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I had no difficulty in getting the tickets for the concert.
Note:
As is seen from above a prepositional for-object has a shade of causal meaning.
c)
to be ignorant
to be proud
to be sure
of
to be afraid
to be aware
to be conscious
to be capable
to be fond
of
to be responsible for
to be sorry about
to be keen on
I don’t have the TV too loud, because I’m afraid of disturbing the neighbours.
We are all proud of our citizen’s getting the first prize.
Ned will be responsible for arranging the farewell party.
Don’t be sorry about missing the first scene, it was rather dull.
d)
to be accustomed
to be used
to
to be absorbed
to be engrossed
in
to be (dis)pleased with (at)
to be surprised at
to be tired of
I’m not used to being talked to in that rude way.
The teacher was displeased with the boys being noisy.
We were surprised at your leaving the party.
A teacher shouldn’t get tired of explaining things to his pupils.
The gerund as attribute
§ 125. When used as an attribute, the gerund modifies nouns, mainly abstract nouns. It is always preceded by
a preposition, in the vast majority of cases by of, as in the following combinations: the art of teaching, the habit
of speaking, a certain way of walking, a chance of seeing somebody, a hope of getting a ticket, an idea of going
to the cinema, an intention of learning another foreign language, etc.
There is a chance of catching the train.
Professor N spoke about new methods of teaching English to foreign students.
The idea of him being in Paris was not a pleasant one.
Lucy had the impression of being carried upstairs.
Isn’t there any hope of your being able to go with us at all?
In some cases the choice of the preposition depends on the requirements of the modified noun, as in surprise
at, experience in, skill in, apology (excuse) for, objection to.
The boy showed his skill in building model boats.
Imagine his surprise at seeing me.
When a gerund modifies a concrete noun it is preceded by the preposition for and the whole gerundial phrase
as attribute expresses the purpose or destination of the thing mentioned.
The barometer is an instrument for measuring the pressure of the air.
A gerund as attribute may precede the noun it modifies in phrases bordering on a compound noun. A