Oh. It's about maternity and baby care. They've
asked me to change wards.
Tim:
But you love working in the emergency wards.
Alice:
Yes, well.I want to work with Dr. Laver.
Tim:
Dr. Laver?
Alice:
He specialises in looking after children. He's a
great doctor, really friendly with the patients.
Tim:
I see. And he's not bad looking, I suppose?
Alice:
Don't be ridiculous! I'm thinking about my career.
Tim:
But you want your own children. Don't you think
it'd be horrible looking after other people's kids?
Alice:
Yeah, that's the problem. So I haven't decided
whether to take the job or not.
Sometimes in a
sentence, one verb follows another. For example, I want to buy an electric car.
The first verb is 'want', the second verbis 'buy'.
In sentences like
this, there are different possible patterns. For example:
(a) I want to
buy an electric car.
(b) I hate driving.
In sentence A, the
first verb is followed by an infinitive.
In sentence B, the
first verb is followed by a gerund (-ing) form.
The verb patterns are dependent upon the first verb. There areseveral
different types of pattern. When you learn a new verb, you need to learn
the verb pattern. Unfortunately, some verbs have more than one possible
pattern! Sometimes, if a verb has two patterns, each pattern can have a
different meaning or use.
Here are examples of some of the patterns:
verb+to+verb
These verbs all
use this pattern: want, hope, decide, agree.
I want to
work with Dr. Laver.
Tim hopes
to leave the stockroom soon.
Helen decided
to go out with Michal.
Alice might agree to change wards.
verb+verb+ing
These verbs all
use this pattern: enjoy, mind, consider.
I enjoy
working on the emergency ward.
Alice doesn't
mind working with children.
Tim is considering changing his job.
verb+preposition+verb+ing
These verbs all
use this pattern: specialise, think.
He specialises
in helping children.
Michal is thinking about cooking dinner.
verb+object+verb
These verbs all
use this pattern: let, make.
Dad let me
keep the cat.
She made me say sorry.
These verbs have
two possible patterns, and there is a difference in meaning between the
patterns: like, hate, regret.
I like to
swim every day = I think it is a good idea to do this
I like
swimming every day = I enjoy the activity. It gives me pleasure
I hate to
tell you this = I am sorry to tell you this
I hate
flying = I do not like this activity
I regret
to tell you this - I am sorry to tell you this
I regret leaving London - I left London in the past,
and I am sorry that I did that
