Basics. Prepositions and Gerunds: Afraid of Doing: correct answers
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In English grammar, when a verb directly follows a preposition (such as of, at, or in), it must take the gerund (-ing) form. For example, you would say, "She is afraid of falling," rather than "afraid of fall," and "He is good at listening," instead of "good at listen."
This challenge covers common adjective and preposition combinations followed by gerunds, focusing on phrases like afraid of, good at, and interested in. You will apply these rules to some highly unusual characters, including a superhero terrified of sleeping in the dark, a dog who is afraid of taking a bath, and a friendly ghost who prefers baking cookies over scaring people.
You'll work through 10 questions featuring a fun mix of single-choice, multi-choice, drop-down, and drag-and-drop formats.
Try the quiz to check your knowledge!
Correct answers
Question 1
The correct answers are of taking a bath and of getting wet.
The adjective "afraid" is followed by the preposition "of". Whenever a verb directly follows a preposition, it must be in its gerund (-ing) form (e.g., taking, getting).
Question 2
Complete the ghost academy instructor's report by dragging the correct words into the blanks.
Casper is a terrible ghost because he is afraid of scaring people.
He is much more interested in baking chocolate chip cookies than haunting houses.
Casper is a terrible ghost because he is afraid of scaring people.
The adjective "afraid" is followed by the preposition of. Any verb that comes immediately after a preposition must be a gerund (the -ing form).
He is much more interested in baking chocolate chip cookies than haunting houses.
The adjective "interested" pairs with the preposition in. Again, the following verb must take the -ing form.
Question 3
The correct answers are Oliver the ghost is afraid of scaring people. and He is frightened of making loud noises.
When expressing fears with "afraid of" or "frightened of", any action that follows must be a gerund (verb + -ing). "Scaring" and "making" correctly follow the preposition "of".
Question 4
Help the vet complete her notes about this very unusual cat by dragging the correct words into the blanks.
Whiskers the cat is completely afraid of getting his paws wet in the rain.
However, he is very good at sleeping on the sofa all day!
Whiskers the cat is completely afraid of getting his paws wet in the rain.
We use the preposition of after the adjective "afraid." When a verb follows a preposition, it must be in the -ing form (gerund).
However, he is very good at sleeping on the sofa all day!
We use the preposition at after the adjective "good." Just like before, the verb that follows the preposition takes the -ing form.
Question 5
The correct answers are Captain Courage is afraid of flying without his cape. and The hero is terrified of facing spiders.
After prepositions like "of" (commonly used with adjectives like afraid, terrified, or scared), we must use the gerund (-ing) form of the verb. We cannot use the base verb ("fly") or mix the infinitive "to" with an -ing verb ("to facing").
Question 6
Help the comic book writer complete the superhero's secret weakness. Choose the correct word to fill in the blank!
Captain Brave can fight aliens and stop speeding trains, but he is actually afraid of _____ in the dark!
The correct answer is sleeping.
After a preposition like "of" (as in the phrase "afraid of"), we must use the gerund form of the verb, which ends in "-ing".
Question 7
The correct answers are sniffing, joining, and barking.
After an adjective + preposition combination (like good at, interested in, or afraid of), any following verb must be in the gerund (-ing) form.
- good at sniffing
- interested in joining
- afraid of barking
Question 8
Complete the spooky (but mostly silly) story about a friendly ghost. Choose the correct word to complete the sentence.
Barnaby is the worst ghost in the entire haunted house because he is afraid of _____ people!
The correct answer is scaring.
Prepositions like "of" are followed by a noun or a gerund (a verb ending in "-ing" that acts like a noun). Therefore, "afraid of scaring" is grammatically correct.
Question 9
The correct answers are scratching, arriving, and wearing.
When a verb comes immediately after a preposition (like of, about, or for), we must use the gerund (-ing) form of the verb.
- afraid of scratching
- worries about arriving
- tired of wearing
Question 10
Finish the pet owner's funny text message to their friend. Select the grammatically correct option.
My dog Buster loves playing in the mud all day, but he is absolutely afraid of _____ a bath.
The correct answer is taking.
When we use the adjective "afraid" followed by the preposition "of", any verb that comes next must be a gerund (the "-ing" form). So, "afraid of taking" is the correct choice!