-ing or to

Objective & content

This grammar sheet teaches the choice between the -ing form and to + verb after the most common verbs and expressions: the -ing form after enjoy, don't mind, finish, stop, good at, interested in, before and after (I'm good at taking photos.), and to + verb after want, decide, hope, learn, need, plan and would like (I hope to become a vet.). Pupils read Isaac's volunteer form for an animal shelter, find the missing verbs and read the rule, given in a box. By the end, they can choose the right form after these verbs and say what they enjoy doing and what they want to do.

Pedagogical guide

Page 1 is the form, with a picture of Isaac and of a dog: Isaac, 15, enjoys being outside, is good at taking photos, hopes to become a vet one day and plans to come to the shelter every Saturday morning. Pupils find six missing verbs in sentences from the form. Then they read the rule, given in a box in short lines: the verbs and expressions followed by the -ing form, the verbs followed by to + verb, no -s and no -ing after to, and stop + -ing (you do not do it any more). Page 2 has eight sentences where pupils tick the -ing form or to + verb, seven verbs in brackets to write in the right form and five sentences to write from prompts in the present simple. Page 3 is the final task: Barnaby's message to his friend Shreya about his first week as a helper at a summer holiday club. Pupils circle the right form in eleven brackets, and in each one, the word before the bracket decides. Then they fill in their own volunteer form for a club, a shelter or a summer job, with three -ing forms and three verbs + to. Every exercise opens with a worked example, except the free writing.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Tell the class "I enjoy reading, and I want to travel" and ask a few pupils what they enjoy doing and what they want to do.
2. (10 min) Read the form aloud; pupils find the missing verbs.
3. (5 min) Read the rule in the box with the class; pupils sort the verbs of the form into two lists, + -ing and + to.
4. (15 min) Page 2: the right form, the verbs in brackets, then the sentences.
5. (15 min) Page 3: Barnaby's message, then pupils fill in their own volunteer form.
6. (5 min) Check with the answer key on page 4.

Adaptations

[S] Read the form aloud and ask pupils which verbs come after enjoy, want and hope.

[A] Pupils read their own form to a partner, who finds the -ing forms and the verbs + to.

Materials & prerequisites

One copy of pages 1 to 3 per pupil. Page 4 is the answer key and teacher notes: keep it. Contracted and full forms are both right (don't or do not, 'd like or would like). The volunteer form is free writing, with no key. Pupils need the present simple, the past simple and the words for jobs, free time and animals. To take it further, pupils write a short message about a job or a club they would like to try, with three verbs + -ing and three verbs + to.