ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR B1

Gerunds as Subjects and after Prepositions ESL Lesson Plan (B1, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute B1 lesson on Gerunds as Subjects and after Prepositions, built round the theme "Parents, Teenagers and Rules".

CEFR B1
60 minutes
Teenagers and adults
Grammar
Gerunds and Infinitives
Gerunds as Subjects and after Prepositions

About this lesson

Who it is for. Intermediate students who know the basic verb + -ing / verb + to patterns. They use the infinitive after prepositions (I'm good at swim, interested in learn), start sentences with a base verb (Learn English is important), and say My parents make me to study or They let me to go out.

Everything the lesson needs is on this page: the language analysis, the timed stages with the teacher's own words and instruction-checking questions, the differentiation, the printable handouts and the answer key.

At a glance

Level: CEFR B1 (Intermediate)
Learners: Teenagers and adults
Length: 60 minutes. For 45 minutes, run "Freer practice" once through without the second round and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills: Speaking and writing
Language focus: Grammar: Gerunds as Subjects and after Prepositions; Make, Let and Want Someone to Do
Framework: PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials: Handout 1 (magazine article: teen rules at home), Handout 2 (discovery task), Handout 3 (practice), Handout 4 (discussion questions and "house rules" planner).
Preparation: About 10 minutes: print Handouts 1 to 4, one per learner, and read the language analysis. The answer key is for you, not the class.

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Google Docs · 60 minutes · PPP (presentation, practice, production)

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Aims

Main aim. To help students work out and use gerunds as subjects and after prepositions (good at -ing, instead of -ing, before -ing), it is + adjective + to, and make / let + object + base verb vs want / ask / tell / allow + object + to.

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can discuss family rules, e.g. My parents make me do my homework before watching TV. They let me go out at weekends, but they don't allow me to stay out late. Being the oldest child isn't easy.

Subsidiary aim. To read a magazine article for opinions.
Subsidiary aim. To develop fluency in discussing family rules.

Language analysis

What to know before the lesson: the meaning, form and pronunciation of the target language, and the problems learners usually have with it.

Form

Structure	Pattern	Example
Gerund as subject	verb-ing + verb	Learning a language takes time.
it + be + adjective + to-infinitive (alternative)	it is + adj + to + verb	It's important to sleep well.
Preposition + gerund	adjective / verb / noun + preposition + -ing	I'm good at drawing. Thanks for helping. Before going out, ... Instead of studying, ...
make / let + object + base verb	make / let + sb + verb (no to)	They make me study. They let me go out.
want / ask / tell / allow / expect / help + object + to-infinitive	verb + sb + to + verb	They want me to be a doctor. They don't allow me to stay out late.

Form: notes

help can take both: help me (to) study.
Passive of make: I was made to wait (note to returns) and let → be allowed to.

Meaning and use

make = force; let = give permission; allow is more formal than let.
Gerund subjects are common in general statements; it is ... to is more common in speech.

Pronunciation

Stress the object pronoun when contrasting: They make ME do it, not my brother!
Weak to /tə/ in want me to /wɒnt mi tə/.

Concept-checking questions

My parents make me do my homework. Do I have a choice? (No.) · Is there to after make me? (No.)
They let me go out at weekends. Do they give permission? (Yes.) · What's a more formal verb with the same meaning? (allow me to.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

Problem	Solution
Infinitive after prepositions (good at swim).	Rule: preposition + -ing, always.
Base verb as subject (Learn English is ...).	Board Learning English is ... / It's ... to learn.
make / let + to (make me to study).	Board make / let + sb + verb; cross out to.
let in the passive (I was let to go).	Board I was allowed to go.
to as a preposition (look forward to see)	Preview: look forward to seeing (to = preposition).

Board plan

Left: vocabulary	Centre: patterns	Right: meaning
curfew · pocket money · chores · strict · fair · responsible · independence · trust
Learning a language takes time. = It takes time to learn ... · good at / interested in / before / instead of + -ing · make / let + sb + VERB (no to) · want / ask / tell / allow / expect + sb + TO + verb · I was made to wait. · I was allowed to go. · look forward to + -ing
make = force · let = permission · allow = permission (formal)

Warm-up5 minutes · Pairs, then whole class

Aim: To personalise the topic.

Ask: "What rules do you have at home? Are they fair?"

Pairs list three rules (2 minutes). Take ideas; board one sentence exactly as a student says it.

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Aim: To present the target structures in context and help students work out the rules.

Part A: Reading (6 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Read about three teenagers. Whose parents are the strictest? Three minutes."

Pairs compare. Students answer the four questions. Check as a class.

Part B: Finding the rules (7 minutes)

Give out Handout 2. Say: "Look at the sentences. Answer the questions with your partner."

ICQs: "Alone or with a partner?" (With a partner.)

Monitor. Ask stuck pairs: "What comes after at? After make me?"

Part C: Clarification (7 minutes)

Elicit answers and build the patterns in the centre of the board.

Ask the CCQs from the Language analysis.

Highlight: preposition + -ing; gerund subject vs it is ... to; make / let + base verb; want / allow + to.

Show the passive: I was made to wait. I was allowed to go.

Return to the student's sentence from Stage 1 and check it.

Pronunciation. Drill: They make me study. They let me go out. They want me to be a doctor.

Controlled practice10 minutes · Individual, then pairs, then whole class

Aim: To practise the structures accurately.

Give out Handout 3. Say: "Exercise A: choose the correct form. Exercise B: rewrite the sentences. Seven minutes."

Pairs compare. Check as a class.

Freer practice18 minutes · Groups of four, then pairs, then whole class

Aim: To use the structures fluently in discussion.

Give out Handout 4. Discussion (8 minutes). Groups discuss the questions: What do your parents make you do? What don't they let you do? What are you good at? Is being a teenager easier now than in the past?

ICQs: "Do you answer all the questions?" (As many as possible.)

House rules (7 minutes). Pairs imagine they are parents and write five fair rules for their future teenage children, using make, let, allow, expect and instead of / before + -ing.

Pairs read their rules; the class votes for the fairest set (3 minutes).

Monitor and note errors.

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To give feedback and consolidate.

Board sentences from Stage 4 (correct and incorrect). Students correct the errors.

Ask: "Which verbs don't take to?" (make, let.)

Set the homework.

Homework Write a paragraph (120 words): The rules in my house: fair or unfair? Use at least two gerund subjects, two prepositions + -ing, and make, let and allow.

PPP (presentation, practice, production). Stage times add up to 60 minutes.

Differentiation

Support: Give weaker students the patterns on a card. Provide sentence starters for the discussion.
Stretch: Stronger students use look forward to, be used to, object to + -ing (to as a preposition). They use passive forms: I was made to apologise. We weren't allowed to leave.

Adapting the lesson

For	What to change
A large class (40 or more)	Keep the pairwork in "Freer practice" in fixed pairs rather than a mingle, and take feedback from four or five pairs instead of the whole room. Run "House rules" once, with two pairs reporting, rather than hearing every pair. Monitor one half of the room during "Controlled practice" and the other half during "Freer practice".
A class with no photocopier	Put the exercises from Handout 3: Practice on the board for learners to copy into their notebooks, and read any text aloud twice instead of printing it. The board plan above is this lesson's minimum - with that on the board, it runs on no paper at all.
An online class	Send Handouts 1 to 4 in the chat before the lesson and put the board plan on a shared slide. Use breakout rooms for "House rules" and visit each room once. Have learners type the controlled answers in the chat, so you see every answer at once instead of nominating.
A different age group	With teenagers, shorten the analysis and get to the task sooner. With adults in a work context, keep the forms exactly as they are and swap the lesson's theme for one from their own field.

Checking learning

In the discussion, students use make / let without to and want / allow with to. No infinitives after prepositions in the house rules. 8 out of 10 or better on Handout 3, Exercise A.

Teacher's reflection

Did students stop using to after make / let? Was the topic engaging without being too personal?

Handout 1: Teen Rules at Home

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

"MY PARENTS ARE SO STRICT!" Three teenagers talk about rules at home

Ishara, 15: "My parents make me do my homework before watching TV, which is fair, I suppose. But they don't let me use my phone after 9 pm. Being the only girl in the family isn't easy: my brothers are allowed to do everything!"

Kamal, 16: "My dad wants me to become an engineer, but I'm really interested in designing clothes. Instead of arguing, I'm trying to show him that I'm good at it. My mum lets me use her sewing machine, which helps."

Sanduni, 14: "My parents expect me to help with the cooking every evening. Honestly, I don't mind helping, and cooking is actually fun. They let me go to the cinema with friends at weekends, but I have to be home by 7. It's hard to argue with them, because they're usually right!"

Answer the questions.

What do Ishara's parents make her do? ______________________________
What does Kamal's dad want him to become? ______________________________
What is Kamal good at? ______________________________
What do Sanduni's parents let her do at weekends? ______________________________

Handout 2: Language Focus

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Look at these sentences from the article.

Answer the questions with your partner.

My parents make me do my homework before watching TV.
They don't let me use my phone after 9 pm.
Being the only girl in the family isn't easy.
My dad wants me to become an engineer.
I'm really interested in designing clothes.
Instead of arguing, I'm trying to show him.
My parents expect me to help with the cooking.
It's hard to argue with them.
What form of the verb comes after before, in, instead of? ______________________________
In sentence 3, what is the subject of the sentence? What form is it? ______________________________
Compare sentences 1 and 4. Which verbs have to after the object? Which don't? ______________________________
Which sentence means the parents give permission? ______________________________
Rewrite sentence 8 starting with Arguing. ______________________________

Handout 3: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Choose the correct form.

B. Rewrite the sentences.

My mum makes me tidy / to tidy my room every Saturday.
I'm not very good at cook / cooking.
Swim / Swimming is good exercise.
They don't let us stay / to stay up late.
My teacher wants me join / to join the debate team.
Thanks for help / helping me!
I was made wait / to wait for an hour.
Before leave / leaving, turn off the lights.
Our school doesn't allow us use / to use phones in class.
Instead of watch / watching TV, why don't you read?
It is difficult to learn Chinese. → Learning ______________________________
My parents give me permission to go to parties. (let) → My parents ______________________________
The teacher forced us to rewrite the essay. (made) → The teacher ______________________________
I wasn't allowed to go. (They / let) → They ______________________________

Handout 4: Discussion and House Rules

Discussion questions

Our house rules (for our future teenage children)

What do your parents make you do at home? Is it fair?
What don't they let you do? Why not?
What are you good at? What are you interested in learning?
Is being a teenager easier or harder now than in your parents' time?
What do your parents want you to be in the future? What do you want to be?
Is it better to have strict parents or relaxed parents?

Rule	Reason
We'll make them ...
We'll let them ...
We won't allow them to ...
We'll expect them to ...
Before ... -ing, they must ...

Answer Key

Handout 1

Handout 2

Handout 3, Exercise A

Handout 3, Exercise B

Common errors to watch for

Do her homework before watching TV. · 2. An engineer. · 3. Designing clothes. · 4. Go to the cinema with friends (but be home by 7).
-ing (gerund) · 2. Being the only girl in the family; the -ing form · 3. want / expect + object + to; make / let + object + base verb (no to) · 4. Sentence 2 (let) · 5. Arguing with them is hard.
tidy · 2. cooking · 3. Swimming · 4. stay · 5. to join · 6. helping · 7. to wait · 8. leaving · 9. to use · 10. watching
Learning Chinese is difficult. · 2. My parents let me go to parties. · 3. The teacher made us rewrite the essay. · 4. They didn't let me go.

Error	Correction
I'm good at swim.	I'm good at swimming.
Learn English is important.	Learning English is important. / It's important to learn English.
My parents make me to study.	My parents make me study.
They let me to go out.	They let me go out.
I was let to go.	I was allowed to go.

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Written by RCF English to the RCF English international standard: levelled by the CEFR, original throughout, and suitable for classrooms in any country. Last reviewed 22 September 2026.

Gerunds as Subjects and after Prepositions ESL Lesson Plan (B1, 60 Minutes)

About this lesson

At a glance

Download this lesson plan

Aims

Language analysis

Form

Form: notes

Meaning and use

Pronunciation

Concept-checking questions

Anticipated problems and solutions

Board plan

Warm-up5 minutes · Pairs, then whole class

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Controlled practice10 minutes · Individual, then pairs, then whole class

Freer practice18 minutes · Groups of four, then pairs, then whole class

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Differentiation

Adapting the lesson

Checking learning

Teacher's reflection

Handout 1: Teen Rules at Home

Handout 2: Language Focus

Handout 3: Practice

Handout 4: Discussion and House Rules

Answer Key

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Elsewhere in Global English

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