Grammar ~21 min of the core left

Talk about your studies

After this lesson you can

I can say what I like in my studies and what I have decided to do, and explain why I do something.

Start the lesson Core 19–21 min · steps: 6 · optional: +2

Declared core time. Two of the core blocks carry no figure at all, so the real lesson is longer than this sum.

Grammar

5 min

After some verbs comes the -ing form, after others to + a verb. This is a list, not a rule.

+ -ing + to
enjoy, like, love, hate want, need, hope, plan
finish, stop, start decide, try, learn
practise, mind would like, forget, promise
I enjoy learning languages. learning languages gives me pleasure
I want to learn Spanish. my wish: to learn Spanish
I finished reading the book. I read it to the end
I decided to change my job. I made a decision about my job

start, like, love and hate take both forms with almost no difference in meaning: I like reading = I like to read.

to + a verb for a purpose answers the question "why?":

I came here to study English. why did I come? to study English
I use this app to practise words. why do I use it? to practise words

Here to means "in order to", and you never put for before the verb.

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Common learner errors

written for your language
1

for + a verb for a purpose

✗ I came here for study English

✗ for to study

✓ I came here to study English

Spanish para estudiar, Portuguese para estudar, French pour étudier and Italian per studiare put "for" before the verb. In English for goes only before a noun: for work, for money.

2

to after enjoy

✗ I enjoy to learn

✓ I enjoy learning

In French, Spanish, German and many other languages these verbs are followed by an infinitive, and learners translate it with to. In English it depends on the verb.

3

stopped to instead of stopped -ing

✗ I stopped to learn English (meaning "I don't learn it any more") → ✓ I stopped learning English. I stopped to learn means something else: you stopped doing something in order to learn.

4

want without to

✗ I want learn Spanish

✗ I want learning

✓ I want to learn Spanish

The same mistake as in A1 #19: the rule has not changed, the list has grown.

Pronunciation

3 min

In fast speech want to runs together into /ˈwɒnə/ — what is sometimes written as wanna. This is normal in conversation: you need to recognise it, but don't write it.

The same happens with going to → /ˈɡənə/ (A1 #32) and have to → /ˈhæftə/ (A2 #10). These are the three most common run-together forms in English.

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Text

3 min

I started learning English at school, but I stopped after two years. Last year I decided to try again. I enjoy reading in English, but I hate writing. I use an app to practise new words every morning. I want to pass an exam in June, so I need to study a lot.

Reading aloud

Exercises

8–10 min

1. Gap fill.

  1. I enjoy (read) in English
  2. I want (learn) Spanish
  3. I finished (write) the report
  4. I decided (change) my job
Show the answers
reading, to learn, writing, to change.

2. Error correction.

  1. I came here for study English.
  2. I enjoy to learn languages.
  3. I want learning Spanish.
Show the answers
I came here to study English. / I enjoy learning languages. / I want to learn Spanish.

3. Matching.

  1. enjoy
  2. finish
  3. practise
  4. want
  5. decide
Show the answers
`enjoy`, `finish`, `practise` — `-ing`; `want`, `decide` — `to` + a verb.

4. Answer the question "why?".

Why do you learn English? Start with to. Example: I learn English to travel. / to work abroad. / to read books.

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Summary

Covered

  • two lists of verbs
  • to for a purpose
  • no for before a verb

Next — lesson 22: technology and phrasal verbs.

End of the core

The lesson counts as done once the exercises are done. Everything after this is optional.

Lesson 58

optional

Vocabulary for your deck

13 words
  • enjoy /ɪnˈdʒɔɪ/ to get pleasure from something
  • practise /ˈpræktɪs/ to do something again and again to get better at it
  • decide /dɪˈsaɪd/ to choose what to do
  • hope /həʊp/ to want something to happen and think that it may happen
  • plan /plæn/ to decide what you are going to do
  • try /traɪ/ to do something to see what it is like; to make an effort to do something
  • exam /ɪɡˈzæm/ a test of what you know
  • pass /pɑːs/ to be successful in (an exam)
  • fail /feɪl/ not to pass (an exam)
  • mistake /mɪˈsteɪk/ something that is not correct
  • course /kɔːs/ a set of lessons on one subject
  • app /æp/ a program on your phone
  • abroad /əˈbrɔːd/ in or to another country

Writing

Five sentences about learning English: what you like, what you have decided, why you are learning it.

Example

I started learning English at school. Last year I decided to try again. I enjoy reading, but I hate writing. I use an app to practise words. I want to pass an exam in June.

Checklist

The draft is saved on this device
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Practise this lesson in the other sections

Dictationbased on this lesson Write down what you hear. The check shows every word that differs, and how. Write the dictation Reading aloudbased on this lesson Read the lesson text aloud — speech recognition highlights the words it did not catch. Read the text aloud Reading and listeningA1–C1 Texts at every level with comprehension questions; the transcript opens after you answer. Try it

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