1.

Verbs and gerunds

After the verbs like, love, hate and enjoy, you can use a gerund. A gerund is a verb + ing that
acts like a noun. Look at these examples of gerunds.
 
I like  playing basketball. I like playing basketball.
I don't like swimming. I don't like swimming.
She loves going  to the beach. She loves going to the beach.
He hates doing  yoga. He hates doing yoga.
They enjoy playing  soccer. They enjoy playing soccer.
I like  watching  tennis. I like watching tennis.

Culture note: What most of the world calls football, Americans call soccer. North America has its own
game of football that is very different from soccer.

 
2. Asking for repetition and clarification
 
If you didn't hear or understand what someone said, you can ask for repetition:
 
A: Can you repeat that? Can you repeat that?
B: I really don't like cooking. I really don't like cooking.
A: Oh, right. Oh, right.

If you want someone to clarify their meaning, you can use the following expression:
 
A: It's really fun! It's really fun!
B: Are you talking about  table tennis?        Are you talking about table tennis?
A: Yes, I am. Yes, I am.
 
You can make your question more polite by using Excuse me, but ... or I'm sorry, but ...:
 
I'm sorry, but can you repeat that? I'm sorry, but can you repeat that?
Excuse me, but  are you talking about table tennis? Excuse me, but are you talking about table tennis?
 

When writing gerunds, remember these spelling rules:

If the verb ends with a vowel followed by a consonant, double the consonant and add -ing.
 
  Verb   Gerund
swim swimming
run running        

If the verb ends in an -e, remove the -e and add -ing.

 
  Verb   Gerund
live living
give giving
The verb ski is an exception. In the gerund form, the i is doubled.
 
  Verb   Gerund
ski skiing

3. 'Can' to express ability

Use can to express ability. Notice that it is followed by the base form of the verb.
 
I can swim.                                                           I can swim.
She can skate. She can skate.

Can has two negative forms: can't and cannot. They have the same meaning, but when we are
speaking, we usually say can't.
 
He can't surf.                                                     He can't surf.
I cannot  cook. I cannot cook.

To form questions, switch can with the subject of the main verb.

 
Can you ski?              Can you ski?
Can she play chess? Can she play chess?

The short-form answers to a can question are:

 
Yes, I  can.                             Yes, I can.
No, she  can't. No, she can't.
 

4. Intonation
Intonation is the pitch of the voice used to convey meaning or emotion. Rising intonation is when the
voice goes up at the end of the sentence. Falling intonation is when it falls or decreases.

Statements have falling intonation at the end of the sentence.

 
He can skate and play ice hockey. (↘) He can skate and play ice hockey.
She can't play the guitar. (↘) She can't play the guitar.

Generally, yes-no questions have rising intonation at the end.

Can you swim? (↗)                   Can you swim?

Do you like playing soccer? (↗) Do you like playing soccer?
 
Rising intonation turns a statement into a yes-no question.
 
He can do yoga? (↗)           He can do yoga?
You like playing
You like playing chess? (↗)
chess?

Rising intonation can also show surprise.

 
You can't swim?  (↗)     You can't swim?
He doesn't like football? (↗) He doesn't like football?

Questions with words like what, where, when and how usually have falling intonation at the end.

 
What sports do you like?  (↘) What sports do you like?
Where is my guitar? (↘) Where is my guitar?
 

5. Activities with 'play,' 'do' and 'go'

Use the verbs play, do and go to talk about sports and activities. Use play with most sports and games.
 
Can you  play tennis? Can you play tennis?
He plays chess on the weekend. He plays chess on the weekend.
She doesn't like  playing basketball. She doesn't like playing basketball.

Some activities take the verb do. There is no concrete rule - you just have to learn them. Here are some
examples:

He does karate after school.                    He does karate after school.

Can you  do kung fu? Can you do kung fu?
Doing  yoga is good exercise. Doing yoga is good exercise.

6. Activities with 'play,' 'do' and 'go'

Use the verbs play, do and go to talk about sports and activities. Use play with most sports and games.
 
Can you play  tennis? Can you play tennis?
He plays chess on the weekend. He plays chess on the weekend.
She doesn't like  playing basketball. She doesn't like playing basketball.

Some activities take the verb do. There is no concrete rule - you just have to learn them. Here are some
examples:

He does  karate after school.               He does karate after school.

Can you do kung fu?
Doing yoga is good exercise.
Use go with nouns ending in -ing.
Let's  go swimming!
He goes  running every morning.
Going hiking is really good exercise.
Can you do kung fu?
Doing yoga is good exercise.
Let's go swimming!
He goes running every morning.
Going hiking is really good exercise

7. Gerunds as subjects

Gerunds are nouns made from the -ing form of verbs.

 
She loves swimming.               She loves swimming.
I like cooking for my family. I like cooking for my family.
He enjoys  playing soccer. He enjoys playing soccer.

Gerunds can also act as subjects of sentences, just like any other nouns.

Swimming is her favorite activity.   Swimming is her favorite activity.

Cooking for my family is a lot of
Cooking for my family is a lot of fun.
fun.
Playing soccer is good exercise. Playing soccer is good exercise.
 
8. Quantifiers

Use quantifiers to say how much of something there is. A quantifier generally comes right before the noun
it describes.

Use most + noun to talk about a majority, or almost all, of something.

Most  people enjoy parties. Most people enjoy parties.

Use many and a lot of with a noun to talk about a large number of something.

Many  people like watching sports. Many people like watching sports.
 A lot of Canadians love watching ice
A lot of Canadians love watching ice hockey.
hockey.

Use some with a noun to talk about an unspecified or vague number of something.

Some people enjoy playing the guitar. Some people enjoy playing the guitar.

Use few and not many with a noun to talk about a small number of something.

Few  people hate sports.                     Few people hate sports.
Not many  people like walking in the rain.   Not many people like walking in the rain.