BB GRAMMAR BANK

gerunds and infinitives • More verbs take the in finitive than the gerund.
• T hese co1n1non verbs can take either the infinitive
gerund (verb + -ing}
or gerund w ith no d ifference in n1eaning: s tart,
begin, continue, e.g. it started to rain. It started
1 l'1n not very good at ren1embering names. 46 >)) raintnB.
Katie's given up smoking.
2 Driving at night is qu ire t iring.
Shopping is my favo urite thing to do at \veekends.
p Verb + person + infinitive with to
We also use the infinit ive with to after some
3 I hate not being on ti111e for thin gs. verbs, e.g. ask, t ell, want, would like + person.
I don't mind getting up early. Can you ask the manager to come?
She told him not to worry.
• We use the gerund (verb + -in8) I want you to do this now.
1 after prepositions and phrasal verbs . We'd rea/ly like you to come.
2 as the subject of a sentence.
3 after so1ne verbs, e.g. hate, spend, don't mind.
the infinitive w ithout to
• C on11non verbs which rake the gerund include: admit, avoid, deny,
dislike, enjoy, feel like, finish , hate, keep, like, love, mind, miss,
l I can't drive. 4 48>))
practise, prefer , recommend, spend time, stop, suggest, and phrasal
\Ve must hurry.
verbs, e.g. give up, go on, etc.
2 She ahvays makes me laugh.
• The negative gerund =not+ verb + -inB
My parents didn't let me go out last night.
the infinitive with to
• We use the infinitive w ithout to
1 My fl at is very easy to find . i) 47 >)) 1 after most 1nodal and auxiliary verbs.
2 Lia1n is saving money to buy a ne>v car. 2 after make and let.
3 My sister has never learned to drive. Try not to make a noise .
p Verbs that can take a gerund or an infinitive,
but the meaning is different
• We use the infinitive + to
Try to be on time. (- make an effort to be on
1 after adjectives. time)
2 to express a reason or purpose. Try doing yoga. ( do it to see if you like it)
3 after son1e verbs, e.g. 1.vant, need, learn. Remember to phone him. ('--don't forget to
do it)
• Con1n1on verbs \vhich take the infinitive include: (can't) afford, agree,
I remember meeting him years ago. ('-- I have a
decide , exp ect , forget, help, hope, learn, need, offer, plan, pretend,
memory of it)
promise, refuse, ren1ember, seem, try, want, would like.
• The negative infinitive = not to + verb.

a Q th e correct forn1. b C omplete w ith a verb fr on1 the list in the correct forn1.
l'n1 in charge ofE.§;p/ to recruit new s taff.
not buy commute do leave lock
1 I r's imp ortant for me spendinB /to spend riin e \:Vith my not make retire set up wear not worry
family.
2 Applyin8 / Appl)1for a job can be cornplicated. I'd like to set up. my O\Vn con1pany.
3 The manager asked n1e not sayinB / not to say anything 1 My parents are pla nning before they are 65.
abo ut the redundancies. 2 R ob spends th ree hours to \vork an d back
4 My boss \:vants me start/ to start \.vork earlier. every clay.
5 Be careful not askinB / nol to ask her abou t her 3 Mark's \.vife to ld hi1n abo ut the pro blems he
boyfriend - they've split up. h ad at \vork.
6 \Ve carried o n workinB /to ivork until we fin ished. 4 Did you rernember ____ the door?
7 Dave is very good at solving/ to solve logic problen1s . S In the end I decided _ _ __ t he shoes because they
8 The best thing abo ut \Veekencls is not BOinB /not to go \:vere very expensive.
to work . 6 T he manager lets us early on Fr idays.
9 Layla gave up modellin8 /to 1nodel >vhen she had a baby. 7 All employees nius t a jacket and tie at work.
10 I \ven t on a t rain ing course lo learnin.B / to learn about 8 Please try any 1n o re mistakes in the rep or t.
t he ne>v software. 9 I don't mind ____ overtime during the \veek.

<II( p.79
3 GRAMMAR gerunds and infinitives
a Complete T l1 e rinht job for ) 'Ou questionnaire by
putting the verbs in the correct forn1, the gerund
(e.g. workinB) o r to+ infinitive (e.g. to ivork).

b Read the questionnaire and tick (.I) on ly the

sentences that you strongly agree \.Vith. Discuss
your ans\.vers \vith anor.her student.

c No\v see in \vh ich g ro up(s) you have n1ost ticks,

and go to > Communication The right job for
you p.107. Do you agree \Vith the resu lts?

d Look at the sentences in the q uestio nnaire.

Comple te the rules \Vith the gerund or to +
The right job for you
infinitive. MATCH YOUR PERSONALITY TO THE JOB
1 After son1e verbs,
e.g. eajo)1, don't mind use ... 1 I'd like to work as part of a team. work
2 A fter son1e verbs, 2 I enjoy people with t hei r problems. help
e.g. 1vould lik.e use .. . 3 I don't mind _ __ a very large sa lary. not earn
3 After adjectives use .. .
4 I'm good at to people. listen
4 After preposi tions use .. .
5 As the s ubject of a phrase or
sentence use ... 5 I'm good at quick decisions. make
6 risks doesn't worry me. take
e > p.147 Grammar Bank 88. Learn more about
gerunds a nd infinitives, a11d practise t hem. 7 I'm happy by myself. work
8 I'm not afraid of _ __ large amounts manage
f C hoose five of the circles below of money.
and \vrite sornething in then1.
something you
enjoy doing on 9 I'm good at myself. express
somebody Sunday mornings
you find very 10 I always try my instincts. follow
easy to talk to somet hing you
are planning to 11 It's im portant for me creative. be
do in t he summer 12 I enjoy _ _ improvise
a country
a job you you'd like to 13 complex ca lcu lations is not do
hate doing in visit in th e f ut ure
t he house
difficult for me.
14 I enjoy logical problems. solve
a sport, activity,
or hobby you
15 I find it easy _ _ t heoretical understand
love doing, but never princip les.
have t ime fo r 16 I am able __ space and dista nce. calculate
something somebody you
you're afraid wouldn 't like to go
of doing on holiday with

a job
you'd love
to do

g Work in groups. Tell the o thers about \Vhat you

put in your circles, and anS\ver thei r q uestions.
(I'm .going to tell you about someone I find really I
/1I·
'1//
~Y to talk to. It's my uncle ..
88 GRAMMAR gerunds and infinitives
0 Con1plete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Use the gerund, the
i11finitive \Vith to, or the infinitive without to.

1 Emily's parents aren't strict enough \Vi th her. They let her - whatever
she likes. (do) do
2 I'm really busy right no\v. Would you 1nind - 1ne back in about
five minutes? (call)
3 My boss told me she wanted - to me in her office. (speak)
4 We decided - her a birthday present because we weren't sure what
she wanted. (not buy)
5 Have you ever thought o f - back to live in Edinburgh or are you
happy in London? (go)
6 My neighbour offered- my children \Vhile I \vent to do some
shopping. (look after)
7 Have you finishe d - the computer yet? I need it. (use)
8 - for people who are late makes me really angry. (wait)
9 My parents would like me - medicine as a career. (consider)
10 I think Ben should study architecture. He's very good a t -· (dra\v)
11 Do you think you'd like - with children or would you find it too
stressful? (\vork)
12 If they can save enough n1oney, they're hoping - to Miami for
their honeyn1oon. (go)
13 Have you ever thought about -yoga or Pilates? They're very good
if you have problems \Vith your back. (do)
14 I was really surpris e d - that he'd failed the exam. I thought he was
going to pass. (hear)
15 Are you going to go on-English here next year? (study)
16 I \vant you - very seriously about what you're going to do after you
leave university. (think)
17 I don't really feel like - to11igl1t. Let's go out for din11er. (cook)
18 Don't pretend - the present if you don't. \Ve can al\vays change it
for something else as I still have the receipt. (like)
19 - late at night always makes me - a bit unco1nfortable. I just can't
go to bed on a full stomach. (eat / feel)
20 Angela asked her bro ther - her a lift into town. (give)

-0 Cover the column on the right a11d look at the sentences. Read the sente11ces aloud with the
verbs in the correct form.

English File 3rd edition Teacher's Book Int ermediate Photocopiable ©Oxford Universit y Press 2013 159
'
43 Stress and stress management
A When work is stimulating
‘My name’s Patricia and I’m a university lecturer. I chose this profession because I wanted to do
something rewarding – something that gave me satisfaction. Ten years ago, when I started in this
job, I had lots to do, but I enjoyed it: preparing and giving lectures, discussing students’ work with
them and marking it. I felt stretched – I had the feeling that work could sometimes be difficult, but
that it was stimulating, it interested me and made me feel good. It was certainly challenging –
difficult, but in an interesting and enjoyable way.’

B When stimulation turns to stress

‘In the last few years there has been more
and more administrative work, with no
time for reading or research. I felt pressure
building up. I began to feel overwhelmed
by work – I felt as if I wasn’t able to do it
because the pressure and my employer’s
demands – what they wanted – were too
high. On Monday mornings I began to feel
so worried about the week ahead that I felt
quite ill. I’m sure this feeling was caused by
stress. My doctor agreed and said that it
was stress-induced.
‘Luckily, I was able to deal with this by
starting to work part-time. I was luckier
than one of my colleagues, who was also continually under stress. He became so stressed out
because of overwork that he had a breakdown. He’s completely burned out – so stressed and tired
by his work that he will never be able to work again.’

C Downshifting
‘More and more people want to
escape the rat race and get off
the treadmill – the feeling that
work is too competitive – and
are looking for lifestyles that are
less stressful or completely
unstressful.
‘Some people choose to work
from home so as to be nearer
their families. People are looking
for a better quality of life – a
more relaxed way of living,
perhaps in the country. Or
perhaps they are looking for
more quality time with their children – more than just preparing meals for them, taking them to
school, etc. All this is part of work–life balance – a better balance between the demands of their job
and the need for relaxation time with family, friends, etc.
‘Choosing to work in less stressful ways is known as downshifting or rebalancing, and people who
do this are downshifters.’

94 Business Vocabulary in Use Intermediate

 Exercises
43.1 Rearrange these sentences containing expressions from A and B opposite into a logical order.
a and stimulating. I felt pleasantly stretched. But then the pressure got to be too much and
I felt overworked
b and under a lot of stress: I found the travelling very tiring and stressful. I had the feeling of
being overwhelmed by my work. I started getting very bad headaches, and I’m sure they
were stress-induced.
c challenging to change professions in this way, but now I can feel the stress building up again!
I must do something to avoid complete breakdown and burnout.
d Hi, my name’s Piet. I’m an engineer, at least I was. For twenty years I worked for a Dutch
multinational. I was based here in Holland, but my work involved a lot of travelling, visiting
our factories, and at first I liked my job: technically it was very rewarding
e So, when I was 45, I made a big change. I started a little wine shop in Amsterdam, working
on my own. But now, after five years, I have 15 employees. At first it was
43.2 The underlined expressions below refer to different aspects of stress. Complete what the speakers
say with appropriate words and expressions from B and C opposite.

1 I don’t like all this competition towards objectives that are not that worthwhile − I don’t like the
and I want to get off the .

2 I’m ok now, but I had these feelings of being unable to do what I was supposed to do − I was
totally and .

3 My partner and I decided to make a change for the better by going to live in the country – we
wanted to and .

4 Another good thing you get by living there is a better .

5 I think my illness was caused by feeling tense and irritable all the time because of work – I’m
sure it was .

6 We spent a lot of time arguing with our children over basic things and we wanted to spend more
time doing interesting activities with them – we wanted more .

7 It felt like there was a great weight pressing down on me. But my colleagues told me that it was
probably because of my work – all that and .

8 The things my employer was asking me to do were impossible – I just couldn’t face their .

9 Seventy hours a week is not normal – no one should be asked to accept this level of .

10 It’s a feeling you hear but never think will happen to you. I retired at the age of 51 because
I couldn’t face work any more and I knew I would never go back – I was completely
.

Over to you
• Do you sometimes get stressed at work or college? What do you do about it?
• What are some of the symptoms of stress?
• What are the possible disadvantages of downshifting?

Business Vocabulary in Use Intermediate 95