In Gerunds^x, Prepositions^x

First, let's take a look at the phrase 'look forward to'. 'to' is not an infinitive in this case, rather, it's a preposition. Second, what follows a preposition? Hm...the answer is noun. "I am looking forward to our meeting." (OK, 'our meeting' is a noun phrase.) "I am looking forward to...

Hi, 'to' functions as a preposition here. So you have to use -ing form after a preposition. I am looking forward to meeting you . (Gerund) I am looking forard to our meeting . (Noun)

1. An archeologist must be an expert in (…on, at?) finding old tiles. Thanks for help!

Now I'm swamped with this I think... I have a problem with your sentence "I can't stand his drinking beer." because I cannot really analyze what "his" is referring to. "his" as you said is a possessive pronoun, therefore requires a word, usually a noun or an equal phrase that it would refer...

Aileen -- many thanks for your comments, and for providing the site for the Cambridge Grammar book. I'm on the third chapter and have have found it fascinating so far. Miriam -- here's another example I'd like you to take a look at. Consider this sentence: I can't stand his drinking...

Both are correct. In the first, the noun "study" is the object of the preposition "of". In the second, the object of the preposition is the gerund "studying". A gerund is a present participle that acts like a noun. As for which sounds better -- and here I am giving you my personal...

Hello, mona The real grammarians out there must be busy trying to think of more rules to make our lives miserable. ~laughs~ I don't think I can help you with all of it, but I'll do what I can. and I hope I've understood your question, to begin with. 1. The four prepositions can take a...

Malory, You'd asked which of the following is correct: 1. My math teacher objects to me yelling out answers before I have been called on. 2. My math teacher objects to my yelling out answers before I have been called on. I wasn't sure, so I asked my aunt, who is a real editor. She...

Miriam, I agree with you: "completing a large project in small sections" is a gerund phrase which is the object of the preposition "for". The entire phrase "for completing a large project in small sections" is a prepositional phrase that acts as an adjective modifying "technique". DA.

I thought I'd add a few more comments about how to spot gerunds. A gerund (or gerund phrase) is often the object of a preposition. For example: Tom is good at writing English. In the above sentence, "writing" is a gerund and "English" is its object. The gerund phrase "writing English" is...