English Course · Level 4 (B1+) · Week 12 of 12
Personal Goals
Grammar: Gerund or infinitive? remember, forget, stop, try, regret — change of meaning
This week's plan
| Day | Learn | Listen / Watch | Practise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Words: Setting goals · Sentences 1–2 | BBC 6 Minute English: “Why do we procrastinate?” (podcast) | Exercise 1 |
| Day 2 | Words: Motivation · Sentences 3–4 | British Council: “New Year's resolutions” (writing) | Exercise 2 |
| Day 3 | Words: Obstacles · Sentences 5–6 | VOA Learning English: “Verbs That Change with Gerunds and Infinitives” (audio) + British Council: “Verbs followed by '-ing' or infinitive to change meaning” (grammar) | Exercise 3 |
| Day 4 | Words: Verbs that change meaning · Sentences 7–8 | British Council: “A talk about motivation” (listening) | Exercise 4 |
| Day 5 | Words: Celebrating success · Sentences 9–10 | TED-Ed: “Why you procrastinate even when it feels bad” (video) | Write & Speak |
| Day 6 | Review all 30 words + 10 sentences | TED-Ed: “What is imposter syndrome and how can you combat it?” (video) + BBC 6 Minute English: “Are you flourishing?” (podcast) | Redo mistakes |
| Day 7 | Free day ☺ | TED-Ed: “The science of stage fright (and how to overcome it)” (video) | Tick your tracker |
30 minutes a day: review, learn, listen, practise, speak. Day 7 is a free day. Tap a resource to find it.
30 words to learn
Set 1 · Setting goals
- set a goalيضع هدفًا
- aim forيسعى إلى / يستهدف
- aspire toيطمح إلى
- long-termطويل المدى
- realisticواقعي
- a to-do listقائمة مهام
Set 2 · Motivation
- motivatedمتحمّس / عنده دافع
- determinedمصمِّم / عازم
- commitmentالتزام
- stick toيلتزم بـ
- keep goingيستمر / يكمّل
- self-disciplineالانضباط الذاتي
Set 3 · Obstacles
- procrastinateيماطل / يؤجّل عمله
- a stumbling blockعقبة / حجر عثرة
- fear of failureالخوف من الفشل
- lack of timeضيق الوقت
- get distractedيتشتت
- give inيستسلم / يرضخ
Set 4 · Verbs that change meaning
- rememberيتذكر
- forgetينسى
- stopيتوقف
- tryيحاول / يجرّب
- go onيستمر / ينتقل إلى الخطوة التالية
- meanيقصد / يعني
Set 5 · Celebrating success
- reachيصل إلى
- pay offيؤتي ثماره / يجيب نتيجة
- reward yourselfيكافئ نفسه
- track your progressيتابع تقدمه
- a sense of achievementشعور بالإنجاز
- a dream come trueحلم تحقّق
10 sentences to memorise
- 1I remember feeling nervous on my first day at work.أتذكر أنني شعرت بالتوتر في أول يوم لي في العمل.
- 2Please remember to send me the report before Thursday.من فضلك تذكّر أن ترسل لي التقرير قبل يوم الخميس.
- 3I stopped eating sugar two months ago.توقفت عن تناول السكر منذ شهرين.
- 4On the way to Alexandria, we stopped to have lunch.في الطريق إلى الإسكندرية، توقفنا لنتناول الغداء.
- 5Try going to bed earlier — it might help you concentrate.جرّب أن تنام مبكرًا؛ فقد يساعدك ذلك على التركيز.
- 6I tried to call you, but your phone was off.حاولت أن أتصل بك، لكن هاتفك كان مغلقًا.
- 7I regret not learning English when I was younger.أندم لأنني لم أتعلم الإنجليزية عندما كنت أصغر سنًّا.
- 8We regret to inform you that the course has been cancelled.يؤسفنا أن نبلغك بأن الدورة قد أُلغيت.
- 9I'll never forget meeting my favourite writer.لن أنسى أبدًا لقائي بكاتبي المفضل.
- 10Set realistic goals and stick to them.ضع أهدافًا واقعية والتزم بها.
Grammar: Gerund or infinitive? remember, forget, stop, try, regret — change of meaning
Some verbs change their meaning: verb + -ing usually looks back (the action happened before); verb + to-infinitive usually looks forward (the action comes after).
remember / forget + -ing = a memory · remember / forget + to = a duty · stop + -ing = finish an activity · stop + to = stop in order to do something · try + -ing = an experiment · try + to = make an effort · regret + -ing = sorry about the past · regret + to = formal bad news.
في العربية «تذكرت أن أغلق الباب» و«أتذكر أنني أغلقت الباب» جملتان مختلفتان، وكذلك في الإنجليزية، لكن الفرق يظهر في شكل الفعل: remember to lock (تذكرت واجبًا ففعلته) و remember locking (ذكرى لشيء حدث). أشهر خطأ: I stopped to smoke ويقصد المتكلم «أقلعت عن التدخين»، لكنها تعني «توقفت لكي أدخّن»! والصحيح I stopped smoking. القاعدة البسيطة: ing تنظر إلى الماضي، و to تنظر إلى المستقبل.
| Verb | + -ing | + to-infinitive |
|---|---|---|
| remember | I remember visiting Luxor as a child. (a memory) | Remember to buy bread. (don't forget to do it) |
| forget | I'll never forget seeing the pyramids. (a memory) | I forgot to call my mother. (I didn't call her) |
| stop | He stopped smoking. (he doesn't smoke now) | He stopped to smoke. (he stopped walking in order to smoke) |
| try | Try drinking warm water. (an experiment) | I tried to open the door, but it was locked. (an effort) |
| regret | I regret leaving school early. (I'm sorry I did it) | We regret to tell you … (formal bad news) |
| go on | She went on talking for an hour. (continued) | After her degree, she went on to do a master's. (next step) |
| mean | Being a doctor means working long hours. (involves) | I meant to call you, but I forgot. (intended) |
Wrong: I stopped to smoke last year. ✔ I stopped smoking last year.
Wrong: Don't forget locking the door. ✔ Don't forget to lock the door.
Negative forms: I regret not studying harder. · Try not to worry.
Exercises
Exercise 1 · Choose the correct form.
- 1) Did you remember (to lock / locking) the door?
- 2) I'll never forget (to see / seeing) the sunrise over Aswan.
- 3) On his way to work, he stopped at a kiosk (to buy / buying) a newspaper.
- 4) I've stopped (to drink / drinking) coffee in the evening.
- 5) If you can't sleep, try (to drink / drinking) a glass of warm milk — it might help.
- 6) I tried (to lift / lifting) the box, but it was too heavy.
Show the answers
Exercise 2 · Complete with the -ing form or the to-infinitive.
- 1) I regret ___ (not / accept) that job offer.
- 2) We regret ___ (inform) you that your flight is delayed.
- 3) Don't forget ___ (track) your progress every week.
- 4) I remember ___ (feel) proud when I got my first salary.
- 5) After a short break, the teacher went on ___ (explain) the same lesson.
- 6) Omar finished his degree and went on ___ (become) a successful engineer.
Show the answers
Exercise 3 · What does it mean? Choose a or b.
- 1) I stopped to eat. a) I didn't eat any more. b) I stopped what I was doing so that I could eat.
- 2) I remember posting the letter. a) I have a memory of posting it. b) I must post it later.
- 3) Try adding some salt. a) Do it and see if it tastes better. b) It's very difficult to add salt.
- 4) She forgot to call him. a) She called him but doesn't remember it. b) She didn't call him.
- 5) I regret telling him. a) I told him, and I'm sorry I did. b) I'm sorry, but I have bad news for him.
- 6) He went on to study law. a) He continued studying the same subject. b) Studying law was his next step.
Show the answers
Exercise 4 · Translate into English.
- 1) أقلعت عن التدخين منذ عامين.
- 2) تذكّر أن تضع أهدافًا واقعية.
- 3) أندم لأنني لم أذاكر بجدٍّ أكبر.
- 4) حاولت أن أستيقظ مبكرًا، لكنني كنت متعبًا جدًا.
- 5) لن أنسى أبدًا رؤية الأهرامات لأول مرة.
Show the answers
Do each exercise in pencil first, then open the answers to check.
Write & Speak
Example: Next year I have two important goals. The first is to reach B2 level in English and get 6.5 in the IELTS exam. My dream is to do a master's degree abroad, and I'll need English for that. I still remember feeling embarrassed in a job interview two years ago because I couldn't answer a simple question in English. I never want to feel like that again. The second goal is to get fit. I've already stopped drinking fizzy drinks, and I'm going to try walking to work three days a week instead of taking a microbus. I know there will be obstacles. I often procrastinate, and I get distracted by my phone in the evening. Last year I tried to study every night, but I gave in after two weeks because my plan wasn't realistic. This time I'll study for thirty minutes a day, track my progress in a notebook and reward myself after every milestone. I don't want to look back and regret wasting another year. If I stick to my plan, I'm sure I'll achieve my goals.