PRASAL VERBS

 The gerund after phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs are composed of a verb + preposition or adverb.

Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times. Mark Twain

Work ends up dehumanizing people. Pope FrancisI do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end. 

Examples

• When will you give up smoking?
• She always puts off going to the dentist.
• He kept on asking for money.
• Jim ended up buying a new TV after his old one broke.

There are some phrasal verbs that include the word "to" as a preposition for example to look forward to, to take to, to be accustomed to, to get around to, & to be used to. It is important to recognise that the word "to" is a preposition in these cases because it must be followed by a gerund. It is not part of the infinitive form of the verb. You can check whether "to" is a preposition or part of the infinitive. If you can put the pronoun "it" after the word "to" and form a meaningful sentence, then the word "to" is a preposition and must be followed by a gerund.

Examples

• I look forward to hearing from you soon.
• I look forward to it.
• I am used to waiting for buses.
• I am used to it.
• She didn't really take to studying English.
• She didn't really take to it.
• When will you get around to mowing the grass?
• When will you get around to it?

Take to: enjoy, be fond of, admire, favor, like, have a penchant for, fall for, fancy...