Gerunds vs. Infinitives

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

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• hurdles
• long jump
• state of mind
• distance

• marathon
• in shape
• jogging
• dread

• low impact
• track and field

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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Running is such a common activity that if the Olympics aren’t coming up it’s easy to forget that it’s even a sport. In fact, it’s the oldest sport there is, and it’s so popular that many kinds of animals even do it!

Whether you are training for a marathon or just trying to stay in shape, all you need to run is a solid pair of shoes or a soft surface. Running exercises muscles all over your body. You can work up a sweat very quickly if you’re running fast.

But running can also be hard on your body. You’re less likely to injure yourself while swimming, for instance, and with bicycles and other work-out machines available these days, some people like to save the running for when they’re late for a bus. Find out if you’re more likely to see Jason and Ella jogging down the street or working out at the gym.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Jason

Ella

Jason:  What do you got going this weekend?

Ella:  I guess I’m gonna go for a jog even though I dread it.

Jason:  Oh really? It’s supposed to be good weather. I don’t see why it wouldn’t be a great weekend for a run.

Ella:  I know, I just hate running. I was in track and field for three years in high school…

Jason:  Me too!

Ella:  ...but I just absolutely hated the running part of it.

Jason:  What? So you enjoyed throwing javelins or what?

Ella:  No, I did hurdles and long jump and triple jump, so I’m more of a bouncy kind of person. When I go jogging I jog to these stairs and then I just do like 20 sets of stairs.

Jason:  So running a marathon would be your least favorite thing.

Ella:  My nightmare. That would be my ultimate nightmare.

Jason:  I would love to train for a marathon. I think it’s such a cool state of mind you get into when you’re doing distance running. You just sort of stop thinking and you have that rhythm of your feet hitting the ground and your heart beating but it’s just so hard on the body, to train for a 26-mile run. I feel like I’d get hurt.

Ella:  I could never do distance. I know it would be killer on my shins.

Jason:  Yeah. I’ve gotten more into biking since it’s lower impact.

Ella:  When was the last time you went jogging?

Jason:  You know, I don’t even remember. So we should go jogging somewhere, like on a beach or something where it’s soft.

Ella:  Yeah, let’s do it!

Grammar Point

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Lesson MP3

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