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Speaker 1: Maybe you've been wondering how to start a sentence like

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is it better to say eating pizza makes me happy

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or to eat pizza makes me happy? Let's dive in

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and see.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from

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New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.

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Speaker 1: All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael

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here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.

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And this is Happy English Podcast Episode eight O seven.

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To be or being? Which works better? Eating pizza makes

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me happy? To eat pizza makes me happy. At first glance,

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these seem to mean the same thing. After all, both

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eating pizza and to eat pizza are subjects, right, But

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here's the twist. Gerins and infinitives aren't always interchangeable. Let's

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break it down so you can use them confidently. And

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let me just make sure that you are clear on

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those two grammar terms. A gerand is an ing verb

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that functions like a noun. Singing is fun I like singing.

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In both cases, singing is the gernd. An infinitive is

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two followed by a base verb that also functions as

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a noun. To eat pizza makes me happy. I like

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to eat pizza. In both cases, to eat is the infinitive.

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Both a gerrand and an infinitive can be used as

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the subject of a sentence, but they aren't always used

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in the same way. Let's explore when to use each one.

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First of all, let's talk about using gerens as the subject.

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Gerens are more commonly used as the subject of a sentence,

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especially in everyday, casual, natural English conversation like reading, is

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a great way to practice your English. Reading. Talking to

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yourself is also a good way to practice your English.

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Studying every day is important because consistency will help you

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improve your skills. And you know what, Exercising and watching

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your diet can help you lose weight. Reading, talking, exercising,

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and watching Gerins like these as the subject of a

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sentence work well when talking about general activities, actions or

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concepts that are real, habitual and practical, like dancing brings

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people together or learning English takes time and effort. Next up,

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let's talk about infinitives and when they sound more natural.

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To eat pasta is to consume the heart and soul

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of Italy. To eat pasta using infinitives like that as

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the subject of a sentence tend to sound more formal

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or abstract or philosophical. Do you remember Shakespeare's Hamlet. In

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one scene Hamlet, the main character is on the stage alone,

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thinking deeply about life. He says, to to be or

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not to be? That is the question here. Hamlet is

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speaking philosophically, to be or not to be? What does

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it mean to exist as a human being or not?

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This is an abstract concept, so Shakespeare chose an infinitive

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to be or not to be, and not a gerond

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like being or not being. Infinitives are often used in

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philosophical or poetic statements, like to love and to be

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loved is the greatest joy in life. Sounds poetic, doesn't it.

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To eat pasta is to consume the heart and soul

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of Italy. To forgive is to be free. Sentences like

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these feel deeper and more philosophical. Infinitives can emphasize the

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possibility or the ideal state of an action rather than

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the action itself, Like to succeed requires hard work, So

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when you're talking about everyday situations and actions, use a

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gerand as the subject of the sentence eating pizza makes

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me happy. When you want to sound more formal and philosophical,

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use an infinitive as the subject. To eat pizza is

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to eat the entire culinary history of Italy. Gerins are

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usually better in spoken English and casual writing, and infinitives

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work well in philosophical and formal statements. Keep in mind

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the best way to remember English like this and any

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other word or phrase in English, is to take that

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word or phrase, write it in a sentence that's true

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for you or true in your world, and then memorize

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your sentences. Hey, did you know you can get more

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practice using your English when you join my podcast learner's

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study group. There you can make new friends, join us

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for live group lessons every week where we practice these

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podcast lessons together. Plus you get access to the pdf,

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transcript and audio download for every Happy English podcast in

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the past and in the future. And on top of that,

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each episode has exercises where you can practice this English

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point with speaking and writing checked by me. To learn more,

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just visit Myhappy English dot com and choose podcast lesson

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eight o seven. Remember, learning another language is not easy,

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but it's not impossible, and I'm here to help you

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on your journey.

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Speaker 2: This podcast was brought to you by Happy English. Please

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visit Myhappy English dot com show your support for Happy

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English by leaving us a review. Get English, Get Happy

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Happy English.