Job Discussion Forums

[esl_prof]

On several occasions now, I've had students ask me for help with this question (for a more advanced grammar class, which I don't teach):

Is there an easy way (short of memorizing a lengthy and seemingly arbitrary list of verbs) to determine whether a verb is followed by a gerund, an infinitive, or either.

For example:

I plan to take a vacation to Moscow. NOT I plan taking a vacation to Moscow. [In this case the verb must be followed by an infinitive not a gerund.]

OR

I enjoy eating chocolate for breakfast. Not I enjoy to eat chocolate for breakfast. [In this case the verb must be followed by a gerund not an infinitive.]

OR

I like swimming at the beach. OR I like to swim at the beach. [In this case the verb can be followed by either an infinitive or a gerund.]

It's easy enough to teach students to game the system. As the test generally covers only the verbs used in this chapter of the book, I advise students to memorize the list of verbs that can be followed only by a gerund (which is the shortest list) and use an infinitive for everything else. While a great strategy for passing the test, short of memorizing which of the above three rules applies to each and every single last verb in the English language, is there a better, more efficient way to determine which verbs follow which rule?

I've consulted several textbooks, and handful of websites, and two colleagues who actually teach this course and, so far, have found nothing, so I'm afraid that there may be no rule to make this easier.

[Xie Lin]

There really is no rule. There are guidelines for categories of verbs, but I haven't found them particularly helpful, since exceptions abound. (Gerund = pessimistic, discussion, "polite" verbs; infinitive = optimistic, hypothetical, unfulfilled, different discussion verbs.) Since there are discussion verbs in either category, these have to be memorized anyway. Of the four lists, verbs followed by gerund, verbs followed by infinitive, verbs followed by either with no change in meaning, verbs followed by either but with a change in meaning, the last two are very short and easy to memorize. It's the first two that cause grief! It's either a hand-out, or a link to one of the on-line lists.

Suggesting that they memorize the shorter gerund list is a great idea!

.

[johnslat]

There really are no rules - and what makes it even worse, there are 4 categories:

1. verbs that take a gerund, not an infinitive: enjoy; I enjoying reading.

2. verbs that take an infinitive not a gerund: He wants to read.

3. verbs that can take both with no significant meaning change: I like reading/I like to read.

4. verbs that can take both but the meaning changes: I remembered locking the door/I remembered to lock the door.; He tried to open the window/He tried opening the window.

Regards,
John

[Sashadroogie]

No 'rule' worth the name...

[esl_prof]

[BlueMango]

[esl_prof]

[johnslat]

The 2nd form of the verb can be used as an adjective, a noun, or an adverb.

Noun (Gerund) : Running is good exercise.

Adjective: The boy running down the street is Bill.

Adverb: He spends a lot of time running from place to place.

Regards,
John

[esl_prof]

[johnslat]

Dear esl_prof,

Thank you - though running on their toes might be a bit painful.

It took me years before I realized a participle phrase could be used as an adverb; I'm a slow learner.

And just two years ago, I realized why the signal (transition) words "however" and "nevertheless," although they both signal contrast, are not interchangeable (in one direction, anyway).

It was a student's question that made me think about it. One more reason I love this job; you never stop learning.

Regards,
John

[peripatetic_soul]

Hi, eslprof,

Unfortunately, as I tell my students in advanced writing classes where we are required to teach these "patterns," they have to keep reading to acquire that intuitive feel for use of gerunds vs. infinitives. Azar's white chartbook and blue workbook do an adequate job of presenting these rules but it's a daunting list (that cannot be memorized). This is why I encourage my students to always READ ALOUD what they wrote because at the advanced level, they will know if it sounds right. We do this as native speakers when, e.g., we craft a cover letter for a job application. There is no singular, fine-tuned and fast rule to acquiring these patterns, and as we well know from our own FLL experiences, they do not translate from one language to another. How I struggled to memorize those (and prepositions) when studying French and Italian.
Betty Azar & Stacy Hagen. Understanding and Using English Grammar: Chartbook: A Reference Grammar. 4th Ed. 2010. Longman/Pearson.
Same title with Workbook.
(edited for conciseness)


Regards,
PS

[johnslat]

A smart eye and a smart ear - two of the greatest assets a student can bring to the classroom.

Reading is the key to all the other skills. Someone who reads a lot will always be a better writer, speaker, and listener.

Regards,
John

[esl_prof]

[haleynicole14]

[peripatetic_soul]

Dear esl_prof
In response to students' learning styles, very rarely is anyone solely an auditory or visual learner. As you know in the world of ESL/EFL, we present lessons in a multi-modal fashion. I don't enjoy listening to audiobooks as much I savor the tactile experience of turning the pages and benefit more from visually presented material. I need to see the print. However, when we ask a student to read his/her work aloud (I don't mean loudly, but more "a sotto voce" - whispering to oneself), they are engaged in two modalities of learning at the same time (A-V). Research and my own experiences with Asian learners (who are more visual than auditory) and Arabic learners (who are more auditory than visual in general) all benefit from this strategy. Often, what they discover is, as they read softly to themselves, they've omitted a crucial word in the written form but catch their mistakes. So, this strategy isn't only intended for determining what "sounds correct" but is encouraging the learner to proofread and self-monitor their "comprehensible" input. Often times, as you know, when we are writing, especially under time constraints, our brain (cognition and mental processes involved in decoding) gets ahead of our hand and is easy to inadvertently omit words, punctuation, etc.

Pardon the interjection of the rule that ESL teachers in public school repeat to their students: Use the SAY, SEE, DO Rule (i.e., see---read the word, say -- pronounce the word and do something with the word (in speaking, writing, a project, something kinesthetic and self-directed); in other words, exploit all the modalities to enhance learning. Sorry for the lengthy response, but I too have struggled with advanced writing students who continue to exhibit glaring errors in grammar (such as the gerunds and infinitives). Most of the time, they just don't take the time to proofread and/or view us as the authority who should correct their mistakes! Some still attempt to translate from L1, which just doesn't work. We know the research on self- and peer correction as well, not to digress.
Best regards,
PS
We'll be eager to hear what you've advised your students to do in learning these patterns. Good to share!