Speaker 1: Maybe you've been wondering how to start a sentence like
is it better to say eating pizza makes me happy
or to eat pizza makes me happy? Let's dive in
and see.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast Episode eight O seven.
To be or being? Which works better? Eating pizza makes
me happy? To eat pizza makes me happy. At first glance,
these seem to mean the same thing. After all, both
eating pizza and to eat pizza are subjects, right, But
here's the twist. Gerins and infinitives aren't always interchangeable. Let's
break it down so you can use them confidently. And
let me just make sure that you are clear on
those two grammar terms. A gerand is an ing verb
that functions like a noun. Singing is fun I like singing.
In both cases, singing is the gernd. An infinitive is
two followed by a base verb that also functions as
a noun. To eat pizza makes me happy. I like
to eat pizza. In both cases, to eat is the infinitive.
Both a gerrand and an infinitive can be used as
the subject of a sentence, but they aren't always used
in the same way. Let's explore when to use each one.
First of all, let's talk about using gerens as the subject.
Gerens are more commonly used as the subject of a sentence,
especially in everyday, casual, natural English conversation like reading, is
a great way to practice your English. Reading. Talking to
yourself is also a good way to practice your English.
Studying every day is important because consistency will help you
improve your skills. And you know what, Exercising and watching
your diet can help you lose weight. Reading, talking, exercising,
and watching Gerins like these as the subject of a
sentence work well when talking about general activities, actions or
concepts that are real, habitual and practical, like dancing brings
people together or learning English takes time and effort. Next up,
let's talk about infinitives and when they sound more natural.
To eat pasta is to consume the heart and soul
of Italy. To eat pasta using infinitives like that as
the subject of a sentence tend to sound more formal
or abstract or philosophical. Do you remember Shakespeare's Hamlet. In
one scene Hamlet, the main character is on the stage alone,
thinking deeply about life. He says, to to be or
not to be? That is the question here. Hamlet is
speaking philosophically, to be or not to be? What does
it mean to exist as a human being or not?
This is an abstract concept, so Shakespeare chose an infinitive
to be or not to be, and not a gerond
like being or not being. Infinitives are often used in
philosophical or poetic statements, like to love and to be
loved is the greatest joy in life. Sounds poetic, doesn't it.
To eat pasta is to consume the heart and soul
of Italy. To forgive is to be free. Sentences like
these feel deeper and more philosophical. Infinitives can emphasize the
possibility or the ideal state of an action rather than
the action itself, Like to succeed requires hard work, So
when you're talking about everyday situations and actions, use a
gerand as the subject of the sentence eating pizza makes
me happy. When you want to sound more formal and philosophical,
use an infinitive as the subject. To eat pizza is
to eat the entire culinary history of Italy. Gerins are
usually better in spoken English and casual writing, and infinitives
work well in philosophical and formal statements. Keep in mind
the best way to remember English like this and any
other word or phrase in English, is to take that
word or phrase, write it in a sentence that's true
for you or true in your world, and then memorize
your sentences. Hey, did you know you can get more
practice using your English when you join my podcast learner's
study group. There you can make new friends, join us
for live group lessons every week where we practice these
podcast lessons together. Plus you get access to the pdf,
transcript and audio download for every Happy English podcast in
the past and in the future. And on top of that,
each episode has exercises where you can practice this English
point with speaking and writing checked by me. To learn more,
just visit Myhappy English dot com and choose podcast lesson
eight o seven. Remember, learning another language is not easy,
but it's not impossible, and I'm here to help you
on your journey.
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Happy English.