Before leaving, instead of driving

  • B1 · Intermediate
  • Grammar lesson
  • 60 min
  • preposition + -ing

A preposition + -ing with before, after, instead of, without and by: Before going to bed, put your phone away. Instead of scrolling, read a book. From six habits for better sleep to a role-play where you coach someone out of a bad habit.

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before leavinginstead of drivingwithout thinking

What's in the lesson

  1. 1Warm-up
  2. 2In this lesson
  3. 3Reading: six habits for better sleepReading comprehension
  4. 4What does it mean?Grammar exercise
  5. 5Find a preposition + -ingGrammar exercise
  6. 6A preposition + -ingGrammar rule
  7. 7Which word?Grammar exercise
  8. 8Race dayGrammar exercise
  9. 9Find the mistakeGrammar exercise
  10. 10Questions for your teacherGrammar exercise
  11. 11Say it naturallySpeaking practice
  12. 12The habit coachSpeaking practice
  13. 13About youGrammar exercise
  14. 14Wrap-up

Homework

  1. 1Homework: smart grocery shoppingGrammar exercise
  2. 2Homework: which is right?Grammar exercise
  3. 3Homework: build the sentencesGrammar exercise
  4. 4Homework: tips for a friendDiscussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

A few questions about you before we start.

  1. How many hours do you usually sleep on a work night?
  2. Do you feel more awake early in the morning or late at night?
  3. What do you do when you can't sleep?

Grammar rule

A preposition + -ing

before, after, instead of, without, by + -ing

MeaningExample
before + -ingearlier thanWash your hands before cooking.
after + -inglater thanAfter finishing school, she moved to Spokane.
instead of + -ingnot this, but something elseWe walked instead of waiting for the bus.
without + -ingthe action doesn't happenHe answered without thinking.
by + -inghow: the way to do somethingYou can learn a lot by asking questions.

How it works

  • After a preposition, a verb takes -ing, never to and never the base verb: before go → before going · instead of to drive → instead of driving.
  • The person who does the -ing is the subject of the sentence: After eating lunch, my dad takes a walk. (My dad eats, and my dad walks.)
  • The -ing verb keeps its object and other words: before going to bed · by closing the curtains.

Watch out

  • before and after can also take a subject + verb, with the same meaning: before you go to bed = before going to bed.
  • instead of, without and by can't: instead of I drive → instead of driving · without I say → without saying.
  • No to after before, after or without: before to leave → before leaving.
This lesson: before, after, instead of, without and by. Words like good at and interested in + -ing come in the next unit.

Teach it live with video and a whiteboard, or print it: the PDF has every slide, the homework and the answers.

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