[Grammar] gerunds after prepositions?

[huacheetah]

Here, I read that verbs that directly follow prepositions must always be used conjugated as the gerund. I can barely find anything on the web that mentions this rule, besides the link I provided.

This rule seems to be true almost all of the time. So I had my student come up with some sentences that showed this. For example,

He generally showers after playing tennis.
I'm looking forward to having dinner with the Smiths.
He's daydreaming about skiing in the Andes.

But then he said:

I have to writing a report.
This I know isn't grammatically correct.
It should be: "I have to write a report."

So is the rule I found only good most of the time? Is it an actual rule, or did someone just make it up and post it on their English club page? Or is "to" not a preposition in "I have to...".

Please, can anyone shed some light on my doubts?
Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Mae

[engee30]

Originally Posted by huacheetah

Here, I read that verbs that follow prepositions must always be used as conjugated. I can barely find anything on the web that mentions this rule, besides the link I provided.

This rule seems to be true almost all of the time. So I had my student come up with some sentences that showed this. For example,

He generally showers after playing tennis.
I'm looking forward to having dinner with the Smiths.
He's daydreaming about skiing in the Andes.

But then he said:

I have to writing a report.
This I know isn't grammatically correct.
It should be: "I have to write a report."

So is the rule I found only good most of the time? Is it an actual rule, or did someone just make it up and post it on their English club page? Or is "to" not a preposition in "I have to...". Spot-on This is the to-infinitive, not a preposition.

Please, can anyone shed some light on my doubts?
Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Mae

[tareq10]

Hi, Huacheetah!
So, according to what I've just read in the website you provided, it would be incorrect if I said: I wil call you after you get back home.

Actually, I've heared of that many times.

I will call you after arriving at the office.

But How are we going to explain the sentence if we want to mean:

After I arrive at the office or after you arrive at the office.

So we must need to say:
I will call you after I arrive at the office. or if it were, I will call you after my /your arriving at the office. BUT SOUNDS strageor eaven wrong.

[huacheetah]

Thanks for replying so quickly. So, engee30, the rule is correct then? In English, we only use gerunds after prepositions?

tareq10:

So, according to what I've just read in the website you provided, it would be incorrect if I said: I will call you after you get back home.

No that would not be incorrect, because the verb doesn't follow the preposition directly. The verb follows a pronoun which follows the preposition. No problems here.

[engee30]

Originally Posted by huacheetah

[...] In English, we only use gerunds after prepositions?

Well, I'd rather not say that we only use gerunds after prepositions (this is too ambiguous). I'd say we use gerunds after prepositions, where a verb would follow a particular preposition.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by tareq10

Hi, Huacheetah!
So, according to what I've just read in the website you provided, it would be incorrect if I said: I wil call you after you get back home.

Actually, I've heared of that many times.

I will call you after arriving at the office.

But How are we going to explain the sentence if we want to mean:

After I arrive at the office Yes. or after you arrive at the office. No.

I can see where you might think this is ambiguous. But it isn't - its meaning is your first interpretation.

So we must need to say:
I will call you after I arrive at the office. That's also fine. I think it sounds better, too. Even better, to my ears: "...when I get to the office."

or if it were, I will call you after my /your arriving at the office. BUT SOUNDS strageor eaven wrong. You're right - it's strange and wrong!

So:

I will call you after arriving. = I will call after I arrive. = I will call after my arrival. = I'll call when I get there.

[tareq10]

Originally Posted by Charlie Bernstein

So:

I will call you after arriving. = I will call after I arrive. = I will call after my arrival. = I'll call when I get there.

This what I've been looking for so long.

Thank you Charlie Bernstein!

T

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