By the end of this exercise, you can describe a volunteering project you would like to join — what you enjoy doing and what you are good at — using gerunds after verbs and prepositions.
Free Year 8 English practice: young volunteers in the national parks of the American West — practise gerunds after verbs and prepositions at A2 level.
Read the text about young volunteers in the West. Choose the correct word for each gap.
Every summer, teenagers from all over the USA travel west to work as 1 in the national parks. They do not get any 2 for their work, but they get free food and a place to sleep.
In Alaska, one group helps to clean the 3 after big storms. Another group builds new 4 for walkers in the mountains.
The young people enjoy working outside, and they also learn a lot about 5 and how to protect it.
In the evening they sit around a 6 and talk about their day. Many say it is hard 7, but they never forget the 8.
After these verbs we use the gerund (verb + -ing): enjoy, finish, mind, suggest, avoid, practise, keep, give up.
1. I enjoy in the mountains before breakfast.
2. She finished the tent at six o'clock.
3. Do you mind the dishes tonight?
4. Our guide suggested the beach on Saturday.
5. We avoid plastic bottles in the park.
6. The volunteers practise English with the visitors.
7. Keep and we will finish the path today.
8. He gave up television during the trip.
After a preposition (at, in, of, for, before, after, to, without) the verb always takes -ing.
1. She is good at maps.
2. The volunteers are interested in the environment.
3. Instead of the bus, we walked back to the camp.
4. Thank you for us with the tents.
5. Before home, we cleaned the kitchen.
6. After the path, everybody was tired but happy.
7. We look forward to Alaska again next year.
8. He left the camp without goodbye.
Write about a volunteering project you would like to join (6–8 sentences). Say what you enjoy doing, what you are good at, and what you would avoid. Use at least four gerunds.
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