I don't know which page in the book "Practical English Usage" I can learn about the usage of "have problems V-ing".
I try to look this usage up in "Practical English Usage" (Michael Swan).
Because I do not understand a sentence like the following one.
"Students find it so easy to blame others or complain about their difficult situation when they have problems preparing for the IELTS test."
The structure of the form "have problems V-ing" is not clear to me.
I hope somebody bring answers to these questions.
Is it correct to say
"…have problems of preparing for the IELTS test."
or
"…have problems to prepare for the IELTS test."?
or
"…have problems to preparing for the IELTS test."?
What is the difference between those three sentences in meaning?
How do I look this usage up in "Practical English Usage" (Michael Swan)?
Best Answer
Linguists would say that "The noun problems may take a subjectless gerund-participle clause" as a complement; but that's not a Why, it's just a name for the fact that that is how we say it.
To say that Students have problems preparing ... means that students find some aspect of preparing difficult.
You may also speak of problems with preparing, but that usually means having some (unspecified) objection to preparing itself. And you may speak of problems in preparing, but that usually means problems of some (unspecified) sort encountered while you are preparing.
You may encounter problems of preparing, but the preposition of introduces a specification of the problems, such as "the two problems of finding the error and repairing it".
Neither of your suggested alternatives with to is idiomatic.