Episode 55: Instead of Giving Up

Preposition + -ing variety — Winston Churchill, 1940-1945 (B1-B2)

Grammar Box

Meaning: All prepositions (instead of, without, by, for, after, before, despite, etc.) must be followed by -ing when used with verbs.

Form: preposition + -ing form (gerund)

Example 1: Instead of surrendering, Churchill chose to fight.

Example 2: By refusing to negotiate, he inspired millions.

Common mistake: Wrong: Instead of to give up. Better: Instead of giving up.

The Challenge

Luna read about Churchill: “Instead of to surrender, he fought.” Wrong. “Instead of surrender”? Also wrong. “Instead of surrendering”? That must be right, but why always -ing after prepositions? The watch glowed with defiant fire. Professor Wisdom appeared, wearing a bow tie and holding a cigar. “Prepositions,” he said, “are bridges. And you can’t cross a bridge with a verb — you need a noun. The -ing form becomes that noun. Let me show you a man who understood that grammar applies everywhere — even in the darkest hours.”

The Journey

London, May 1940. Winston Churchill became Prime Minister as Nazi Germany conquered Europe. France was falling. Britain stood alone. Churchill’s cabinet wanted to negotiate peace with Hitler. Instead of fighting, they argued, Britain should accept terms. Surrender with dignity instead of being destroyed with pride.

Churchill stood before Parliament and chose different prepositions, different actions. “Instead of negotiating, we will fight. We will defend our island by preparing every beach and every street. Without surrendering our values, we will endure whatever comes. After losing this battle, if we lose it, we will fight the next. Before accepting defeat, we will give everything we have. For protecting freedom, no sacrifice is too great. Despite facing impossible odds, we will never give up.”

Each sentence built on preposition + -ing. Not abstract promises of future action (infinitives), but concrete descriptions of present commitments turned into nouns. “By preparing” — the method becomes a thing. “Without surrendering” — the refusal becomes an entity. “Instead of negotiating” — the alternative becomes real through grammar.

His most famous speech contained this pattern throughout: “We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, on the landing grounds, in the fields and in the streets. We shall never surrender.” And later, in explaining his strategy: “We prevailed by refusing to panic, by maintaining hope, and by showing Hitler that there were people who would choose destruction over submission.”

Churchill’s secretary once asked him how he stayed strong. He replied: “Instead of thinking about defeat, I think about duty. I stay focused by concentrating on the next speech, the next decision, the next day. Without believing in victory, I’d have nothing. So I believe. Not by ignoring reality, but by facing it with active defiance.”

The war ended. Britain survived. And historians would note that Churchill’s grammar matched his philosophy. Not passive acceptance. Not wishful future thinking. But present continuous action wrapped in the -ing form, made solid as nouns, stacked like bricks into a wall that even Hitler couldn’t break.

The Deep Dive

Every preposition in English requires an object, and when that object is a verb-based concept, it must be in -ing form (gerund). “By doing,” “without trying,” “before leaving,” “after finishing,” “instead of waiting,” “for helping,” “in addition to studying,” “apart from working” — all follow this ironclad rule. The -ing form functions as a noun, which is what prepositions grammatically govern.

This differs from infinitives (to + verb) which express purpose or intention independently. Compare: “I study to learn” (purpose, infinitive) versus “I study by reading” (method, preposition + -ing). The infinitive points forward to a goal. The preposition + -ing describes the relationship between actions or states.

Common prepositions that learners forget require -ing: instead of, without, by, for, in, on, before, after, since, despite, in spite of, because of, as well as, in addition to, apart from. Mastering this pattern eliminates a major category of intermediate-level errors and makes writing sound professional and polished.

More Examples

History: Gandhi achieved independence by refusing violence and instead of seeking revenge, he promoted forgiveness.

Science: Pasteur made discoveries by challenging conventional wisdom and without having modern equipment, he revolutionized medicine.

Everyday: Instead of complaining about the problem, why don’t we solve it by working together?

Formal: The company succeeded despite facing financial difficulties and after restructuring its operations completely.

Informal: I got the job by being honest in the interview, not by pretending to know everything.

Contrast: “for help” (noun) vs “for helping” (verb-based action) — second turns the action into a grammatical object.

Practice & Reflection

Exercises:

1. Fill in the blank: Instead of _, Churchill chose to fight. By _ to negotiate, he inspired millions. (surrender / refuse)

2. Correct the mistake: He succeeded without to compromise his values.

3. Choose and explain: “You can improve __ regularly.”
   a) by practicing
   b) by to practice

4. Rewrite: Use “instead of”: “Rather than quitting, she kept trying.” → “__”

5. Compare: “I’m here for learning” versus “I’m here to learn” — which uses a preposition requiring -ing?

6. Your reflection: Think of a challenge you faced. How did you overcome it? Use at least two different prepositions + -ing.

Answer Key:

1. surrendering / refusing — both follow prepositions requiring -ing
2. He succeeded without compromising — “without” is preposition, needs -ing
3. a) by practicing — “by” is preposition requiring -ing form
4. Instead of quitting, she kept trying — “instead of” + -ing
5. First — “for” is preposition requiring -ing; “to” in second is infinitive
6. Check: Did you use preposition + -ing (by/without/instead of/etc.)?

The Lesson

Luna wrote in her journal: “Instead of giving up on grammar, I kept studying. I improved by practicing every day. Without understanding these patterns, I couldn’t write clearly. After finishing this lesson, I finally get it.” The watch faded. She thought about Churchill, turning refusal into resistance, method into victory, one preposition at a time. Grammar isn’t decoration. It’s architecture. And sometimes, instead of falling, we stand. By choosing to. Without apology. Despite everything. For ourselves and for what matters. The -ing forms pile up like sandbags. And somehow, they hold.