Verb + Verb+ING (Gerund) Practice Tests with A2 Grammar Rules & Examples

Verb + Verb+ING (Gerund)

In English, some verbs are always followed by another verb. When this happens, the second verb often ends in -ing. This -ing form is called a gerund.

A gerund is simply a verb with -ing added to the end. It looks like a verb, but it works like a noun (a thing or idea). Do not worry too much about the word "gerund" — the important thing is to learn which verbs are followed by it and how to use it.

Let's look at a simple example first:

Tom loves playing football. He enjoys watching films at the weekend. He doesn't mind doing homework.

In every sentence above, the first verb (loves, enjoys, doesn't mind) is followed by a second verb with -ing (playing, watching, doing). This is the verb + verb+ing pattern.

In this lesson, you will learn:

• What a gerund is
• Which common verbs are followed by a gerund
• How to make positive, negative, and question sentences
• Common mistakes to avoid

What Is a Gerund?

A gerund is a verb + ing. It is very easy to make:

play → playing
swim → swimming
read → reading
cook → cooking
dance → dancing

Notice: If the verb ends in -e, we remove the -e before adding -ing:

dance → danc + ing = dancing
write → writ + ing = writing
make → mak + ing = making

Notice: If a short verb ends in one vowel + one consonant, we double the last consonant:

swim → swimming
run → running
sit → sitting

Common Verbs Followed by a Gerund

Here are the most important verbs at A2 level that are always followed by a gerund (verb + -ing). You need to learn these verbs by heart.

Verb	Meaning	Example
enjoy	to like doing something	I enjoy reading books.
love	to like very much	She loves dancing.
like	to find pleasant	We like swimming in the sea.
hate	to dislike very much	He hates getting up early.
don't mind	something is OK / not a problem	I don't mind waiting.
finish	to complete something	She finished doing her homework.
start	to begin something	It started raining.
keep	to continue doing something	He kept talking in class.
stop	to finish / not continue	Please stop making noise.
prefer	to like one thing more than another	I prefer staying at home.
recommend	to suggest something is good	She recommends trying the soup.
miss	to feel sad something is not there	I miss seeing my friends.

The Basic Rule: Verb + Verb+ING

The pattern is simple:

Subject + Verb 1 + Verb 2 + ing

Let's look at some examples with different subjects:

Subject	Verb 1	Verb 2 + ing	Full Sentence
I	enjoy	cooking	I enjoy cooking at home.
You	love	playing	You love playing video games.
He	hates	waking up	He hates waking up early.
She	likes	reading	She likes reading magazines.
We	prefer	walking	We prefer walking to the park.
They	keep	talking	They keep talking in the cinema.

Positive Sentences

Making a positive sentence with verb + gerund is easy. Just put the gerund directly after the first verb. Do not add to between the two verbs.

I enjoy cooking.
She loves singing.
They like watching films.
He keeps forgetting his keys.
We finished eating dinner.

Negative Sentences

To make a negative sentence, add not / don't / doesn't / didn't before the first verb. The gerund stays the same.

Pattern: Subject + do/does + not + Verb 1 + Verb 2+ing

I don't enjoy cooking.
She doesn't like getting up early.
They didn't stop talking.
He doesn't mind waiting.

Notice: don't mind is already a negative phrase. It means "it is OK for me." For example:

"Do you want to wait?" — "I don't mind waiting." (= It is OK. No problem.)

Question Sentences

To make a question, put do / does / did at the beginning. The gerund stays the same.

Pattern: Do/Does + Subject + Verb 1 + Verb 2+ing?

Do you enjoy cooking?
Does she like swimming?
Did they finish eating?
Do you mind waiting?

You can also use question words like What, Where, Why, When:

What do you enjoy doing at the weekend?
Where does she like going on holiday?
Why do you keep making that noise?

Short Answers

When someone asks you a question with verb + gerund, you can give a short answer:

Question	Short Answer (Yes)	Short Answer (No)
Do you enjoy cooking?	Yes, I do.	No, I don't.
Does he like swimming?	Yes, he does.	No, he doesn't.
Did they finish eating?	Yes, they did.	No, they didn't.

Adding More Information

You can add extra information after the gerund to make your sentence more interesting and natural:

I enjoy cooking Italian food.
She loves reading mystery novels.
He hates waiting for the bus in the rain.
We like going to the beach in summer.
They prefer staying at home at the weekend.

Important Differences and Special Cases

Like + Gerund vs. Would Like + Infinitive

Be careful! There is a difference between like + gerund and would like + infinitive (to + verb).

like + -ing = a general habit or thing you enjoy
would like + to + verb = a specific wish right now

Sentence	Meaning
I like swimming.	Swimming is one of my hobbies. I always enjoy it.
I would like to swim.	Right now, at this moment, I want to swim.
She likes cooking.	She enjoys cooking in general.
She would like to cook tonight.	She wants to cook tonight specifically.

Stop + Gerund vs. Stop + To + Verb

The verb stop can be followed by a gerund or by to + verb, but the meaning is very different.

stop + -ing = finish an activity, do not continue it
stop + to + verb = stop what you are doing in order to do something new

He stopped smoking. = He does not smoke any more.
He stopped to smoke. = He stopped walking (or something else) so that he could smoke.

At A2 level, just remember that after stop as a main activity verb, we use the gerund: Please stop making noise.

Start and Begin

The verbs start and begin can be followed by either a gerund or to + verb. Both are correct and the meaning is the same.

It started raining. = It started to rain. ✅
She began singing. = She began to sing. ✅

Both forms are correct. Do not worry too much about this — just remember that after start and begin, you can safely use the gerund.

Common Mistakes

Here are the most common mistakes that students make with verb + gerund. Avoid these!

❌ I enjoy to cook at home.
✅ I enjoy cooking at home. (After "enjoy," always use -ing, never "to + verb.")

❌ She loves to dance every night. (This is possible but less natural)
✅ She loves dancing every night. (Use -ing for general habits and enjoyment.)

❌ He finished to do his homework.
✅ He finished doing his homework. (After "finish," always use -ing.)

❌ They kept to talk during the film.
✅ They kept talking during the film. (After "keep," always use -ing.)

❌ I don't mind to wait for you.
✅ I don't mind waiting for you. (After "mind," always use -ing.)

❌ Do you enjoy cook?
✅ Do you enjoy cooking? (Do not forget the -ing ending.)

❌ She hates get up early.
✅ She hates getting up early. (The second verb must have -ing.)

❌ I miss see my friends.
✅ I miss seeing my friends. (After "miss," always use -ing.)

Verb + Verb+ING (Gerund): Quick Summary

Here is everything you need to remember about verb + verb+ing (gerund):

• A gerund is a verb + -ing. It is used as the second verb in the sentence.
• Some verbs are always followed by a gerund. The most common are: enjoy, love, like, hate, don't mind, finish, keep, stop, prefer, miss, recommend, start.
• The basic pattern is: Subject + Verb 1 + Verb 2+ing.
• For negatives, add don't / doesn't / didn't before Verb 1.
• For questions, use Do / Does / Did at the start.
• Never use to between the two verbs after these verbs. Do not say: I enjoy to cook. Say: I enjoy cooking.
• Remember: like + -ing = general habit; would like + to + verb = specific wish now.

Type	Pattern	Example
Positive	Subject + Verb 1 + Verb 2+ing	I enjoy cooking.
Negative	Subject + don't/doesn't + Verb 1 + Verb 2+ing	I don't enjoy cooking.
Question	Do/Does + Subject + Verb 1 + Verb 2+ing?	Do you enjoy cooking?

Now practise verb + verb+ing (gerund) in the exercises below.