One verb, two grammars, two completely different meanings — learn to choose the right one.
You already know that some verbs take the -ing form (a gerund) and others take to + verb (an infinitive). At B2 the real challenge is a small group of verbs that accept both forms — but with a different meaning for each one. Choosing the wrong pattern does not just sound odd; it changes what you are actually saying.
These are the seven verbs this unit will make automatic: remember, forget, stop, try, regret, go on and mean. Look at how much the meaning moves when only the form changes:
Keep this table in your head. The -ing form usually looks backwards (to something real that happened or an activity in progress), while the to-infinitive looks forwards (to a purpose, a duty or an intention).
| Verb | + -ing (gerund) | + to-infinitive |
|---|---|---|
| remember | recall a past action | not forget a future duty |
| forget | fail to recall the past | fail to do a duty |
| stop | quit / end an activity | pause in order to do something |
| try | experiment; test an idea | make an effort; attempt |
| regret | be sorry about the past | be sorry to announce bad news |
| go on | continue the same action | move on to a new action |
| mean | involve / result in | intend to |
With remember and forget, the -ing form points back to something you did (or failed to recall). The to-infinitive points forward to a job you must (or must not) do.
| Meaning | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a memory of the past | remember + -ing | I remember meeting her at a birthday party. |
| a duty not to forget | remember + to-inf | Please remember to pack your lunchbox. |
| no memory of the past | forget + -ing | I'll never forget seeing the ocean for the first time. |
| failing to do a duty | forget + to-inf | He forgot to call, so we waited for nothing. |
These two cause the most mistakes. With stop, the -ing is the thing you end; the to-infinitive is your reason for pausing. With try, the -ing is a small experiment; the to-infinitive is a real effort at something difficult.
| Verb | Form & meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| stop | + -ing = quit the activity | The baby finally stopped crying. |
| stop | + to-inf = pause for a purpose | We stopped to take photos of the view. |
| try | + -ing = experiment (does it work?) | Try turning it off and on again. |
| try | + to-inf = make a hard effort | I tried to lift the box, but it was too heavy. |
The same logic runs through the last three verbs. -ing stays anchored to the real past or a continuing action; to-infinitive looks ahead to news, a next step or an intention.
| Verb | Form & meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| regret | + -ing = be sorry about the past | I regret quitting the choir so early. |
| regret | + to-inf = be sorry to say news | We regret to inform you that the trip is cancelled. |
| go on | + -ing = continue the same thing | She went on talking for another hour. |
| go on | + to-inf = move to the next thing | After the intro, he went on to explain the plan. |
| mean | + -ing = involve / result in | A new school means making new friends. |
| mean | + to-inf = intend to | I meant to call you, but I ran out of time. |
Every error below comes from choosing the wrong form — and so saying the wrong thing. Check your own sentences against each row.
| Wrong ✗ | Right ✓ | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Remember calling the dentist tomorrow. | Remember to call the dentist tomorrow. | a future duty → to-infinitive. |
| I stopped to eat sweets, so I have fewer cavities now. | I stopped eating sweets, so I have fewer cavities now. | quitting a habit → -ing. |
| Have you tried to restart the game? (as a quick test) | Have you tried restarting the game? | a simple experiment → -ing. |
| She regrets to leave school so young. | She regrets leaving school so young. | sorry about the past → -ing. |
| This club means to meet every week. | This club means meeting every week. | a consequence it involves → -ing. |
Two friends talk about a big life change. Read it twice and watch how each verb switches meaning with its form.
Choose the correct answer. — 10 questions, each one is marked instantly. Questions get harder as you go.
Learn the words, then use them in your own sentences about a change you have faced.
Write 8 sentences about a big decision or change in your life — a move, a new school, a new habit or a challenge. Use at least 8 of the words above.
Sentence starters (you can begin with these):
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your task.)
Read the text, then answer the questions.
Good readers prepare before they start. Before you read, think about these three questions (you do not need to write the answers):
Words to spot (from the Speaking section): relocate · isolated · adapt · remote · reluctant · daunting · settle in · rewarding
When my parents first told me we were moving to a mountain village three hundred kilometres from our city, my friends thought I had lost my mind. I will never forget arriving on a rusty bus in the middle of a snowstorm, wondering what we had done. The decision meant leaving my comfortable life behind; nevertheless, it turned out to be the best thing that has ever happened to me.
Looking back, I still find it hard to explain why the idea scared me so much. I had my old school in the city, my bedroom, my football team and a safe daily routine, and at first I was genuinely reluctant to give any of it up. My mum had been offered the chance to run the tiny village school, and the whole family was willing to relocate to a remote valley for at least a year. I remember reading the letter three times and then stomping off to my room, telling myself the whole plan was ridiculous. Yet the thought refused to leave me alone. For weeks I went on imagining the mountains, the silence and the classmates I had never met. The idea felt daunting, and more than once I nearly begged my parents to forget the whole thing and stay where I felt safe. In the end, though, I stopped making excuses. I realised that if I did not try something brave now, I would probably regret it for years. So I packed my things, said goodbye to my friends before I could change my mind, and climbed onto that bus half hoping it would turn around.
The first month was brutal. Living there meant getting used to a world without hot water, fast internet or a nearby shop. I remember spending my first evenings staring at the ceiling, homesick and cold. Although I nearly stopped believing I could cope, I refused to beg my parents to move back. Therefore, I tried keeping a diary every night, and slowly, writing my thoughts down helped me settle in.
Adapting to the new rhythm of life took far longer than I had expected. In the city I had never once thought about where our water came from; here, we collected it from a well and heated it on an old wood stove. The nights were long and completely dark, and for the first few weeks the isolation frightened me. There was no cinema, no shop and no crowd of strangers to disappear into — only the wind, the snow and a handful of houses scattered across the valley. I had to learn to slow down. I stopped checking my phone every few minutes, mainly because there was almost no signal, and I gradually began to notice things I had ignored for years: the colour of the sky at dusk, the smell of bread baking, the sound of children laughing on their way to school. Being so isolated forced me to become more patient and far more resourceful. I learned to feed the chickens, to light a fire on a freezing morning and to mend my own boots when they split. Little by little, without quite noticing when it happened, I started to feel that the strange, quiet valley, which had once terrified me, was slowly becoming a kind of home.
The other children changed everything. They had almost nothing; however, they never stopped smiling. When a younger boy next door struggled with reading, I tried teaching him through songs instead of textbooks, whereas his teacher had relied only on the coursebook. Within weeks he was reading aloud to the whole class. I regret to say that I had almost given up on him at first; moreover, I had doubted whether a kid like me could help at all. I am so glad I was wrong.
The village children were the real reason I stopped missing the city. Most of them walked for an hour through the snow to reach the tiny school, and not one of them ever complained. There was a girl called Mira who could solve difficult sums in her head but was far too shy to speak in front of the others; there was a boy who drew astonishing pictures of birds on every scrap of paper he could find. One freezing morning, a small girl tugged my sleeve and asked me a question I have never forgotten.
"Is it true," she said, "that people in the city really throw food away?" I hesitated, unsure how to answer. "Sometimes they do," I admitted. She frowned and thought about this for a long moment. "That is very strange," she said at last, and went quietly back to her game. That single conversation taught me more than any lesson ever had. These children owned almost nothing, and yet they wasted nothing and valued everything. Living among them did not just mean learning to milk a goat or bake bread; it meant learning, every single day, what really matters.
The seasons shaped everything we did. In winter the whole valley vanished under deep snow, and homework was often done by candlelight; in spring, meltwater turned the paths to mud and the mountains filled with wild flowers. I learned to embrace both extremes rather than fight them. Slowly, our family earned the trust of the neighbours, who invited us to share their meals and their celebrations. They had so little, and yet they gave so generously that I often felt ashamed of how much I had once taken for granted. Making a real commitment to a place and its people, I discovered, changes you in ways you cannot predict. There were hard days, of course — days when I felt tired, useless or desperately far from my old friends. But not once did the year feel like a waste; everything about it, even the difficulties, turned out to be worthwhile.
We stayed for two years in the end. Since that time, I have never stopped missing the place. When our second winter ended, I went on to help new children settle into the village school, yet a part of me still lives on that snowy mountain. I do not regret leaving the city for a single day. If you ever get the chance to do something that frightens you, remember to say yes — you may discover, as I did, who you really are.
Choose the correct answer.
Are these sentences true or false, according to the text?
Complete each sentence with ONE word from the text. Mind the form — is it an -ing or a to-infinitive?
Write your answer in your own words. These questions are not marked automatically.
1. Why did the writer's friends think he "had lost his mind"?
2. How did the writer cope during the difficult first month?
3. What lesson does the writer share at the end of the text?
Find these connectors in the text — each one appears at least once: however, therefore, nevertheless, although, whereas, moreover, since, yet. (You will use these same connectors in the Writing section.) Note them down, then check.
Todd talks to Abidemi about life and teaching in an isolated Arctic community.
You will hear an interview: Todd asks Abidemi about teaching in a remote community in the far north of Canada — the cost of living, the frozen ground, and the long winter darkness. You will listen TWICE. First listen: answer questions 1-5. Second listen: answer questions 6-10. (Kaydı İKİ kez dinleyeceksin: ilk dinlemede 1-5, ikinci dinlemede 6-10.)
Write and submit your paragraph; your teacher will review it.
At B1 you linked ideas with and, but, so, because. At B2 you sound noticeably more advanced when you use formal, precise connectors. Four of them are essential this unit — and two familiar ones, although and however, become sharper tools.
| Connector | Use it to... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| moreover | add a stronger, extra point | The move was hard. Moreover, it meant leaving my friends. |
| therefore | show a logical result | I hated giving up; therefore, I tried again. |
| whereas | contrast two ideas directly | My friends stayed, whereas I chose to relocate. |
| nevertheless | say "in spite of that" | It felt daunting. Nevertheless, I said yes. |
| although | concede a point inside one sentence | Although I was reluctant, I have no regrets. |
| however | contrast between two sentences | I nearly quit. However, I went on to succeed. |
See the difference — the same facts, written two ways:
| Basic linking ✗ | Confident B2 writing ✓ |
|---|---|
| I moved away. It was hard. I did not give up. I learned a lot. I am happy now. | I decided to relocate, and the first months were daunting. Nevertheless, I refused to quit. Although I nearly stopped believing in myself, I have learned a great deal since then; therefore, I do not regret leaving. |
A "decision" paragraph has three parts. The skeleton stays the same — you change the content, not the structure:
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Opening | A topic sentence that names the decision | Two years ago I made a decision that changed my life. |
| 2. Body | Tell the story. Use this unit's verbs with the correct form: I remember arriving...; it meant leaving...; I tried keeping...; I don't regret leaving... Link with B2 connectors. | Although I was reluctant, I stopped making excuses. Nevertheless, it meant leaving everything behind. |
| 3. Closing | A final comment about now or the future | I have never stopped missing it, therefore I hope to go back. |
Write about a big decision or a change you have been through — a move, a new school, a habit you started or stopped, a challenge you took on. Use this unit's verb patterns.
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will evaluate your writing.)
Mixed questions from the whole unit, then check what you can do.
14 questions: grammar + vocabulary + reading + listening. Each question is marked instantly.
Tick what you can do now. Honest answers help your teacher.
İşaretlemediğin madde varsa ilgili bölüme dönüp tekrar çalış — soldaki menüden her bölüme geri dönebilirsin.
Oturum kontrol ediliyor...