Complete each sentence using only one word our neighbours apologize

ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE

62. Verb + preposition + -ing (succeed in –ing/
accuse somebody of –ing etc.)

EXERCISES

ANSWER
KEY

Many verbs have the structure verb + preposition (in/for/about etc.) + object. For example:
verb + preposition + object
We talked about the problem.
You must apologize for what you said.

If the object is another verb, it ends in ~ing:
verb + preposition + ~ing (object)
We talked going to America.
She apologized for not telling the truth.

Here are some more verbs with this structure:
succeed (in)
Have you succeeded in finding a job yet?
insist (on)
They insisted on paying for the meal.
think (of)
I’m thinking of buying a house.
dream (of)
I wouldn’t dream of asking them for money.
approve(of)
She doesn’t approve of gambling.
decide (against)
We have decided against moving to London.
feel (like)
Do you feel like going out tonight?
look forward (to)
I’m looking forward to meeting her.

We say ‘apologize to somebody for…’:
* She apologized to me for not telling the truth. (not ‘she apologized me’)

With some of the verbs in A, you can use the structure verb + preposition + somebody + ~ing:
She doesn’t approve of me gambling.
We are all looking forward to Liz coming home.

The following verbs can have the structure verb + object + preposition + ~ing:
congratulate (on)
I congratulated Ann on passing the exam.
accuse (of)
They accused me of telling lies.
suspect (of)
Nobody suspected the man of being a spy.
prevent (from)
What prevented him from coming to see us?
stop (from)
The police stopped everyone from leaving the building.
thank (for)
I forgot to thank them for helping me.
forgive (for)
Please forgive me for not writing to you.
warn (against)
They warned us against buying the car.

You can also say ‘stop somebody doing’ (without from). So you can say:
* You can’t stop me doing what I want. or … stop me from doing what I want.

Some of these verbs are often used in the passive. For example:
* I was accused of telling lies.
* The man was suspected of being a spy.
* We were warned against buying the car.

EXERCISES
61.1 Complete each sentence using only one word.
1. Our neighbours apologized for _making_ so much noise.
2. I feel lazy. I don’t feel like — any work.
3. I wanted to go out alone but Joe insisted on — with me.
4. I’m fed up with my job. I’m thinking of — something else.
5. We have decided against — a new car because we can’t really afford it.
6. I hope you write to me soon. I’m looking forward to — from you.
7. The weather was extremely bad and this prevented us from — out.
8. The man who has been arrested is suspected of — a false passport.
9. I think you should apologize to Sue for — so rude to her.
10. Some parents don’t approve of their children — a lot of television.
11. I’m sorry I can’t come to your party but thank you very much for — me.

61.2 Complete the sentences using a preposition + one of the following verbs (in the correct form): cause escape go help interrupt live play solve spend walk
1. Do you feel _like going_ out this evening?
2. It took us a long time but we finally succeeded — the problem.
3. I’ve always dreamed — in a small house by the sea.
4. The driver of the other car accused me — the accident.
5. There was a fence around the lawn to stop people — on the grass.
6. Forgive me — you but may I ask you something?
7. Where are you thinking — your holiday this year?
8. The guards weren’t able to prevent the prisoner —
9. I wanted to cook the meal by myself but Dave insisted — me.
10. I’m sorry we’ve had to cancel our game of tennis tomorrow. I was really looking for-ward —.

61.3 Complete the sentences on the right.
1. It was nice of you to help me. Thanks very much.
George thanked _me for helping him.
2. I’ll drive you to the station. I insister.
TOM insisted —
3. Congratulations!
Jim congratulated me —
4. It was nice of you to come to see me. Thank you.
Mrs Bond thanked —
5. Dont stay at the hotel near the airport.
I warned —
6. I’m sorry I didn’t phone you earlier.
Mary apologized —
7. You’re selfish.
Jane accused —

61.1

2 doing

3 coming/going

4 doing/trying

5 buying

6 hearing

7 going

8 having

9 being

10 watching

11 inviting/asking

61.2

2 in solving

3 of living

4 of causing

5 (from) walking

6 for interrupting

7 of spending

8 from escaping

9 on helping

10 to playing

61.3

2 Tom insisted on driving Ann to the station.

3 Jim congratulated me on getting married.

4 Mrs Bond thanked Sue for coming to see her.

5 I warned Jack against staying at the hotel near the airport.

6 Mary apologised to me for not phoning (me) earlier.

7 Jane accused me of being selfish.

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last to arrive.
3 Fiona passed the exam. All the other students failed. (the only) Fiona
was the only one to pass (the exam).
4 I complained to the restaurant manager about the service. Another
customer had already complained before me. (the second) I was
the second customer to complain.
5 Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon in 1969. Nobody had done this before him. (the first) Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the
Moon.

3 Complete the sentences with a suitable word. Use one word each time.

1 I ran ten kilometers without stopping.
2 He left the hotel without paying/settling his bill.
3 It´s a nice morning. How about going for a walk?
4 I was surprised that she left without saying goodbye to anyone.
5 Before going to bed I like to have a hot drink. (‘go’ is also possible but only
with the subject, ie. ‘Before I go’)
6 We were able to translate the letter into English without using a dictionary.
7 It was a very long journey. I was very tired after being/travelling/sitting on a
train for 36 hours.
8 I was annoyed because the decision was made without anybody
asking/consulting/informing/telling me.
9 After doing the same job for ten years, I felt I needed a change.

4 Complete each sentence using only one word.

1 Our neighbours apologised for making so much noise.
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 trying/getting/doing 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.
The man who has been arrested is suspected of having/holding/bearing/carrying a false passport.
I think you should apologise to Sue for being so rude to her.
Some parents don´t approve of their children watching/seeing a lot of television.
I´m sorry I can´t come to your party but thank you very much for inviting/asking me.

5 Put in a suitable verb in the correct form, infinitive or -ing form. Sometimes either form is possible.
It´s nice to be with other people but sometimes I enjoy being alone.
I´m not quite ready yet. Do you mind waiting a little longer?
When I was a child, I hated to go/going to bed early.
I don´t enjoy writing letters. I can never think what to write.
I need a new job. I can´t stand being/to be here any more.
I would love to come to your wedding but I am afraid it isn´t possible.
Would you like to sit down? — No, thanks. I´ll stand.
Have you got a moment? I´d like to talk to you about something.

6 Complete the sentences for each situation.

1 Shall we get married? — Yes, let´s. They decided to get married.
2 Please help me. — OK. She agreed to help him.
3 Can I carry your bag for you? — No, thanks. I can manage.
He offered to carry her bag for her/to carry the bag.
4 Let´s meet at 8 o´clock. — OK, fine. They arranged to meet at 8 o’clock.
5 What´s your name? — I´m not going to tell you. She refused to tell him her
name.

7 Put the verb in the correct form, infinitive or -ing form.

1 When I´m tired I enjoy (watch) watching television. It´s relaxing.
2 It was a nice day. We decided (go) to go for a walk.
3 It´s a nice day. Does anyone fancy (go) going for a walk?
4 I´m not in a hurry. I don´t mind (wait) waiting.
5 They don´t have much money. They can´t afford (go) to go out very
often.
6 I wish that dog would stop (bark) barking. It´s driving me mad.
7 Our neighbour threatened (call) to call the police if we didn´t stop the noise.
8 We were hungry, so I suggested (have) having dinner early.
9 Hurry up! I don´t want to risk (miss) missing the train.
10 I´m still looking for a job but I hope (find) to find something soon.

8 Complete each sentence with a suitable verb.

1 Don´t forget to post/to send the letter I gave you.
2 There was a lot of traffic but we managed to get to the airport
in time.
3 Jill has decided not to buy a car.
4 We´ve got a new computer in our office. I haven´t learnt
(how) to use it yet.
5 I wonder where Sue is. She promised not to be/ to arrive/to come late.
6 We were all afraid to speak. Nobody dared to say anything.

Articles
1 Insert a or an if necessary.
He broke a leg in a skiing accident. It´s still in X plaster.
I want an assistant with a/– knowledge of French and – experience of –/an office routine.
I see that your house is built of X wood. Are you insured against X fire.
The escaping prisoner camped in a wood but he didn´t light a fire because X smoke rising from the wood might attract X attention.
I had an amazing experience last night. I saw a dinosaur eating a meat pie in a London park.
You mean you had a nightmare. Anyway, dinosaurs didn´t eat – meat.
I´ll pay you a hundred a week. It´s not an enormous salary but after all you are a completely unskilled man.
If you kept a graph you could see at a glance whether you were making a/– profit or a/– loss.
– little (hardly anything) is known about the effect of this drug, yet a chemist will sell it to you without a prescription.
I have a little money left, let´s have dinner in a restaurant.
Would it be a/– trouble to you to buy me a newspaper on your way home?
– man is a reasoning animal.

2 Insert the if necessary.
The youngest boy has just started going to – school, the eldest boy is at – college.
She lives on the top floor of an old house.When the wind blows, all the windows rattle.
– darkness doesn´t worry – cats, – cats can see in the dark.
My little boys say that they want to be – spacemen, but most of them will probably end up in – less dramatic jobs.
Do you know the time? — Yes, the clock in the hall just struck nine. — Then it is – time to go.
He was sent to – prison for – six months for – shop-lifting. When the six months are over he´ll be released, the difficulty then will be to find – work. — Do you go to the prison to visit him?
I went to the school to talk to the headmistress. I persuaded her to let Ann give up – gymnastics and take – ballet lessons instead. – ballet isn´t much use for – girls, it is much better to be able to play the piano.
I am on – night duty. When you go to – bed, I go to – work.
Peter´s at the office but you could get him on the phone. There´s a telephone box just round the corner.

3 Insert a, an or the if necessary.
There was a knock on the door. I opened it and found a small dark man in a blue overcoat and a woollen cap. He said he was an employee of the gas company and had come to read the meter. But I had a suspicion that he wasn´t speaking the truth because – meter readers usually wear – peaked caps. However, I took him to the meter, which is in a dark corner under the stairs (– meters are usually in – dark corners under – stairs). I asked if he had a torch, he said he disliked torches and always read – meters by the light of a match. I remarked that if there was a leak in a/the gaspipe there might be an explosion while he was reading the meter. He said, ‘As a matter of – fact, there was an explosion in the last house I visited, and Mr Smith, the owner of the house, was burnt in the face.’ ‘Mr Smith was holding a lighted match at the time of the explosion.’ To prevent a possible repetition of this accident, I lent him a torch.

Subject – verb agreement

1. Put is or are into each space.
1 My hair is much too long for summer.
2 Where are my new yellow trousers?
3 What is the news from Florence?
4 The wages here are very high.
5 That advice is very useful; thanks very much.
6 He says that maths is his favourite subject.
7 My new shorts are much too tight; I must have put on weight.
8 The money you wanted is on the table by the front door.
9 My clothes are all still in the washing machine!
10 Where are the scissors I lent you last week?
11 The luggage is out in the hall waiting to be brought in.
12 I think the customs is on the other side of the airport.
13 The information he gives us is always useful.
14 All my life savings are hidden in my mattress.
15 The goods you ordered are still in the warehouse.

2. Choose the correct answer in parentheses
1. The extent of Jane’s knowledge on various complex subjects (astounds/astound) me.
2. The subjects you will be studying in this course (is/are) listed in the syllabus.
3. Massachusetts and Connecticut (is/are) located in New England.
4. Why (was/were) Susan and Alex late for the meeting?
5. (Is/Are) having the responsibility for taking care of pets good for young children?
6. A lot of clothing in those stores (is/are) on sale this week.
7. Each of the boys in the class (has/have) his own notebook.
8. Every one of the students (is/are) required to take the final test.
9. There (isn’t/aren’t) any letters for you today.
10. There (isn’t/aren’t) any mail for you today.
11. Why (isn’t/aren’t) there a hospital close to those villages?
12. Physics (seek/seeks) to understand the mysteries of the physical world.
13. The English (is/are) proud, independent people.
14. English (is/are) not my native language.
15. Portuguese (is/are) somewhat similar to Spanish, (isn’t/aren’t) it?
16. Twenty dollars (is/are) an unreasonable price for the necklace.

Passive

1. Put the verb into the most suitable passive form.
1 There’s somebody behind us. I think we are being followed (follow).
2 A mystery is something that can´t be explained (can’t/explain).
3 We didn’t play football yesterday. The match was cancelled (cancel).
4 The television has been repaired/was repaired (repair). It’s working again
now.
5 The church tower is being restored (restore). The work is almost finished.
6 ‘How old is the tower?’ ‘It is believed (believe) to be over 600 years old.’
7 If I didn’t do my job properly, I would be sacked (would/sack).
8 A: I left some papers on the desk last night and I can’t find them now.
B: They might have been thrown (might/throw) away.
9 I learnt to swim when I was very young. I was taught (teach) by my mother.
10 After being arrested (arrest), I was taken to the police station.
11 ‘Have you ever been arrested (you/ever/arrest)?’ ‘No, never.’
12 Two people are reported to have been injured in an explosion at a factory
in Birmingham early this morning.

2. Put the verb into the correct form, active or passive.
1 This house is quite old. It was built (build) over 100 years ago.
2 My grandfather was a builder. He built (build) this house many years ago.
3 ‘Is your car still for sale?’ ‘No, I have sold (sell) it.’
4 ‘Is the house at the end of the street still for sale?’ ‘No, it was sold/has been
sold (sell).’
5 Sometimes mistakes are made/will be made (make). It’s inevitable.
6 I wouldn’t leave your car unlocked. It might be stolen (might/steal).
7 My bag has disappeared. It must have been stolen (must/steal).
8 I can’t find my hat. Somebody must have taken (must/take) it by mistake.
9 It’s a serious problem. I don’t know how it can be solved (can/solve).
10 We didn’t leave early enough. We should have left (should/leave) earlier.
11 Every time I travel by plane, my flight is delayed (delay).
12 A new bridge is being built (build) across the river. Work started last year
and the bridge is expected (expect) to open next year.

3. Read these newspaper reports and put the verbs into the most suitable form.
CASTLE FIRE
Winton Castle was damaged (damage) in a fire last night. The fire, which (2) was discovered (discover) at about 9 o’clock, spread very quickly. Nobody (3) was injured (injure) but two people had to (4) be rescued (rescue) from an upstairs room. A number of paintings (5) are believed to have been detroyed/were believed to be destroyed (believe/destroy). It (6) is not known (not/know) how the fire started.
ROAD DELAYS
Repair work started yesterday on the Paxham-Longworth road. The road (1) is being resurfaced (resurface) and there will be long delays. Drivers (2) are asked/have been asked/are being asked (ask) to use an alternative route if possible. The work (3) is expected (expect) to last two weeks. Next Sunday the road (4) will be closed (close) and traffic (5) will be diverted (divert).
SHOP ROBBERY
In Paxham yesterday a shop assistant (1) was forced (force) to hand over Ł500 after (2) being threatened (threaten) by a man with a knife. The man escaped in a car which (3) was stolen/had been stolen (steal) earlier in the day. The car (4) was later found (later/find) in a car park where it (5) had been abandoned (abandon) by the thief. A man (6) has been arrested (arrest) in connection with the robbery and (7) is still being questioned (still/question) by the police.
ACCIDENT
A woman (1) was taken (take) to hospital after her car collided with a lorry near Norstock yesterday. She (2) was allowed (allow) home later after treatment. The road (3) was blocked (block) for an hour after the accident and traffic had to (4) be diverted (divert). A police inspector said afterwards: ‘The woman was lucky. She could (5) have been killed (kill).’

Verb + preposition
1 Fill the gaps in the sentences below with a suitable preposition from this list: about for in of from with on
1 Everyone admires him for his wisdom and common sense.
2 I agree with you that it was an awful programme.
3 Dick apologised for not sending us a thank-you letter.
4 I don’t approve of their bad behaviour.
5 We all started to argue with him about his political ideas.
6 I believe in government support for the movie industry.
7 Everyone can benefit from a better road system.
8 You can’t blame me for your own mistakes.
9 Peter’s always boasting about his own achievements.
10 Would you like to borrow a pen from me?
11 Max is capable of doing much better work than this.
12 We would like to congratulate you on getting engaged.
13 Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen.
14 There is no simple cure for hayfever.
15 The salesman tried to convince me of the advantages of buying the car.

2 Fill the gaps in these sentences with suitable prepositions.
1 Eric quarrelled with Louise about the preparations for the party. I couldn’t go because I was suffering from flu. But I thanked them for inviting me.
2 Sarah reminds me of Julia Roberts, but they aren’t related to each other!
3 You can never rely on Jim to provide you with useful information. And I’m tired of waiting for him to make up his mind when he has to make a decision.
4 The store detective suspected the man of stealing the goods from the shop, but the receipt proved that they had been paid for.
5 I’ve got plenty of sandwiches. Would you like to share them with me?
6 On behalf of the students and staff, I’d like to welcome you to our school.
7 You can only succeed in an exam if you revise carefully for it.
8 Helen worked for ACME pie, where she was responsible for dealing with complaints from customers. But the work was so unrewarding that she has just resigned from the job.

3 Put in a preposition where necessary. If the sentence is already complete, leave an empty space (-).
1 She works quite hard. You can’t accuse her of being lazy.
2 Who’s going to look after your children while you’re at work?
3 The problem is becoming serious. We have to discuss – it.
4 The problem is becoming serious. We have to do something about it.
5 I prefer this chair to the other one. It’s more comfortable.
6 I must phone — the office to tell them I won’t be at work today.
7 The river divides the city into two parts.
8 ‘What do you think of/about the new manager?’ ‘She’s all right, I suppose.’
9 Can somebody please explain to me what I have to do?
10 ‘Do you like staying at hotels?’ ‘It depends on the hotel.’
11 ‘Have you ever been to Boria?’ ‘No, I’ve never heard of it. Where is it?’
12 You remind me of somebody I knew a long time ago. You look just like her.
13 What’s funny? What are you laughing at?
14 What have you done with all the money you had? What did you spend it on?
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