Shadowing Practice: GERUND or INFINITIVE? (What Your Textbook Didn't Teach You...) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Today's lesson is one that many of you have been waiting for.
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This is how to use gerunds and infinitives in English.
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A gerund is a noun that looks like the ing form of a verb.
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For example, I enjoy reading.
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The verb is enjoy, and reading is the object, the thing that I enjoy.
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An infinitive is to plus the base form of a verb, like I want to read.
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Same thing here.
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To read is the object.
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This action is the thing that I want.
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There are some situations when we can only use a gerund or only an infinitive.
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And I'll show you these patterns later because they're useful.
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But there's one situation where you can find either one.
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after a verb as the direct object.
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And this is the most confusing part for English learners because it's incorrect to say,
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I enjoy to read or I want reading. But why?
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It looks like there's no logic or no pattern, but there is.
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And most textbooks don't explain this.
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The real difference between gerunds and infinitives is not only about grammar, It's about perspective.
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Very abstract, I know.
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But I promise, after you understand this fundamental concept,
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you'll know how to choose the right form naturally, almost every time.
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Not by memorizing a long list of verbs and rules, but by thinking about these forms the way that native speakers do.
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And of course, all the information in this lesson is available for you in a free PDF.
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You can download it by clicking the link in the description below this video.
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A grammatical choice, like using a gerund or an infinitive, is a reflection of how we see or feel about an action.
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English speakers subconsciously view actions from two perspectives,
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real and experienced actions versus potential and intended actions things that have been achieved,
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and things that have not or not yet been achieved.
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So for actions that are real, ongoing in the present, or completed in the past,
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we strongly prefer the gerund form.
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You'll notice that when we talk about our habits, our likes, our preferences, those are things that we have real experience with.
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They exist in our reality.
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On the other hand, we prefer the infinitive for actions that are possible or hypothetical.
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Things that exist in your imagination but haven't happened yet, like your plans, your goals, your desires.
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You may or may not complete them in the future.
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This is the key difference.
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Now, of course, there are always exceptions.
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And this does not explain how every verb in English works.
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That would be impossible.
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But if you really try to understand and internalize this concept,
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you won't need to waste time memorizing a rule for each individual verb.
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Now, let's see how this works in practice.
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Here are some common verbs that require a gerund as the direct object.
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Again, you don't need to memorize them.
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Just notice what they have in common.
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I don't recommend visiting Buffalo in the winter.
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This recommendation is based on my experience.
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This is my hometown.
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He kept running until he reached the finish line.
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Sometimes I really miss being a student and going to school.
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Has Gina finished editing her next video?
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She's practicing speaking more clearly.
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Don't worry, it's completely fine to have two words that end with ing next to each other.
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The first one is just your main verb in the present continuous.
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She is practicing.
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What is she practicing?
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This action, speaking more clearly.
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Now let's look at some examples of verbs that require an infinitive as the direct object.
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With the infinitive there's always this feeling of distance between our intention and reality.
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The action may or may not occur.
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He offered to help me with the project.
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Did he help me with the project?
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We don't know.
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We only know that he offered.
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Maybe I said, no thanks, I don't need any help.
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Or maybe I said yes, but then he changed his mind.
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Maria wanted to watch a movie yesterday.
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This could imply that Maria did not watch a movie.
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I hope to see you soon.
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He promised to call me after work.
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I'm so sorry.
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I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.
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Mean is a very useful conversational verb.
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It's a less formal way to say intend.
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A very common expression is I didn't mean to.
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I didn't mean to.
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That means it was not my intention.
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Now here's where things get really interesting.
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Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, and both are grammatically correct,
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but the feeling changes a little bit, depending on the context.
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One of the most common examples of this is the verb like.
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I like swimming.
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I like to swim.
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Both sentences are grammatically correct, but they don't sound quite the same.
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I like swimming feels more natural when you're talking about general enjoyment.
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Based on your real experience, you know that you always enjoy this activity.
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I like to swim also works, but in my opinion, it sounds a little incomplete.
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Like I'm waiting for more information, like a reason or a specific condition or choice.
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For example, I like to swim to stay in shape.
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I like to swim when it's hot outside.
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So in most everyday contexts, native speakers naturally use the gerund, I like swimming.
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But if we want to emphasize a particular choice or purpose of the action, we can use the infinitive.
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Now, we always use the infinitive after the phrase would like.
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This describes a specific desire or imagined situation, now or in the future.
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I'd like to swim in the Pacific Ocean one day.
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Remember, the contracted form of I would is I'd, I'd.
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Here, I'm expressing a desire to do something that I've never done before.
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The same thing applies to other similar verbs.
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I would love to travel to Spain.
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I have to work in the office, but if I had a choice, I'd prefer to work from home.
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I hope that I feel better by Saturday.
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I'd hate to miss your party.
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So this is hypothetical.
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If I don't feel better by Saturday, I'll miss your party, and I would hate that.
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Okay, now I'm going to test you to see if you've been paying attention.
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Let's look at some more advanced examples of verbs where the difference is much stronger.
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Read each sentence and fill in the blank with the gerund or the infinitive form.
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Remember to keep the perspective in mind.
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Gerund for things that are real, experienced, or completed in the past.
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And infinitive for things that are possible, not yet completed in the present, or intended for the future.
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Number one, I this game all the time when I was a child.
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Both are grammatically correct, but which one makes sense in this context?
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Remember to play or remember playing?
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The correct answer is remember playing.
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If you remember doing something with a gerund, that means you have a memory of a real action in the past.
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On the other hand, if you remember to do something, that means you keep an idea or an intention in your mind.
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For example, Did you remember to call your mom on her birthday?
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I had the intention, but we still don't know if the action was successfully completed.
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Okay, number two.
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I, her mind, but she's going to quit her job.
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The correct answer is tried to change.
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If you try to do something, that means you make an effort to do something difficult.
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In this context, was I successful?
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Did I change her mind?
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Unfortunately, no. I'll try to finish by 5 p.m., but I don't think it's possible.
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Now, if you try doing something, that's a little different.
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It means you experiment with an action to see if it helps or if it works for you.
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For example, if it's really difficult to fall asleep at night, you can try doing a few different things.
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You can try turning off your phone.
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You can try counting sheep.
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You can try listening to different sounds like rain.
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Let's try one more.
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This one's a little tricky.
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He never about how his actions might affect others.
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The answer depends.
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They're both correct, but they have almost opposite meanings.
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The gerund form, stop doing something, means that you quit an action or something does not continue.
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In this context, he never stops thinking.
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So this is always on his mind.
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By the way, this form is really useful if you're a parent.
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Stop running.
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Stop jumping.
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Stop crying.
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Please stop doing that.
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Now the meaning changes completely with the infinitive form.
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If you stop to do something,
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you pause one action to start another action before you continue the original action again.
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In this context, if he never stops to think, that's a bad thing.
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That means he never pauses for a moment and he never thinks about the effect of his actions before he does things.
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Another example, let's compare he stopped smoking and he stopped to smoke.
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In the first sentence, he stopped smoking, the gerund shows a real action was happening and then ended.
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So this means he quit that habit.
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He doesn't smoke anymore.
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But in the second sentence, he stopped to smoke, the infinitive shows a purpose, a new action he wanted to start.
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This means he paused another activity, like working, for example, so that he could have a cigarette.
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This is going to take lots and lots of practice, I know.
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But once you start to feel the difference, you'll notice that your instinct for which one sounds right will become much stronger.
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Okay, that was the hard part.
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The rest of this lesson should be much easier.
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Obviously, I can't explain all of the ways that we use gerunds and infinitives and all of the exceptions,
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but I can show you the most consistent patterns and structures
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so you can feel more confident when you create your own sentences.
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In English, if the subject of the sentence is an action.
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We use the gerund form like 99% of the time.
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Dancing is my favorite form of exercise.
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The subject can also be a phrase.
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Playing board games is a great way to spend an evening with friends.
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Speaking in public can be stressful for some people.
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Liking this video is the best way to support my content.
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Another great pattern to remember.
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We use a gerund after a preposition.
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I always feel better after meditating.
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Think carefully before making a decision.
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He learned Japanese by watching anime.
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You're really good at cooking.
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This is an important collocation for talking about skills.
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Be good or bad at something, not in.
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If you've ever watched one of my lessons until the end, you'll notice that I always use this pattern when I say,
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thank you so much for watching.
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The cool thing is that this pattern also applies to phrasal verbs
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because the particle of a phrasal verb is usually a preposition.
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We planned to go out, but we ended up staying home.
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I'm looking forward to seeing you next week.
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Be careful here.
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I know it looks incorrect to use two plus ing, but this two here is not an infinitive.
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This phrasal verb is special because it's made of two particles, forward and to.
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It requires both.
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So the same rule applies.
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Preposition plus gerund.
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Look forward to doing something.
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Next, let's talk about the infinitive of purpose.
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We use the infinitive to express why someone does something.
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They went to the library to study.
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Why did she call?
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To ask a question.
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We can use just the infinitive as a short, casual response in speaking.
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You must work hard to get a promotion.
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Or, to get a promotion, you must work hard.
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Keep in mind that in writing, if you move the infinitive phrase to the front for emphasis,
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we need to separate this from the main clause with a comma.
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Finally, it's very common to see an infinitive after a question word, and here the meaning is can or should.
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For example, a more natural way to say, I don't know what I should eat is,
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I don't know what to eat.
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I don't know what to eat.
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Please tell me when to start.
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Do you know how to ride a unicycle?
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A common mistake I see is know to ride.
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This is incorrect.
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When we're talking about skills or things that we learn, we say know how to do something.
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Okay, if you have any questions or if you want to practice writing some example sentences with gerunds and infinitives,
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please leave a comment.
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I'd love to read them.
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If you enjoyed watching this lesson, you know what to do.
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Thank you so much for being here.
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I'm Gina, this is Your World in English, and I'll see you next time.
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Bye!
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Mastering Gerunds and Infinitives: Beyond Textbook Rules
The video dives into a common challenge for English learners: choosing between gerunds (-ing form) and infinitives (to + base verb). While textbooks often list rules, the lesson reveals a deeper perspective—how native speakers view actions as real/experienced (gerunds) or potential/intended (infinitives). This insight helps learners choose naturally, without memorizing endless lists.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "I enjoy reading" (gerund for a real, experienced action)
- "I want to read" (infinitive for a potential desire)
- "I don't recommend visiting" (gerund based on experience)
- "He kept running" (gerund for an ongoing action)
- "I miss being a student" (gerund for a completed, real experience)
Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide for This Video
Practice the shadowing technique to internalize these patterns. Here's how: 1. Listen and repeat immediately: Pause the video after short phrases (e.g., "The real difference... is about perspective") and mimic the tone and rhythm. This builds fluency for IELTS speaking practice. 2. Focus on stress and intonation: Notice how native speakers emphasize "real" or "potential" to highlight the gerund/infinitive choice. Shadow speech helps you replicate these nuances. 3. Analyze context: After shadowing, ask: "Is the action real or potential?" This trains your brain to connect form with meaning. 4. Record and compare: Record your shadowing and compare it to the video. Adjust pacing to match natural speech. 5. Practice with new examples: Use the "real vs. potential" rule to create your own sentences (e.g., "I love cooking" vs. "I need to cook").
By combining shadowing with this analytical approach, you'll master gerunds and infinitives more effectively than memorizing rules alone. This method is perfect for shadowspeaks practice, as it links grammar to real communication.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | have been waiting · you've been paying |
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if I had a choice, I'd prefer |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | have been achieved · been achieved · is based |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have been achieved · haven't happened · I've never done |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.