Learning Material

There are 9 parts of speech or word classes in English language:
– nouns
– pronouns
– determiners
– verbs
– prepositions
– adjectives
– adverbs
– conjunctions
– interjections

There are 5 verb forms:
base forms: walk, eat
past simple: walked, ate
past participle: walked, eaten
-s forms: walks, eats
-ing forms: walking, eating

Gerunds & Infinitives
Gerunds are -ing forms that function as nouns.
– I love cooking.

Infinitives are “to + base forms” that function as nouns.
– My father asked me to wait.

Verb + Verb
1. In the sentence “I love cooking,” there are 2 verbs:
– first verb: love (base form)
– second verb: cooking (-ing form)

2. In the sentence “My father asked me to wait,” there are 2 verbs:
– first verb: asked (past simple)
– second verb: wait (base form)

If there is a verb that follows another verb and there is no conjunction in the sentence:
– the form of the first verb follows the tense of the sentence
– the form of the second verb is either:
(1) to + base form (infinitive)
(2) -ing (gerund)
(3) base form (for the verb “help” and causative verbs)

Verb + Verb

I love cooking.
– first verb: love (base form) -> present simple tense (present fact)
– second verb: cooking (- ing form) -> gerund

I love cook. (base form – wrong)
I love cooks. (-s form – wrong)
I love cooked. (past simple/past participle – wrong)

My father asked me to wait.
– first verb: asked (past simple) -> past simple tense (past fact)
– second verb: to wait (to + base form) -> infinitive

My father asked me wait. (base form – wrong)
My father asked me waits. (-s form – wrong)
My father asked me waited. (past simple/past participle – wrong)

If there is a verb that follows another verb and there is no conjunction in the sentence:
– the form of the first verb follows the tense of the sentence
– the form of the second verb is either:
(1) to + base form (infinitive) -> most verbs
(2) -ing (gerund) -> the focus of this topic
(3) base form (for the verb “help” and causative verbs) -> very minor, will be discussed in a separate topic

 

Verb + -ing Form

admit
He admitted stealing the money.

avoid
John avoided meeting Tom yesterday.

begin
We began working on the project in May.

can’t help
I can’t help laughing.

can’t stand
I can’t stand listening to him.

carry on
He carried on singing.

catch
I caught him smoking in the bathroom.

consider
He considered starting his own business.

deny
He denied stealing the money.

detest
John detests doing admin work.

dislike
Most people dislike going to the dentist.

enjoy
John enjoys dancing.

fancy
Do you fancy going out this evening?

feel
He felt the sweat running down his face.

feel like
He didn’t feel like going to work.

find
I found him going through my stuff.

finish
Jane has finished cooking.

give up
He gave up smoking last month.

go on
He went on working until he was 75.

hate
John hates attending wedding parties.

hear
He could hear a dog barking.

imagine
I can’t imagine earning that much money.

involve
The job involves travelling overseas.

keep
Things just keep getting worse.

keep on
He kept on calling me.

leave
She left me feeling confused.

like
Jane likes skiing.

listen to
I listened to the rain falling on the roof.

love
We love watching movies.

mean
Becoming a pianist means practicing a lot.

mind
I don’t mind doing administrative work.

miss
I miss watching movies at the cinema.

need
The house needed painting.

notice
I noticed him leaving the party earlier.

overhear
We overheard them arguing.

postpone
They postponed renovating the house.

practise / practice
We practiced hitting the ball.

prefer
I prefer travelling by train.

prevent
Nothing would prevent him speaking out.

put off
Don’t put off going to the doctor!

regret
I regret leaving school so young.

remember
I remember meeting her at a party once.

risk
He may risk losing his job.

see
I saw her leaving.

smell
Can you smell something burning?

start
I started learning Spanish last week.

stop
John stopped drinking last year.

suggest
I suggested taking the train.

try
Try logging off and logging on again.

watch
She watched the kids playing in the yard.

Multiple-Choice Quiz

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