The -ing form is used in progressive verb tenses. Here are some examples:
- He is doing his homework.
- I have been reading books all day.
- She was writing a letter when I arrived.
| Form | Affirmative | Negative |
| Present: verb + -ing | speaking | not speaking |
| Perfect: having + past participle | having spoken | not having spoken |
The -ing form is used:
as a noun (subject or object of a verb): “Exercising is a good way of keeping fit” or “I love swimming“, “Learning English is not easy”.
as an adjective: “The main problem today is rising house prices”, “That film was really boring“.
after the verbs go/come, indicating physical activities: “We often go hiking in the autumn“.
after the verbs catch, find, leave + object: “They left me waiting outside for a long time“.
after certain verbs (admit, appreciate, avoid, consider, delay, deny, discuss, dislike, enjoy, fancy, finish, imagine, involve, keep (on), mention, mind, miss, postpone, practise, prefer, quit, recall, recommend, resent, resist, risk, suggest, tolerate, etc.) “John suggested having a party on Saturday“.
after certain expressions (be interested in, as well as, be in favour of, can’t stand/help/bear, feel like, have difficulty (in), be good/a genius at, how about, it’s not good/use, it’s worth, there’s no chance of, there’s no point in, what’s the point of…?, what’s the use of…?, be/get used to, be/get accustomed to, be busy, spend/waste time/money, look forward to, in addition to, etc. “It’s no use trying to do everything at once“.
after prepositions (for, about, without, etc.) or verb + preposition (insist on, give up,, plan on, object to, etc.). “Paul is excited about meeting Rafa Nadal“.
after the verbs need, want, require, etc, with passive meaning. “My laptop needs repairing” (needs to be repaired).
with No to show prohibition. “No smoking please”.
Some verbs such as like, love, hate, prefer, start, begin, continue, intend, can’t bear, not bother, etc. can be followed by either the infinitive or the -ing form, with little to no difference in meaning. “Mathew loves to play cards” / “Mathew loves playing cards“.
Remember + -ing form. Remembering something that has already happened. “Do you remember seeing Tim at the party las week?
Remember + infinitive. Remember something before doing it. Did you remember to lock the door before you left?
Forget + -ing form. Forget something that has already happened. I’ll never forget visiting the Tate Gallery for the first time.
Forget + infinitive. Forget something you are supposed to do. Tony forgot to tell me that he was going away for the weekend“.
Regret + -ing form. Regret something that has already happened. “Susan regretted talking to her sister like that“.
Regret + infinitive. Be sorry to do something. “We regret to inform you that there are not mo tickets for tonight’s performance“.
Stop + -ing form. Terminate an action forever. “Stop making up excuses“.
Stop + infinitive. Pause temporary in order to do something else. “I was watching a film, but I stopped to go for a walk“.
Go on + -ing form. Continue an activity without stopping. “He was so fascinated by the book that he went on reading it for hours“.
Go on + infinitive. Do something after completing something else. “When she finished high school, she went on to study Law“.
Mean + -ing form. Result in something, involve. “Pursuing a university degree means studying long hours“.
Mean + infinitive. Intent to do something. “I meant to tell you about it, but I forgot“.
Need + -ing form. Used when something has to be done. “The house needs painting, but we cannot afford it at the moment“.
Need + infinitive. Be necessary. “You need to start thinking about your career“.
Prefer + -ing form. Used for general preference. “I prefer playing tennis to swimming”.
Prefer + infinitive. Used for specific preference. “I prefer to watch the film tonight rather than tomorrow“.
