(Season 2. Episode 1. verb patterns. Stop with infinitive and gerund )
(Photo by JOYUMA)
Welcome to season two of English Airs! Did you have fun with season one? Did you learn and practice? I hope you did.
For the second season, I thought we should talk about how using a verb with different patterns can change the meaning. Also, we will be talking about the differences between some words like “by” and “until”, so if you have any issues there, stay tuned in! It means “stay connected” if this expression is new to you.
This episode is about stopping, something I couldn’t do! Have a listen, and let me know what you think!
Breathe. Again, more deeply. Relax your shoulders. Unclench your jaw. You are here now, and this will be easy, I promise.
Hello everyone, and a warm welcome to both old and new friends to the first episode of season 2. You are listening to English Airs, the podcast that will give you effortless accuracy, and I am Parya, currently talking to you from Tokyo. I teach English, make this podcast, design courses, and a few other things. No, I don’t have a lot of energy. It’s just that when I start something, I can’t stop!
Let me paint you a picture here: I sit at my desk and start to work. I don’t eat or drink anything because I need both hands to type! Once I start working, I go on and on and on, until a friend texts me to see if I am free for a talk. That’s when I stop to talk to them, and since I can’t sit still when I am on the phone, I get up and move around, and maybe eat something. Very healthy, I know!
Did you see how I used “start” and “stop”? I said “I start to work”, and then I said, “I start working”. Are they the same? How about “stop talking” and “stop to talk”? If you don’t know, come with me and listen. If you do, come with me anyway! Maybe you’ll get some new ideas!
First, I want to tell you why I decided to talk about this. The other day a student said the doctor had told him smoking was dangerous for him, and then he continued, “So I stopped to smoke.” I was so confused! Why did he do something dangerous immediately after talking to the doctor?! But the problem, like most of the time, was English. Oh, and by the way, “the other day” means a day in the past.
Now, the super-easy part is that you can use start with “to” and with “-ing”, and the meaning is more or less the same. There is a tiny preference when we use which, but it’s not important now. Go ahead and use them as you like until we get to season 3 or 4 of the podcast! So tell me, what things do you want to start doing? What have you started doing recently? Think of a few things and tell me. Remember that speaking out loud is better.
The next part is also easy, and it’s interesting. Remember what I said about working? If a friend wants to have a call, I stop to talk to them. In this case, do I talk to my friend? Of course I do! So what do I stop? That’s right: working!
Did you see what happened? Let’s review and get some practice with each pattern one by one: If you stop doing something, you don’t do it anymore. That’s pretty straightforward, right? Think about your life. I’m sure you have changed a lot in the past 10 or 20 years. What have you stopped doing? Has it been good for you? Do you want to start doing it again? Tell me, I’m all ears.
Ok, very well done! Now, let’s practice the other form. When I am going to work sometimes I stop to take a picture when the sky is beautiful. Can you tell me what I don’t do and what I do when I stop? You’ve got it: I stop walking, and I take a photo. Your turn now: think about your routines, and tell me why you interrupt them. Do you stop to smell the flowers? Do you stop to send a message? Tell me. I’m listening.
Great job! See? Very easy. Now, to practice it on your own, we are going to use the reminder again. The first prompt you can put there is this:
“Today, I want to stop … ”
Set the reminder for the morning and complete the sentence with anything you would like to stop doing. You will be saying one sentence every day, so make sure you say it out loud to get all the benefits.
Alternatively, you can put “Today, I couldn’t stop … “, and set the reminder for the night. This one could be a little depressing, so maybe try to choose something like ” I couldn’t stop laughing at that joke!”
For the next pattern, your prompt can be “Today, I should remember to stop to … ” For example, “Today, I should stop work to stretch a little.” Your body will thank you!
Well, that’s it for the first episode of season two, where we will be looking at verb patterns, words, or prepositions that are confusing. Remember that you can read the transcript, find extra material, and links on the website, and you can also read the script while you are listening on my YouTube channel. The links are in the show notes.
Please let me know if you have anything to say: a question, an idea, a comment; I’ll be happy to hear them all. And please keep recommending this podcast to anyone who might need it or enjoy it. Help me reach anyone who needs help.
Parya out!
“I can’t stop reading”, she said.
Do you think he can stop eating?!
On the way, they stopped to have a coffee.
What did they stop doing?
Then they stopped to make a call to a friend.
What did they stop doing?
See if you have learned everything here.
Did you have a problem with the exercises? Leave a comment under this post, or ask me.