Video Summary - Lesson 23. 7B. English File pre-intermediate. Gerund. Verbs + gerund.

Main ideas, concepts, and lessons

1) Course goals for the lesson (Unit 7B: Happiness)

The video is structured into four parts:

Vocabulary + Grammar: focus on verbs followed by the gerund (-ing form) and how to use gerunds.
Listening + Speaking: listen to a text about the “Bank of Happiness” and discuss tasks related to it.
Pronunciation: focus on words ending in -n/-ng and spelling “-ing” with the O sound (the pronunciation pattern for “-ing” words).
Speaking: a longer speaking task where learners discuss personal opinions using prompts.

2) Grammar focus: Gerunds (-ing) after certain verbs and in common patterns

A gerund is the base verb + “-ing”, and it can be used:

As a noun (subject/object)
After certain verbs
After prepositions

A) Gerund as a noun (subject/object)

Examples from the subtitles show that the -ing form can work like “the activity”:

“Happiness is having an empty inbox.”
“Eating outside in the summer makes me feel good.”
“Getting up late and not going to work…” (here, getting up behaves like a noun idea)

B) Gerund after certain verbs (verb + gerund)

Typical patterns (as listed in the subtitles) include:

like + gerund
love + gerund
enjoy + gerund
hate + gerund
don’t mind + gerund
can’t stand / avoid (implied by the “etc.” wording)

Examples given:

“I enjoy reading.”
“I like listening to the radio.”
“I hate not knowing the answer…”
“I don’t mind cooking…”

C) Gerund after prepositions (preposition + gerund)

Key rule emphasized:

Use -ing after a preposition.

Examples and patterns:

without + gerund
in thinking of + gerund
before/after + gerund (indicated as part of the same category)

Example sentences:

“without asking”
“I’m thinking of buying a new car”
“Jim left without saying goodbye.”

D) Negative form with gerunds

The subtitles explicitly note that in negative gerund structures you use:

not + gerund

Example:

“It’s not having to set the alarm…”

Here, not modifies the whole -ing structure.

3) Vocabulary practice: “Verbs + gerund” and verb patterns

The lesson uses common verb + gerund prompts and exercises.

Exercise set: Complete with the correct gerund (-ing)

From a list like: do not know, message, practice, remember, study, swim, teach.

Example target sentences (as shown):

“I really enjoy doing exercise…”
“One thing that always makes me happy is swimming in the sea.”
“…without practicing regularly.”
“My mother is very bad at remembering names.”
“Teaching teenagers is very hard work.”
“I hate not knowing the answer…”
“Traveling by train is usually cheaper than by plane.”
“…go on studying French…”
“I like listening to the radio in the mornings.”
“Doing Pilates is good for your health.”

Exercise set: Choose between infinitive and gerund in harder structures

The subtitles distinguish cases where you use:

infinitive (to + verb) instead of gerund, in some patterns
gerund in others

Examples given:

“I offered to pay for the meal.”
“I’m not very good at giving directions.” (at + gerund)
“You can borrow the car if you remember to … get some …” (remember to + infinitive)
“I don’t mind cooking…” (don’t mind + gerund)
“I don’t like doing the washing up.”
“I hate getting up in the dark…”

Exercise set: Preposition patterns and -ing used as nouns

The subtitles highlight:

after a preposition → gerund
-ing used as a noun → subject/object position
negative -ing form → “not + -ing”

4) Speaking tasks: using the theme of happiness

Part A: Talk to a partner (prompts)

Learners discuss:

a book/film/song that makes you happy

A sample answer in the subtitles mentions a song (“Live On” by Imagine Dragons—though the subtitles misread the band name as “manifest”) and says it gives energy.

Part B: Read “Happiness is…” Instagram-style statements and comment

Learners read multiple “Happiness is …” sentences and comment.

Examples mentioned:

when a song ends the exact moment you finish parking
a free coffee refill without asking
finding money in old clothes
sitting next to someone nice on a plane
finding delicious food with no calories/fat (speaker disagrees)
landing in a new country (speaker doesn’t get excited)
reading a really good book (mentions TV adaptations being awful)
finding the other earring/the other sock
not having to set the alarm

Part D: “Write your own continuation for Happiness is…”

Learners create their own “Happiness is …” statements.

Examples read aloud in the subtitles:

“…when you don’t feel pain in your chest”
“…having enough free time to make videos”
“…a cup of coffee you buy in a restaurant”
“…when students get high scores”
“…finding out you’re healthy after a checkup”

5) Listening content: “The Bank of Happiness” (how it works)

The listening explains a concept similar to a services-for-services community.

Core description (main rules)

The “Bank of Happiness” is not a real bank:

no money is deposited
no loans are given

Instead, it’s a forum/community where people:

offer and receive services
services are completely free of charge

Process:

Register
Post what you offer or what you need

Examples:

Offers: shopping help, walking a dog
Requests: fixing a car, translating an email into French

Principle:

people help others
happiness comes from doing things for other people, not from money

Origin and purpose (as described)

Started about 5 years ago
By a 39-year-old Estonian woman named Eili Ki
She was a psychologist and family therapist
Motivation:
- encourage people to think and act with their hearts
- respond to an economic crisis
- help people who were unemployed without money (payback-free support)

Payback concept

It emphasizes that you often don’t need to pay back directly. Instead, balance can happen over time through community behavior, for example:

someone helps you
later you help them, or others help you too

6) Listening comprehension questions (choices)

Key ideas shown as correct (from the multiple-choice answers):

Talin (“Tallinn”) is smart due to technology use (option A).
The bank enables people to get services without paying (option B).
A correct post would be asking for English lessons.
She started it to help people who need help / help each other (option A).
If someone walks your dog, you don’t need to do anything for them immediately (it’s free of charge).
Principle: helping other people makes people happy.

7) Pronunciation focus: “-ing” / “O” sound differences (and -ng minimal pairs)

The lesson trains learners to notice pronunciation in words ending with -ing, especially the -ng vs -nk distinction.

It includes word lists such as:

singer, shopping, nothing, boring, ironing, going, doing

It also includes minimal-pair listening practice like:

bang / Bank
thing / think
sing / sink
ping / pink

Sentence listening tasks aim to identify whether the speaker used -ng or -nk, with examples such as:

“the news … surprised me” (news category mentioned)
tasks described as “queuing” vs … (one example includes supermarkets and queuing)
“sink” and “phone ping”

(Exact phonetic labeling is partially garbled in the subtitles, but the task clearly targets hearing and distinguishing -ng vs -nk.)

8) Final speaking task: choose 5 topics and talk (guided prompts)

Learners choose items from the list, for example:

something you don’t mind doing (e.g., housework)
something you like doing with family
something you don’t feel like doing
something you spend too much time doing (e.g., watching videos)
something you’re very good or very bad at
somewhere you love going to in summer
somewhere you don’t like going to alone
somewhere you’re thinking of going this weekend
you dream of going in the future
somewhere you hate going to

Example responses from the subtitles:

“don’t mind doing the washing”
“like having dinner with family”
“don’t feel like going away”
“spend too much time watching YouTube videos”
“bad at looking after health”
“love going to the local park in summer”
“don’t like McDonald’s alone”
“hate going to the dentist” (stress + money mentioned)

Speakers or sources featured (as named in subtitles)

Ralph (co-creator in the “Happiness is…” Instagram concept; mentioned as an illustrator named Ralph Lazar)
Lisa (co-creator; mentioned as Lisa)
Eili Ki (39-year-old Estonian psychologist and family therapist; founder of the “Bank of Happiness”)
Imagine Dragons (Live On referenced; subtitles misread the band name as “manifest”)
Narrator/teacher (introduced with a welcome message: “hello everyone welcome to the video course…”; not named)

Lesson 23. 7B. English File pre-intermediate. Gerund. Verbs + gerund.

Key takeaways