December 2013 - January 2014

A. Infinitives

To shout, to dream, to cry, to promise, to jump, to dunk, to read, to eat, to sleep—all of these are infinitives. An infinitive will almost always begin with to followed by the simple form of the verb, like this:

to + verb = infinitive

Important Note: Because an infinitive is not a conjugated verb, you cannot add s, es, ed, or ing to the end. Ever!

Exercise on Infinitive and Gerund

Infinitive with / without to

Choose the correct form (infinitive with or without to).

1. I can speakto speak English.
2. We have doto do our homework.
3. You must stayto stay at home.
4. I will helpto help you.
5. He cannot seeto see us.
6. My little sister learns speakto speak.
7. They want goto go to the cinema.
8. You should askto ask your parents.
9. I'd like haveto have a dog.
10. May we cometo come in?

The following verbs are followed by an infinitive:

agree appear be able begin* can(’t) afford choose decide

expect forget hope know how learn like* manage

need offer plan prefer* prepare pretend promise

refuse seem start* tend try want would like

*These verbs can also be followed by a gerund

Negative 

• To make an infinitive negative, put not before the infinitive.

Do you promise not to tell my secret?

• In a sentence with two infinitives connected by and, the second to is usually omitted.

e.g., I expect to swim and surf in Hawaii.


Some verbs can be followed by an (pro)noun + infinitive

advise allow appoint ask beg

choose convince encourage expect forbid

force invite need permit persuade

select teach tell urge want would like

Allow + infinitive
Please allow me to help you.

Help + base form or infinitive
Sigurd helped his brothers (to) shovel the snow.

Let + base form
She let him borrow her car.

Some adjectives can be followed by an infinitive. Many of these adjectives describe a
person’s emotions or mental state.

glad happy pleased delighted content relieved lucky fortunate

sorry sad upset disappointed proud ashamed ready

prepared anxious eager willing motivated determined careful

hesitant reluctant afraid surprised amazed astonished shocked stunned

Use infinitives with too and enough.

That hill is too steep for me to ski up.
I’m not strong enough to lift a car.

Causative verbs:

make + simple form
Sad movies make me cry.

have + simple form
I had the maid polish my shoes.

get or persuade + infinitive
Sigurd got Haakon to give him a ride to school.

have or get + object + past participle
She got her shoes repaired in University Village.

The following verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive with no
change in meaning:

attempt begin can’t stand

continue deserve hate

like love prefer

start

B. GERUNDS

A gerund can be:

• the subject of the sentence Swimming is my favorite sport.
•  the object of the sentence They enjoy watching movies.
• the object of the preposition He’s concerned about passing Grammar 5.

Note: A gerund subject takes a singular verb. Eating raw oysters is disgusting.







To make a gerund negative, put NOT before it. Not arriving on time makes me uncomfortable.
These verbs are followed by a gerund:

admit advise appreciate avoid can’t help consider complete

delay deny discuss dislike enjoy finish

imagine keep mind miss permit postpone

practice quit regret risk suggest

A larger list of verbs followed by a gerunds: http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/gerund_list.htm


Go + gerund (recreational activities)

boating bowling camping dancing

fishing hiking hunting jogging

sailing shopping sightseeing skating

skiing swimming

Remember, forget + gerund
refers back to the past – to things that one did. Forget...ing is used mostly in the phrase I’ll never forget...ing... and expressions with similar meanings.
I still remember buying my first bicycle.
I’ll never forget meeting the President.

Regret + gerund
refers back to past–something that one is sorry one did
I regret leaving school at 14 – it was a big mistake.

Try + gerund
I tried sending her flowers, writing her letters, and giving her presents, but she still wouldn’t speak to me.


Special expressions + verb-ing


have: fun, a good time, trouble, difficulty, etc.
She had a good time watching the ice skating competition.
spend time, waste time
He spends a lot of time playing computer games.

sit, stand, or lie + expression of place
I stood at the bus stop waiting for 45 minutes.
find or catch + (pro)noun
I found the cat sleeping in my bed.

A gerund can be the object of a preposition after a verb or adjective (see list below)
He complained about getting a bad grade.
She is upset about leaving her homework at home.


Verbs Followed by a Preposition and a Gerund:

approve of
argue about
believe in
care about
complain about
concentrate on
confess to
depend on
disapprove of
discourage from
dream about
feel like
forget about
insist on
object to
plan on
prevent (someone) from
refrain from
succeed in
talk about
think about
worry about




C. Exercises

Gerunds and Infinitives 1

Multiple Choice Exercise

Choose the correct answer for each gap below

1. I enjoy   not to havehavingnot having to get up so early in the morning. Sleeping in is great!

2. Nancy proposed   our havingus to haveour to have a picnic at the beach.

3. Do you wish   continuingour continuingto continue, or would you like to stop now?

4. His car needs   washingto washhim to wash. It looks like it hasn't been washed in years.

5. Smokers risk   to getme to getgetting several smoking related illnesses.

6. The astronomer told us   lookingnot lookingnot to look into the sun during the eclipse.

7. I wish she would just quit   my complainingto complaincomplaining all the time.

8. Leslie hired   someone to repaira man repairingto repair her fence.

9. She resisted   takingto takemy taking advice from her coworkers.

10. Linda regretted   not to goto gonot going to her high school reunion.

Gerunds and Infinitives 2

Multiple Choice Exercise

Choose the correct answer for each gap below.

1. The certification program requires me   takingto take several tests.

2. The certification program requires my   takingto take several tests.

3. I told the others   to meetmeeting me at the beach after work. Why don't you come along?

4. Robin talked me into   participatingto participate in the 24-hour dance marathon.

5. He appreciated   our helpingus to help him prepare for the Halloween party.

6.   To goGoing skydiving tomorrow will test how brave you are.

7. Don't you need   to taketaking a break? You've been working non-stop for over 8 hours!

8.   Our arrivingUs to arrive late would be an insult to our dinner hosts.

9. Beth was excited about   to meetmeeting the world famous photographer.

10. How did you manage   gettingto get tickets for that concert? It has been sold out for months.

Gerunds and Infinitives 3

Multiple Choice Exercise

Choose the correct answer for each gap below

HINT: This quiz focuses on whether verbs can be followed by a gerund, a noun + infinitive, or BOTH.

1. Debbie urged   visitingvisiting / them to visitthem to visit the Eiffel Tower while they were in Paris.

2. I remember   him to getgetting / him to getgetting up at 4:30 AM to make it to work on time.

3. The math teacher doesn't allow   us to useusing / us to useusing calculators.

4. Sallie wanted   stayingus to staystaying / us to stay longer, but I was so tired that we had to leave.

5. The Japanese teacher encouraged   the students to speakspeakingspeaking / the students to speak in class.

6. The consultant advised   them to reducereducing / them to reducereducing costs.

7. I need   helping / you to helpyou to helphelping me move the table.

8. The zoo keeper permitted   us to touchtouching / us to touchtouching the snake.

9. Do you mind   waiting / me to waitme to waitwaiting a few more minutes?

10. The hiking course requires   us to campcampingcamping / us to camp in the snow.

C. What about you? Use gerunds and infinitives to describe your personal stories

Review the grid below and answer the question in each of the squares

Talk about something you stopped doing because it’s bad for you.	Talk about something you would stop to do on a long car journey.	Talk about something you’ve tried doing to improve your English.	Talk about a language you once tried to learn but gave up.
Talk about a sport or physical activity you tried to do but couldn’t.	Talk about the first place abroad you remember visiting.	Talk about something important that you have done in your life but can no longer remember doing.	Talk about something you regret doing as a teenager.
Talk about something you regret not doing as a teenager.	Tell the other members of the group that there will be no break in the lesson today. Begin, I regret…	Talk about an activity you like doing when the weather is wet.	Talk about something you like to get done early in your working day.
Talk about something your parents made you do that you hated doing.	Talk about something that your parents let you do on special occasions.	Talk about someone you know who goes on talking for ages at meetings.	Talk about someone who started their life poor but went on to become rich.
Recommend a way of keeping fit even if you are busy. Begin, Try…	Talk about something you once forgot to do and were embarrassed as a result.	Talk about how you  remember to do all of the things you need to do at work every day.	Talk about something you should stop doing but can’t.

D. Happy New Year’s! - Should I use a gerund or infinitive?

For New Year’s people agree to make New Year’s resolutions. By making a resolution, we promise to do or not to things during the New Year. Some people avoid making them.  Some people like to make them so they can have a fresh start as the year begins. Some people don’t like making them. They avoid making promises that they will not keep. What do you think? 

Here are some top New Years Resolutions:

1. Start to spend more time with my family.
2. Try to save more money.
3. Refuse to be negative.
4. Practice playing music.
5. Enjoy living life.
6. Manage to organize my life.
7. Offer more often to help my friends and family.
8. Look forward to being successful.
9. Finish reading at least 5 books.
10. Keep on working out.
11. Give up eating sugar and fat.
12. Start playing the guitar.
13. Continue to make progress in English.
14. Continue watching films in English
15. Learn to speak Chinese.
16. Expect to keep all resolutions.
17. Decide to make an effort to lose weight.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

E. What would you do if you had an extra day?

After watching this video, please respond the following questions:

1. What is this video about? Setting, characters, environment, storyline.  Summarize it in 2-3 minutes
2. List the activities that the characters discuss doing if they had an extra day
3. What activities did the characters say they would like to do but they couldn't do?
4. Now it is your turn, what would you do if you had an extra day?  Write a short but detailed essay describing the thing that you would like to do alone, the ones you would do with your family and then ones that you would like to do with friends IF you had an extra day a week

F. Misunderstanding at work

Have you ever been in a meeting or in a conference call and you didn't understand what a person just said? Do you ask what they said or what they meant? You should.  If in Doubt Ask. In this audio, you will learn certain phrases that will allow you to ask for clarification in English

Audio file: 

http://http-ws.bbc.co.uk.edgesuite.net/mp3/learningenglish/2013/12/bbc_6min_business_misunderstandings_140117_6min_business_misunderstandings_audio_au_bb.mp3

Transcript of the audio file:

http://wsdownload.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/pdf/2013/12/131205112214_bbc_6min_business_misunderstandings.pdf

How to express lack of understanding

When you fail to understand what has been said to you you can use these expressions:

• I beg your pardon?
• I beg your pardon, but I don't quite understand.
• I'm not quite sure I know what you mean.
• I'm not quite sure I follow you.
• I don't quite see what you mean.
• I'm not sure I got your point.
• Sorry, I didn't quite hear what you said.
• Sorry, I didn't get your point.
• I don't quite see what you're getting at.

How yo ask for clarification

When you don't understand what someone has said, you can ask for clarification using the following expressions:

• What do you mean by...?
• Do you mean...?
• Could you say that again, please?
• Could you repeat please?
• Could you clarify that, please?
• Would you elaborate on that , please?
• Could you be more explicit?
• Could you explain what you mean by...?
• Could you give us an example?
• I wonder if you could say that in a different way.
• Could you put it differently, please?
• Could you be more specific, please?

Clarifying one's point or idea

To clarify your idea you can use the following expressions:

• Let me explain that...
• Let me explain that in more detail...
• Let me put it in another way...
• Sorry, let me explain...
• In other words...
• To say this differently...
• To put it differently...