fill in correct prepositions where necessary. Answer the questions about yourself. Begin each phrase with one of the following openings:

1. Are you good at organizing people and things?

2. Are you used to working hard?

3. Are you fond of solving problems?

4. Are you interested in dealing with people?

5. Are you bad at working with numbers?

6. Are you tired of being just one in the crowd?

7. Are you keen on doing things your way?

8. Are you bored with doing routine work?

9. Are you afraid of missing your big chance?

10. Are you weak in coping with difficult situations?

11. Are you accustomed to refusing people?

12. Are you proud of being born in Ukraine?

13. Are you persistent in doing your work and studying?

14. Are you capable of cheating?

15. Are you sure of knowing everything about the use of verbals?

1 – at; 2 – to; 3 – of; 4 – in; 5 – at; 6 – of; 7 – on; 8 – with; 9 – of; 10 – in; 11 – to; 12 – of; 13 – in; 14 – of; 15 - of

TASK 18. Paraphrase the sentences given below using the necessary form of the gerund. Sometimes you will have to change the notional verb.

1. She admitted that she was wrong. = being wrong

2. The boy confessed that he had lost the money. = having lost the money

3. They suggested that we should take an early train. = suggested taking

4. They finally acknowledged that they had received the letter. = having received

5. I decided that I would stay at home. = on staying/ to stay

6. He denied that he had taken part in the performance. = having taken part

7. He confessed that he had seen her somewhere. = having seen

8. He recommended that I should buy a fur coat. = buying

9. I hate it when someone is giggling behind my back. = being giggled at

10. You must forgive that they intruded on you in this way. = their intruding on you

11. Mum hates it when we eat and drink between meals. = hates our eating

12. Dina dislikes when he behaves like that. = him/his behaving like this

13. I don't like that you come late every evening. = your coming late

14. Jill couldn’t excuse the fact that Don was rude to her sister. = Jill couldn’t excuse Don’s being rude to her sister.

15. I can’t bear that he talks to her in that way. = I can't bear his talking to her in that way.

16. Philip doesn't mind if we come to see him. = our coming to see him

17. Len laughed at my attempt to eat with chopsticks. = my attempt at eating with chopsticks

18. Our friends were not happy that we had to leave so soon. = with our having to leave so soon

TASK 19. Distinguish between gerund and infinitive forms. Sort out the sentences into the table below. Define the form of the verbal. The first two are done for you.

Infinitive	1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10
Gerund	2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11

1. My faithful dog appeared to be listening to every word I was saying. (inf - NPCA)

2. I know your dislike of being woken up early but it’s nine already. (ger - NPP)

3. The head of their firm couldn’t see any possibility for this project to be carried out by our company. (inf - NPA + NPP)

4. Alice didn’t seem to have heard me. (inf - PA)

5. Michael felt better for having written the letter. (ger - PA)

6. His giving up the business on his father’s death offended all the family. (ger - NPA)

7. I am sorry to have given you so much trouble yesterday. (inf - PA)

8. I am angry with you for having put me into this awkward position. (ger - PA)

9. This offer is too tempting to be resisted. (inf - NPP)

10. Raymond didn’t like (inf - NPA) being called Ray. (ger - NPP)

11. Only then did I remember having met him in Africa. (ger - PA)

TASK 20. Make up sentences with the words given in brackets so that they mean the same as the first or the second remark of the dialogues. Follow the example.

Example. Mark: What shall we do? – Sheila: We could go to the cinema. (to suggest) = Sheila suggested going to the cinema.

1. Dick: Do you want to play tennis? – Sue: No, not really. (to fancy) = Sue didn’t fancy playing tennis.

2. Moira: You are driving too fast. – Bella: Yes, that’s true. Sorry. (to admit) = Bella admitted driving too fast.

3. Jack: Why don’t we go for a swim? – Lily: Good idea! (to offer) = Jack offered to go for a swim.

4. Policeman: You broke into the shop this morning. – Ted: No, I didn’t. (to deny) = Ted denied breaking into the shop that morning.

5. Secretary: Can you wait a few minutes? – Derek: Sure, no problem. (to mind) = Derek didn’t mind waiting.

6. Steve: I can do what I want and you can't stop me. – Len: But I can. (to make) = Len could make Steve stop doing what he wanted.

7. Fiona: It's not a good idea to travel during the rush hour, is it?. – Rachel: You’d better avoid it. (to recommend) = Rachel recommended Fiona to avoid travelling during the rush hour. / Rachel recommended avoiding travelling during the rush hour.

8. Tom: Shall we go away tomorrow instead of today? – Trish: We can certainly put it off till tomorrow. (to agree) = Trish agreed to put their departure off till tomorrow.

9. Policeman: You don’t even have a licence! – Brian: Sorry, officer. (admit) = Brian admitted not having a licence.

10. Paul: Could you turn the radio down, please? – Diana: Certainly. (to mind) = Diana didn’t mind turning the radio down.

TASK 21. Fill in prepositions or conjunctions in the sentences below.

1. Our neighbour apologised for making so much noise while repairing his roof.

2. I feel lazy. I don't feel like doing any work.

3. I wanted to go out alone but Joe insisted on coming with me.

4. I'm fed up with my job. I'm thinking of/about looking for something else.

5. We have decided against buying a new car because we can't really afford it.

6. I hope you write to me soon. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

7. The weather was extremely bad and this prevented us from going out.

8. The man who has been arrested is suspected of producing a false passport.

9. I think you should apologise to Sue for being so rude to her.

10. Some parents don't approve of their children watching a lot of television.

11. I'm sorry I can't come to your party but thank you very much for inviting me.

12. Do you feel like going out this evening?

13. It took us a long time but we finally succeeded in solving the problem.

14. I've always dreamed of living in a small house by the sea.

15. The driver of the other car accused me of causing the accident.

16. There was a fence around the lawn to prevent people from walking on the grass.

17. Forgive me for interrupting you but may I ask you something?

18. Where are you thinking of spending your holiday this year?

19. The guards weren't able to prevent the prisoner from escaping.

20. I wanted to cook the meal by myself but Dave insisted on helping me.

21. I'm sorry we've had to cancel our game of tennis tomorrow. I was really looking forward to playing with you.

22. George thanked me for helping him to do his homework.

23. Tom insisted on driving me to the station.

24. Jim congratulated me on my passing the exam.

25. I warned Mr. Bond against staying in the hotel near the airport.

26. Mary apologised for not having phoned me earlier.

27. Jane accused her sister of being selfish.

28. My mother disapproves of gambling.

29. Nobody suspected the man of being a spy.

30. The police stopped everyone from leaving the building.

1 - for; 2 – like; 3 – on; 4 – of/about; 5 – on; 6 – to; 7 – from; 8 – of; 9 – for; 10 – of; 11 – for; 12 – like; 13 – in; 14 – of; 15 – of; 16 – from; 17 – for; 18 – of; 19 – from; 20 – on; 21 – to; 22 – for; 23 – on; 24 – on; 25 – against; 26 – for; 27 – of; 28 – of; 29 – of; 30 - from

TASK 22. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct infinitive or gerund form.

1. Sue has decided to apply for a new job. Her mother advised her to write to several different companies. But Sue prefers to work/working for a large company where she can meet new people.

2. Carol is too ill to go to work today. She has managed to drink some tea and now she wants to sleep. Her husband offered to call the doctor, but Carol would prefer to wait and see if she will feel better tomorrow.

3. Daniel decided to get his teacher a present, but he doesn't know what to choose. He is thinking of buying her a book because he knows that she enjoys reading. His sister will help him to pick a good one.

4. I dislike shopping because I can't stand being in crowded places. If I have to go into town, I avoid visiting shops where there are a lot of people.

5. Joan can't afford to go on holiday this year, but she intends to save up so that she can manage to travel around Europe next summer. She is looking forward to visiting a lot of exciting places.

6. Countries all over the world have superstitions which some people believe and others don't. Several superstitions are the same in many countries. For example, many people avoid walking under ladders, as this is believed to bring bad luck. Some people expect things to go wrong on the thirteenth day of the month, particularly if it's a Friday. Some say you must never put up an umbrella inside the house or place a pair of new shoes on the table. In many places, it is considered unlucky to see a black cat, while in others this is thought to be a symbol of good luck. To break/Breraking a mirror results in seven years of bad luck and if you are careless enough to spill salt, you must throw a pinch of it over your left shoulder immediately. These are just a few superstitions which some people believe in. Do you know any more?

TASK 23. Fill in the gaps with either infinitive or gerund. Be careful with the expressions

used to + … or to be/to get used to + … .

1. Jane is American. She came to Britain and at first she found driving on the left difficult. In her home country she used to drive on the right. She was not used to driving on the left, but soon she got used to looking first to the right and then to the left. Now she has no problems. She is used to driving on the left and has no problems.

2. When Philip was sent to work in Singapore, it took him a long time to learn to survive in that climate. At first he even worked at night and really hated it, but now he is used to staying up late and doesn't mind it.

3. Juan is Spanish and came to live in England. In Spain he used to have dinner late in the evening, but in England dinner was at 7 o'clock. This was very difficult for him as he wasn’t used to eating so early in the evening. It took him some weeks to get used to having dinner ‘in the afternoon’ as he says. Now he finds it quite normal.

4. Julia is a nurse now. A year ago she was a student in a medical school and used to study during the day and to sleep at night. Now she has to work nights. At first she found it hard and didn't like it. She used to fall asleep during her night shifts. It took her a few months to get used to staying awake at night. Now, after a year, she's quite happy. She is used to working at night and sleeping during the day.

5. Len lives alone. He doesn't mind living alone because he has always lived alone and got used to taking care of himself. When he was a child and his big family lived in one room he used to sleep on the floor. When his father got into some money and they moved to a house, it was difficult for Len to get used to sleeping in bed. Now he is used to sleeping in bed but sometimes when it is very hot in summer he prefers to spend/ spending his nights on the floor.

6. Most of his life Jack had lived in Alaska. He was used to living in a rather cold climate. Then his boss transferred him to the Middle East. It was very difficult for him at first because he wasn’t used to living in a hot climate. He is still not used to enduring much heat.

TASK 24. Translate into English using infinitive or gerund in the function of an object.

№	Russian	English
1	В прошлом году я не могла даже мечтать о том, чтобы поехать в Великобританию, а сейчас у меня есть все шансы получить грант на учебу в Манчестерской Школе Бизнеса.	Last year I couldn’t even dream of going to Great Britain and now I have all the chances to get a grant to study in Manchester School of Business.
2	Я не могла не рассмеяться при виде его лица. Я никогда раньше не видела самоуверенного Питера таким глупым и растерянным.	I couldn’t help laughing at the sight of his face / seeing his face. I had never seen the conceited Peter to be so silly and confused.
3	Я предлагаю сначала обратиться с этим вопросом к заведующему нашей кафедрой, а тогда если он не сможет помочь нам, пойти к декану факультета.	I suggest first turning with this question to the head of our chair and then if he can’t help us, going to the dean of the department.
4	Белла очень устала сидеть дома одна и общаться только с героями своего романа, и поэтому она решила провести выходные в шумной компании своих университетских друзей.	Bella was very tired of sitting at home alone and communicating only with the heroes of her novel and that is why she decided to spend her weekend in the noisy company of her university friends.
5	Кто вам сказал, что у этого мальчика способности к изучению языков? Результаты его теста на способность к изучению языков самые плохие в группе. Посоветуйте ему выбрать какую-нибудь другую специальность.	Who has told you that this boy is capable of learning languages? The results of his aptitude test are the worst in the group. Advise him to choose some other speciality.
6	Спасибо, что позвонили моей маме. Если бы она не знала, что у нас просто спустила шина, она бы начала беспокоиться и обзванивать все городские больницы.	Thanks for calling my mum. If she hadn’t known that we only had a flat tyre, she would have started worrying and calling round all the city hospitals.
7	Мария всячески избегала встреч с Филиппом, хотя это было очень сложно сделать, учась в одном университете.	Maria took great pains to avoid meeting Philip though it was difficult while studying at the same university.
8	Вы думаете, стоит купить это искусственное меховое пальто? – Думаю, да. Оно не только теплое, но и выглядит абсолютно, как настоящий мех.	Do you think it is worth buying this artificial fur-coat? – I think so. It’s not only warm but it looks like genuine fur.
9	Стюарт был очень огорчен, что не застал Пэт дома. Он ненавидел приходить в пустой дом, когда там не было ни его жены, ни детей. Дом казался ему тогда пустым и даже страшным.	Stuart was very much upset at not finding /not to find Pat at home. He hated coming to the empty house when there was neither his wife nor his children at home. Then the house seemed to him to be empty and even scary.
10	Не забудьте принять эти таблетки. – Спасибо за напоминание, но я точно помню, что я их уже принимала.	Don’t forget to take these pills. Thanks for reminding me of it, but I certainly remember taking them.
11	Когда дети вернулись из школы, миссис Торндайк была занята приготовлением обеда, и не заметила, что близнецы были чем-то очень расстроены.	When the children came from school, Mrs. Thorndyke was busy cooking dinner and didn’t notice that the twins were upset about something.
12	Вы не возражаете, если я переключу телевизор на другой канал? Мне не нравится эта программа. И я знаю, что сейчас на канале «Дискавери» показывают очень интересный фильм о доисторических животных. Как насчет того, чтобы посмотреть его?	Do you mind my switching TV over to another channel? I don’t like this program. And I know that a very interesting film about pre-historic animals is on (being shown on) the channel ‘Discovery’ now. How about watching it?
13	Тед отрицал, что взял деньги из портфеля своего соседа по парте. Он настаивал на том, что деньги могли выпасть их портфеля, когда они дрались на перемене. Но классный руководитель отказывался ему верить, так как это был не первый случай воровства в классе.	Ted denied taking any money out of his desk-mate’s bag. He insisted on the money having fallen (that the money could have fallen) out of the bag when they were fighting during the break. But the class master/teacher refused to believe him as it was not the first case of theft/stealing in the class.
14	Извините, что я не позвонил вам вчера, как обещал. Надеюсь, вы на меня не сердитесь. Я с нетерпением жду нашей сегодняшней встречи.	Sorry for not calling you yesterday as I promised. I hope you are not angry with me. I am looking forward to our today’s meeting.
15	Стив обвинил Марту в том, что она была легкомысленной. Он настаивал на том, чтобы она поступила в университет и прекратила бегать на бесконечные вечеринки и часами болтать по телефону с подругами	Steve accused Martha of being light-minded. He insisted on her going to university and that she should stop dashing to endless parties and chatting (hanging on the phone) with her friends on the phone.
16	Я был против того, чтобы Пол вел машину так быстро. Дорога была очень скользкой, видимость из-за тумана была плохой, и наша поездка с каждой минутой становилась все более и более опасной.	I was against Paul’s driving so fast. The road was very slippery and the visibility was very bad because of the fog and our journey was getting more and more dangerous with every minute.
17	Не упустите возможность услышать этого пианиста. Он, говорят, настоящий гений. Его считают самым выдающимся пианистом современности. - Жаль, что я не смогу пойти с вами. Я буду занят подготовкой годового отчета, и я не могу отложить эту работу на завтра.	Don’t miss your chance to listen/of listening to this pianist. He is said to be a real genius. He is considered to be the most prominent pianist of our day. – I wish I could go. But I will be busy preparing an annual report and I can’t put the work off till tomorrow.
18	Почему Ванда не надевает то красивое платье, которое она купила в прошлом году в Париже? – Она говорит, что боится его надевать, потому что оно слишком яркое. Ты же ее знаешь, она чувствует себя не в своей тарелке, когда на нее все смотрят.	Why doesn’t Vanda wear the beautiful dress (that) she bought in Paris last year? – She says she is afraid of putting it on as it is too bright. You know she feels ill at ease when everyone is looking at her.
19	Мой младший брат очень не любит, когда ему напоминают, что пора делать уроки. Он делает все возможное, чтобы оттянуть момент, когда ему надо будет садиться за письменный стол и открывать свои тетради.	My younger brother doesn’t like being reminded that it’s time to do his homework. He does everything possible to draw the moment when he will have to sit down to his desk and open his notebooks.
20	Не стоит давать Фреду советы, даже если вы уверены, что они разумны. Он все равно не будет им следовать. Он очень гордится тем, что никогда не следует ничьим советам.	It is not worth giving Fred any advice even if you are sure that it is reasonable. He will not follow it all the same. He is very proud of not following anyone’s advice.
21	Ты знаешь, в чем твои слабые и сильные стороны? – Я уверен, что у меня хорошо получается генерировать идеи, но я не всегда могу хорошо работать в команде. Я скорее предпочту сделать всю работу сам, чем просить кого-то о помощи.	Do you know where your advantages and disadvantages are? – I’m sure I’m good at generating ideas, but I can’t always work well in a team. I’d rather work myself than ask anyone for help.
22	Я рекомендую тебе перестать хвастаться. Все знают, что ты довольно способный человек, но я отказываюсь верить, что ты получил высший балл за TOEFL.	I recommend you to stop boasting. Everyone knows that you are rather a capable person but I refuse to believe that you’ve got the highest point for TOEFL.