6. There are many expressions with go + gerund which are concerned with
activities, sports, and physical recreation.
go dancing / go skiing / go running
Complete these sentences with go + a suitable gerund.
a. I __________ yesterday, but I didn’t buy anything.
b. I __________ by the river tomorrow, but I’m sure I won’t catch anything.
c. Whenever there’s enough snow, we __________ every weekend.
d. If I had enough money, I’d buy a yacht and __________ in the
Mediterranean.
e. We had a lovely holiday. We __________ every day. The water was lovely.
7. Fill the gaps with one of the verbs which follow the passage, in either
the gerund or infinitive form.
Jane’s a nurse, but she’s trying (1)__________ a new job. Although she
enjoys (2)__________ people, nursing is not very well paid, and she cannot
afford (3)__________ all her bills. She finds it impossible to live on such
a low salary without (4)__________ her account at the bank. Her flat needs
(5)__________ , and she would like (6)__________ a car. She managed
(7)__________ enough last year for a short holiday by (8)__________ some
extra money in her spare time, and this year, she’s hoping (9)___________
some friends in France. She has stopped (10)__________ to the theatre,
which used to be one of her greatest pleasures. She’s thinking of
(11)__________ in America, where she could earn a higher salary in a
private hospital, but would prefer (12)__________ in this country if
possible. She likes (13)__________ to see her parents whenever she wants
to. A friend of hers went to America after (14)__________ university, but
began (15)__________ her friends so badly that she had to come back.
earn
look after
miss
leave
pay
work
visit
save
buy
stay
find
redecorate
be able to
overdraw
go
8. Gap filling
Complete the following story. The lines show the number of words missing.
The words are not always gerunds or infinitives.
Example: He tried to find a job.
I’d like you to help me.
John Bradley was surprised (a) __________ __________ a letter waiting
for him on his desk when he arrived at work. Before (b) __________ it, he
hung up his coat and took out his glasses.
‘Dear Mr Bradley,’ he read, ‘We are sorry (c) __________ __________ you
that your services are no longer required …’
He couldn’t believe it. After (d) __________ for the company for thirty
years, he had been made redundant, one Monday morning, without (e)
__________ warned in any way at all. There was no point (f) __________
__________ the letter. The ending was obvious. ‘Thank you for your loyalty
and dedication over the years, and we hope you will enjoy (g)__________
more time to spend …’
The company wanted (h) __________ to go away quietly and enjoy his
premature retirement. He was fifty-two. How could he (i) __________
__________ find another job at this age? He knew that firms were not
interested (j) __________ __________ people over forty-five, let alone
over fifty. Could he still afford (k) __________ __________ his daughters
to their expensive school?
He sat back in his chair and looked out of the window, wondering (l)
__________ __________ __________ next. He decided (m) __________
___________ the office as soon as possible. He did not want (n) ___________
to see him while he left so depressed. So he put on his coat and for the
last time closed the office door behind him. He stopped (o)__________
__________ ‘goodbye’ to the telephonist, whom he had known for years, and
left the building.
Out in the street, it had begun (p) __________ __________ . He had
forgotten (q)__________ __________ his umbrella that morning, so he turned
up his overcoat collar and walked towards the station (r) __________
__________ his train home. He didn’t know what (s) __________ __________
to his wife. The thought of breaking the news to her (t)__________
__________ feel sick.
9. Adjective + infinitive
Rewrite the sentences, using the adjectives in brackets.
Example: I heard you passed your driving test. (delighted)
I was delighted to hear that you passed your driving test.
a. I learned that your aunt died. (sorry)
b. He wanted to know where we had been. (anxious)
c. She found that her husband was still alive. (amazed)
d. I see you’re still smoking. (disappointed)
e. He learned that he had nearly died. (shocked)
10. Verbs + gerund or infinitive
Rewrite the sentences, using the verbs in brackets.
Example: ‘Come to the party. You’ll really enjoy it,’ he said to her.
(persuade)
He persuaded her to go to the party.
a. ‘Yes, I did drive too fast through the town,’ she said. (admit)
b. ‘I’ll lend you some money, if you like,’ he said to me. (offer)
c. ‘If I were you, I’d accept the job,’ he said to his daughter. (advise)
d. ‘Why don’t you have a holiday in my country cottage?’ he said to us.
(invite)
e. ‘You must pay for the damage you’ve done,’ she said. So I paid. (make)
f. ‘I haven’t smoked for three years,’ she said. (stop)
g. We needed petrol, so we went to a service station. (stop)
h. I didn’t buy food for dinner so we had to go out. (forget)
i. But I fed the cat. (remember)
j. I had piano lessons for years, but I was never very good. (try)
11. ‘To’ used instead of whole infinitive
Notice that the whole infinitive need not be repeated if it is
understood.
Example: A You look terrible. You should have a holiday.
B I’m going to. (I’m going to have a holiday)
a. A Why aren’t you going to work?
B (not want)
b. A Can you come round for a meal tonight?
B (love) , but
c. A I’m afraid I can’t take you to the airport after all. Sorry.
B (promise) But
d. A Why can’t I take this book from the library?
B (not allow)
e. A Why have you painted the wall black?
B (tell)
A No, I didn’t. I told you to paint it pale yellow.
f. A Did you go out for a meal with him?
B (not ask)
12. ‘Talking’ versus ‘a talk’
Compare the following sentences.
Talking to someone about a problem usually helps to solve it.
I had a talk with Susan last night.
The gerund is used when we speak in general. To speak about one specific
occasion, we can use some verbs as nouns in the structure have a + noun.
Write two sentences for each of the following words, one with a gerund
and one with have a + noun.
Ride; drink; look; wash; quarrel; walk
13. Noun + preposition
Many nouns are followed by prepositions. Put the correct preposition into
each gap.
a. I got a cheque __________ five hundred pounds in the post today.
b. There has been a rise __________ the number of violent crimes.
c. Have you seen this photo __________ my daughter? Isn’t she beautiful?
d. The difference __________ you and me is that I don’t mind hard work.
e. I can think of no reason __________ such strange behaviour.
f. It took a long time to find a solution __________ the problem.
g. Could you give me some information __________ train times?
h. I’m having trouble __________ my car. It won’t start.
i. She’s doing research __________ the causes of tooth decay.
j. This is a machine __________ grinding coffee.
Unit 6 Reported speech
Report structures: ‘that’-clauses
Main points
o You usually use your own words to report what someone said, rather than
repeating their exact words.
o Report structures contain a reporting clause first, then a reported
clause.
o When you are reporting a statement, the reported clause is a ‘that’-
clause.
o You must mention the hearer with ‘tell’. You need not mention the hearer
with ‘say’.
When you are reporting what someone said, you do not usually repeat their
exact words, you use your own words in a report structure.
Jim said he wanted to go home.
Jim’s actual words might have been ‘It’s time I went’ or ‘I must go’.
Report structures contain two clauses. The first clause is the reporting
clause, which contains a reporting verb such as ‘say’, ‘tell’, or ‘ask’.
She said that she'd been to Belgium.
The man in the shop told me how much it would cost.
You often use verbs that refer to people’s thoughts and feelings to report
what people say. If someone says ‘I am wrong’, you might report this as ‘He
felt that he was wrong’.
The second clause in a report structure is the reported clause, which
contains the information that you are reporting. The reported clause can be
a ‘that’-clause, a ‘to’-infinitive clause, an ‘if’-clause, or a ‘wh’-word
clause.
She said that she didn't know.
He told me to do it.
Mary asked if she could stay with us.
She asked where he'd gone.
If you want to report a statement, you use a ‘that’-clause after a verb
such as ‘say’.
|admit |argue |decide |insist |reply |
|agree |claim |deny |mention |say |
|answer |complain |explain |promise |warn |
He said that he would go.
I replied that I had not read it yet.
You often omit ‘that’ from the ‘that’-clause, but not after ‘answer’,
‘argue’, ‘explain’, or ‘reply’.
They said I had to see a doctor first.
He answered that the price would be three pounds.
You often mention the hearer after the preposition ‘to’ with the following
verbs.
|admit |complain|mention |suggest |
|announce|explain |say | |
He complained to me that you were rude.
‘Tell’ and some other reporting verbs are also used with a 'that'-clause,
but with these verbs you have to mention the hearer as the object of the
