ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR A2

Verb + -ing or Verb + To (enjoy, finish ESL Lesson Plan (A2, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute A2 lesson on Verb + -ing or Verb + To (enjoy, finish, built round the theme "Summer Plans".

CEFR A2
60 minutes
Teenagers and adults
Grammar
Gerunds and Infinitives
Verb + -ing or Verb + To (enjoy, finish

About this lesson

Who it is for. Elementary students who use like / love + -ing and want / would like + to. They use the wrong pattern with other common verbs (I enjoy to swim, I decided going), and they explain reasons with for (I went to the shop for buy milk).

Everything the lesson needs is on this page: the language analysis, the timed stages with the teacher's own words and instruction-checking questions, the differentiation, the printable handouts and the answer key.

At a glance

Level: CEFR A2 (Elementary)
Learners: Teenagers and adults
Length: 60 minutes. For 45 minutes, run "Freer practice" once through without the second round and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills: Speaking
Language focus: Grammar: Verb + -ing or Verb + To (enjoy, finish, decide, hope) and the Infinitive of Purpose
Framework: PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials: Handout 1 (email from Ruwan), Handout 2 (practice), Handout 3 (verb sorting cards), Handout 4 (summer plans planner).
Preparation: About 10 minutes: print Handouts 1 to 4, one per learner, and read the language analysis. The answer key is for you, not the class.

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Google Docs · 60 minutes · PPP (presentation, practice, production)

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Aims

Main aim. To clarify and practise common verbs followed by -ing (enjoy, finish, mind, stop, can't stand, practise) and by to + infinitive (decide, hope, plan, learn, need, promise, forget), and the infinitive of purpose (to + verb = why).

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can talk about their summer plans and give reasons, e.g. I've decided to learn to swim. I'm going to Galle to visit my cousins. I hope to finish reading my book.

Subsidiary aim. To read an email for specific information.
Subsidiary aim. To develop speaking about plans and reasons.

Language analysis

What to know before the lesson: the meaning, form and pronunciation of the target language, and the problems learners usually have with it.

Form

verb + -ing	verb + to + infinitive
enjoy, finish, mind, stop, practise, can't stand, keep, imagine	decide, hope, plan, learn, need, promise, forget, agree, offer, refuse
I enjoy swimming. Have you finished packing?	I've decided to learn French. I hope to see you soon.

Infinitive of purpose

to + verb answers Why?: I'm going to Galle to visit my cousins. (not for visit / for to visit)
Negative purpose: so that ... not / in order not to (B1 preview only).

Meaning and use

There is no simple rule for which verbs take -ing and which take to; students learn them in groups.
Many to-verbs are about the future (decide, hope, plan, promise); many -ing verbs are about activities in progress or completed (enjoy, finish, stop).

Pronunciation

Weak to /tə/: decided to learn /dɪˈsaɪdɪd tə lɜːn/.

Concept-checking questions

I've finished packing. Is the packing complete? (Yes.)
I'm going to Galle to visit my cousins. Why am I going to Galle? (To visit my cousins.) · Can I say for visit? (No.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

Problem	Solution
Wrong pattern (I enjoy to swim, I decided going).	Two-column sort; card game for memory.
for + verb for purpose (for buy).	Board to buy; cross out for.
Confusing stop doing with stop to do.	Teach only stop + -ing at this level.
Long lists overwhelm students.	Focus on 12 high-frequency verbs.

Board plan

Left: -ing verbs	Centre: rules	Right: to verbs
enjoy · finish · mind · stop · practise · can't stand · keep · imagine
verb + -ing: I enjoy swimming. · verb + to + verb: I decided to go. · WHY? → to + verb: I went to the shop to buy milk. · not: for buy ✗
decide · hope · plan · learn · need · promise · forget · agree · offer · refuse

Warm-up5 minutes · Pairs, then whole class

Aim: To personalise the topic.

Ask: "What are you going to do in the next school holidays?" Pairs share ideas (2 minutes).

Take a few ideas; board one sentence exactly as a student says it.

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Aim: To present verb patterns and the infinitive of purpose in context and clarify meaning and form.

Part A: Reading (6 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Read Ruwan's email. What has he decided to do this summer? Three minutes."

Pairs compare. Students answer the four questions. Check as a class.

Part B: Noticing (4 minutes)

Say: "Underline every verb followed by another verb. Is the second verb -ing or to + verb?" Pairs sort them into two columns.

Part C: Clarification (10 minutes)

Build the two columns on the board from the email. Add more verbs.

Point out the "future" feeling of many to-verbs (decide, hope, plan).

Infinitive of purpose. Board I'm going to Galle to visit my cousins. Ask the CCQs. Board for visit ✗.

Return to the student's sentence from Stage 1 and check it together.

Pronunciation. Drill: I've decided to learn. I enjoy swimming. I went there to see my friends.

Controlled practice10 minutes · Pairs, then individual, then whole class

Aim: To practise the patterns accurately.

Verb sort (3 minutes). Pairs sort the verb cards (Handout 3) into -ing and to piles as fast as possible.

Give out Handout 2. Say: "Exercise A: -ing or to? Exercise B: match and write the reason. Five minutes."

Check as a class.

Freer practice18 minutes · Individual, then pairs, then whole class

Aim: To use the patterns in personalised speaking about plans and reasons.

Give out Handout 4. Students complete their summer plans with the prompts (5 minutes): This summer I've decided to ... · I hope to ... · I need to ... · I'm going to ... to ...

ICQs: "Real plans or invented?" (Either.)

Interview (8 minutes). Students interview two partners and ask why: "What have you decided to do?" "Why are you going to Kandy?" "To visit my grandmother."

Two or three students tell the class about a partner's plans (3 minutes).

Monitor and note errors.

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To give feedback and consolidate.

Board four sentences from Stage 4 (two with errors). Students correct them.

Quick quiz: say a verb; students say -ing or to.

Set the homework.

Homework Write an email (100 words) to a friend about your holiday plans. Use six verbs from today's lesson and two infinitives of purpose.

PPP (presentation, practice, production). Stage times add up to 60 minutes.

Differentiation

Support: Give weaker students the two-column list on a card. Focus on six verbs (three from each column).
Stretch: Stronger students add more verbs: avoid, suggest, consider (+ -ing); manage, afford, seem (+ to). They use in order to and so that for purpose.

Adapting the lesson

For	What to change
A large class (40 or more)	Keep the pairwork in "Freer practice" in fixed pairs rather than a mingle, and take feedback from four or five pairs instead of the whole room. Run "Interview" once, with two pairs reporting, rather than hearing every pair. Monitor one half of the room during "Controlled practice" and the other half during "Freer practice".
A class with no photocopier	Put the exercises from Handout 2: Practice on the board for learners to copy into their notebooks, and read any text aloud twice instead of printing it. Handout 3: Verb Sorting Cards (cut up) works read out from the front: learners note what they need rather than holding a card. The board plan above is this lesson's minimum - with that on the board, it runs on no paper at all.
An online class	Send Handouts 1 to 4 in the chat before the lesson and put the board plan on a shared slide. Use breakout rooms for "Interview" and visit each room once. Have learners type the controlled answers in the chat, so you see every answer at once instead of nominating.
A different age group	With young learners, cut the writing at the end and give that time to the speaking task; keep the drilling short, and let them draw or mime where the plan allows it. With adults, keep the writing and ask for a short spoken summary in place of anything drawn or mimed.

Checking learning

8 out of 10 or better on Handout 2, Exercise A. Students use to + verb (not for + verb) for purpose. In the interview, students use the correct pattern with most verbs.

Teacher's reflection

Which verbs caused the most confusion? Did the verb sort help memory?

Handout 1: Ruwan's Email

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Hi Dilan,

School has finished, and I've finally finished studying for my exams! Now I can enjoy relaxing for a few weeks.

I've decided to learn to swim properly this summer. I'm going to the pool every morning to practise. My coach says I need to practise breathing, and I keep forgetting!

In August, I'm planning to go to Jaffna to visit my grandparents. I hope to see the Nallur festival. My grandmother has promised to teach me how to make crab curry. I can't stand waiting, so I'm counting the days!

Do you want to come swimming with me next week? I don't mind waiting for you after your tuition class.

Ruwan

Answer the questions.

What has Ruwan decided to do this summer? ______________________________
Why is he going to the pool every morning? ______________________________
Why is he going to Jaffna? ______________________________
What has his grandmother promised to do? ______________________________

Handout 2: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Write the verb in the -ing form or to + verb.

B. Match and write a sentence with to + verb.

I enjoy ______________ (read) comics.
We've decided ______________ (go) to Ella.
Have you finished ______________ (eat)?
She hopes ______________ (become) a doctor.
I don't mind ______________ (help) you.
He promised ______________ (call) me tonight.
Stop ______________ (talk), please!
I need ______________ (buy) a new phone.
They're planning ______________ (visit) Kandy.
You should practise ______________ (speak) English every day.

Place	Reason
1. I went to the bank	a. buy some medicine
2. She's going to the library	b. get some money
3. We went to the pharmacy	c. watch the match
4. They went to the stadium	d. borrow some books

Handout 3: Verb Sorting Cards (cut up)

Sort the cards: + -ing or + to?


enjoy	decide	finish	hope
mind	plan	stop	learn
practise	need	can't stand	promise
keep	forget	imagine	agree

Handout 4: My Summer Plans

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Complete about you.

Interview two partners. Ask "Why?"

This summer, I've decided to ______________________________
I really hope to ______________________________
I need to ______________________________
I'm going to ______________ to ______________________________
I'm planning to ______________________________
I really enjoy ______________________________, so I'll do a lot of that!
I can't stand ______________________________, so I'll avoid that!

	Partner 1	Partner 2
decided to ...
going to ... to ...
hopes to ...

Answer Key

Handout 1

Handout 2, Exercise A

Handout 2, Exercise B

1 b · 2 d · 3 a · 4 c

Handout 3

Common errors to watch for

To learn to swim properly. · 2. To practise (swimming). · 3. To visit his grandparents. · 4. To teach him how to make crab curry.
reading · 2. to go · 3. eating · 4. to become · 5. helping · 6. to call · 7. talking · 8. to buy · 9. to visit · 10. speaking
I went to the bank to get some money. · 2. She's going to the library to borrow some books. · 3. We went to the pharmacy to buy some medicine. · 4. They went to the stadium to watch the match.
-ing: enjoy, finish, mind, stop, practise, can't stand, keep, imagine
to: decide, hope, plan, learn, need, promise, forget, agree

Error	Correction
I enjoy to swim.	I enjoy swimming.
We decided going to Ella.	We decided to go to Ella.
I went to the shop for buy milk.	I went to the shop to buy milk.
She hopes becoming a doctor.	She hopes to become a doctor.

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Written by RCF English to the RCF English international standard: levelled by the CEFR, original throughout, and suitable for classrooms in any country. Last reviewed 22 September 2026.

Verb + -ing or Verb + To (enjoy, finish ESL Lesson Plan (A2, 60 Minutes)

About this lesson

At a glance

Download this lesson plan

Aims

Language analysis

Form

Infinitive of purpose

Meaning and use

Pronunciation

Concept-checking questions

Anticipated problems and solutions

Board plan

Warm-up5 minutes · Pairs, then whole class

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Controlled practice10 minutes · Pairs, then individual, then whole class

Freer practice18 minutes · Individual, then pairs, then whole class

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Differentiation

Adapting the lesson

Checking learning

Teacher's reflection

Handout 1: Ruwan's Email

Handout 2: Practice

Handout 3: Verb Sorting Cards (cut up)

Handout 4: My Summer Plans

Answer Key

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Elsewhere in Global English

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