GERUND AFTER SET EXPRESSIONS

GERUND AFTER SET EXPRESSIONS

Truth is everybody is going to hurt you: you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.


The gerund after some expressions

The gerund is necessary after the expressions can't help, can't stand, to be worth, & it's no use, there's no point (in)

• It's no use crying over spilt milk / worrying about it./ trying to escape.
• Don't worry about it. It's no use.
• I can't help thinking that you are hiding something. (only in the negative: I have to think that you are hiding something.)
• It's no good trying.
• Legislation is no good unless it's enforced.
• It would be worth giving it a try.
• This film is worth seeing. It has educational value for children.
• There's no point in arguing. / in buying a car if you don't want to drive it.
• I can't stand being stuck in traffic jams.
• She couldn't help falling in love with him.

1. I had problems starting the car this morning.
2. You will have no problem finding a job.
3. We all had a good time dancing last night.
4. She is having a hard/difficult time adapting to her new circumstances.
5. Mike was so tired that he had difficulty staying awake.
6. I had no difficulty passing the exam.
7. The children have a lot of fun playing together.

 

have (some) problems	He had some problems reading without his glasses.
have a difficult time	She had a difficult time hiking up the mountain.
have a good time	They had a good time snorkeling.
have a hard time	She had a hard time explaining the situation.
have a problem	Debbie had a problem understanding his accent.
have an easy time	She had an easy time selling the delicious cookies.
have difficulty	Wanda had difficulty translating the letter by herself.
have fun	The had fun skiing.
have no difficulty	They had no difficulty finding a discount flight to London.
have no problem	Francis had no problem getting from the airport to the hotel.
spend one's time	He always spends his time working out at the gym.
waste one's time	She always wastes her time playing video games.

It's a waste of time giving him advice. He never wants to listen.
I spent 2 weeks trying to persuade him to go back to his wife.
It's no good being too easily swayed by people's opinions. You have to believe in yourself.
It's no good trying to keep up old friendships. It's painful for both sides. The fact is, one grows out of people, and the only thing is to face it.It's no good saying I wished I could go out more, because I can't. But I don't bother about it too much.It's no good singing if you just want to be a pop star; you've got to work at it and do it for the love for it, not because you think it will make you famous.

It's no good having a Programme unless it is supported by controls and records.
 

Ironic: I can't help but laugh when other people laugh! * I can’t help but laugh when someone is giving me directions and tells me to ‘go straight.’ *  I can't help but feel bad for BC. The two are pretty much identical in meaning but I would say that there are slight nuances between them.

"I can't help but..."

Means something like:

I can't stop myself

Whereas,

"I can't help..."

Is closer to:

I do it without realising

You can but try (encouraging the person addressed to attempt a task whose outcome is uncertain).

The house seemed so empty without him. And I thought about the life we'd been building together for all that time. I realized I was on the brink of losing it all. It just scared me into reality.