I'm Finding It Hard to Stop
Verb patterns — gerunds and infinitives. Maya finally starts running after watching Priya train, and discovers (like Leo with coffee) that some habits become gifts.
📖 Reading: Maya's New Habit
Maya has recently started running. She decided to try it after watching Priya train for the half-marathon.
"I've been meaning to start for years," she told Leo. "I kept putting it off."
"What finally made you begin?" he asked.
"Priya suggested doing a short run together. I agreed to go, expecting to hate it. But I didn't hate it at all."
"Do you enjoy running now?" asked Leo.
"I've stopped minding the early starts," said Maya. "And I seem to be getting better at it."
"What do you find most difficult?" asked Leo.
"I find it hard to motivate myself on dark mornings. But I've learned to appreciate the silence."
"I'd love to try," said Leo. "But I can't imagine getting up at 6 AM for exercise."
"I couldn't have imagined it either," said Maya. "But I've stopped thinking of it as a punishment. I've started thinking of it as a gift."
"I remember feeling exactly that about coffee," said Leo. "The first time I tried making it properly, I couldn't stop learning more."
"So we both ended up loving the thing we thought we'd never do," said Maya.
"That," said Leo, "seems to happen a lot."
🔑 Vocabulary Box
Eight key words from this lesson.
| Word | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| put off | To delay doing something | v. — She kept putting off starting to run. |
| motivate | To give someone a reason or desire to do something | v. — She finds it hard to motivate herself. |
| appreciate | To recognise and enjoy the value of something | v. — She has learned to appreciate the silence. |
| punishment | Something unpleasant imposed as a consequence | n. — She stopped thinking of it as a punishment. |
| pattern | A regular structure; in grammar, how verbs are followed by other forms | n. — Verb patterns require memorisation. |
| imagine | To form a mental picture of something | v. — I couldn't have imagined it. |
| properly | In a correct and thorough way | adv. — He started making coffee properly. |
| end up | To finally reach a state or place | v. — They both ended up loving it. |
📚 Key Verbs & Structures in This Lesson | |
enjoy/avoid/suggest/keep + -ing | She enjoys running. / She kept putting it off. |
decide/agree/learn/manage + to | She decided to try. / She learned to appreciate it. |
stop + -ing (cease) | She stopped minding early starts. |
stop + to (in order to) | She stopped to rest. (she paused in order to rest) |
📚 Grammar Focus
📚 Verbs + Gerund (-ing) | |
enjoy / love / like / hate | She enjoys running. / He loves cooking. |
keep / stop (=cease) / avoid | She kept putting it off. / He stopped smoking. |
suggest / recommend / mind | Priya suggested doing a run. / I don't mind waiting. |
finish / practise / consider | Have you finished writing? / He practises speaking daily. |
Verbs + Infinitive (to + verb)
📚 Verbs + Infinitive (to + verb) | |
want / need / decide / agree | She decided to try. / He agreed to go. |
learn / manage / fail / refuse | She learned to appreciate it. / He managed to finish. |
seem / appear / tend | She seems to be improving. / He tends to arrive late. |
ask / tell / encourage / invite | She encouraged me to run. / He asked me to come. |
Verbs That Change Meaning
📚 Verbs That Change Meaning | |
stop + -ing (cease) | She stopped smoking. (she no longer smokes) |
stop + to (pause in order to) | She stopped to rest. (she paused in order to rest) |
remember + -ing (past memory) | I remember feeling nervous. (I recall the feeling) |
remember + to (duty) | Remember to call him. (don't forget) |
try + -ing (experiment) | Try adding more salt. (see if it helps) |
try + to (attempt) | I'll try to arrive early. (I'll make an effort) |
🎭 Dialogue: What Made You Start?
Leo asks Maya how she finally got into running. She convinces him to try — even if it's only walking, first.
Maya, you've started running. What finally made you begin?
Priya suggested doing a short run together. I agreed to go.
Did you enjoy it?
I didn't expect to. But I've stopped minding the early mornings.
I keep meaning to try. But I can't imagine getting up at 6 for exercise.
I said the same thing. Try running once — just once.
Maybe. I'd prefer to start by walking.
That's fine! The important thing is to stop putting it off.
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
What made Maya finally start running?
What does Maya find most difficult about running?
What has she learned to appreciate?
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
'Priya suggested ___ a run together.' (do)
'Maya agreed ___ , expecting ___ it.' (go / hate)
'She kept ___ starting for years.' (put off)
🎭 Now It's Your Turn — Role Play
Practice with a partner. Use the dialogue as a model and extend it.
- Student A: Describe a habit or activity you started doing recently that you didn't expect to enjoy.
- Student B: Ask questions that naturally require gerunds and infinitives in the answers.
- Use: What made you start…? Do you enjoy…? How do you manage to…? What did you stop doing? Did you consider…?
- Each answer must contain a gerund or infinitive pattern.