Hey there! This is TOP episode 327. You Know It, But Can You Say It? Verb Patterns in Action
You read English. You understand English. You’ve been learning for years, but when it’s time to speak your mind just freezes, and the words don’t come out. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. My name’s Ola, and this is Teacher Ola Podcast. I’m here to help you finally speak out loud. This isn’t about perfect grammar or fancy vocabulary. This is about your voice. Your words. Your real English.
For years you’ve been listening to this podcast. You understand almost everything. You do the tests. You use the apps. You watch series in English. You read. Your passive knowledge is at least B1, often much more. And yet, when you open your mouth, it feels like you’re using five percent of what you know.
If that’s you, I want you to listen carefully.
Enrollment to my 12-week program Say It Out Loud, SIOL, is closing on Sunday, 22 February 2026. The Speaking Club starts on 26 February 2026 at 7:35 pm, and once we close the door, that’s it. Inside you get a full 12-week program on the platform, 12 hours of live conversation with me and the group, daily speaking practice with feedback on WhatsApp, monthly Extra Classes, bonuses, and lifetime access to everything, including future updates.
But this is not about features. It’s about a decision.
In 12 weeks, you can still be the person who listens, understands, buys materials, and waits for something to “click”. Or you can be the person who trains speaking regularly, opens their mouth and reacts naturally, stops chasing perfection, and finally feels at ease in conversations. Same intelligence. Same history. Same amount of time. Different method.
If you already know you understand a lot but you don’t speak freely, go to www.siol.pl and reserve your spot. If you’re not 100 percent sure whether your passive knowledge is really B1 or higher, message me at contact@teacherola.com or write to me on Instagram, TikTok, or Messenger. Just reach out. I’ll tell you honestly if this is for you.
And now let’s move to today’s topic, because this is exactly the kind of knowledge you probably already understand passively.
Verb patterns are one of the keys to sounding natural in English. Some verbs are followed by a gerund, which is the -ing form, and others are followed by to plus the infinitive. These patterns are fixed. You cannot usually change them, so you need to learn the verb together with its pattern.
Today we’re going to do things differently. This time I want you to repeat after me. The practical part of the episode is the whole episode. So listen and repeat. Additionally I want you to think about your answers to my questions. Say the answers out loud. OK! Let’s get started!!
Let’s look at the verbs followed by the gerund first.
*One. Avoid.
Avoid is used when we talk about not doing something on purpose.
She avoids eating sugar during the week.
She avoids eating sugar during the week.
…
Well done. She avoids eating sugar during the week.
So now I need you to think about the answer to this question: What do you avoid doing?
…
*Two. Keep.
Keep often expresses continuation.
He keeps checking his phone every five minutes.
He keeps checking his phone every five minutes.
…
He keeps checking his phone every five minutes.
The question is: What do you keep doing?
…
*Three. Recommend.
Recommend is used to give advice.
The doctor recommended taking more vitamins.
The doctor recommended taking more vitamins.
…
The doctor recommended taking more vitamins.
Imagine somebody needs your advice on losing weight. What do you recommend doing?
…
Four. Suggest.
Suggest is similar to recommend, but often more neutral.
She suggested going for a walk after dinner.
She suggested going for a walk after dinner.
…
Well done. She suggested going for a walk after dinner.
Ok, so it’s a lovely wintery day, it’s a weekend, we are in your location. What do you suggest doing?
…
Five. Mind.
Mind is often used in questions and negatives to ask about annoyance.
Do you mind closing the window?
Do you mind closing the window?
…
Great! Do you mind closing the window?
Ok, think about something that most people hate but actually you don’t mind. Like I don’t mind cooking every day. How about you? What don’t you mind doing?
…
*Six. Finish.
Finish is used when something is completed.
I finished writing the report last night.
I finished writing the report last night.
…
Yes!! I finished writing the report last night.
So! Tell me now, what have you finished doing?
*Seven. Fancy.
Fancy is informal and means feel like or be interested in.
Do you fancy watching a movie tonight?
Do you fancy watching a movie tonight?
…
Well done! Do you fancy watching a movie tonight?
Now, tell me, what do you fancy doing in general?
…
A useful way to remember gerund verbs is to connect them with the idea of experience or activity. Many of them refer to actions in progress, repetition, or general activities: avoid doing, keep doing, finish doing. You can imagine them as verbs that look back at or describe an activity.
You can also group them by meaning. Recommend and suggest both give advice and both take the gerund. Learning them in small logical groups makes them easier to remember than memorizing a random list.
If you always learn a verb together with its pattern, for example avoid doing, keep doing, you will start to feel what sounds right. That is the moment when verb patterns become automatic instead of something you have to think about.
And this is exactly the difference between knowing and using.
You probably understood everything I’ve just said. Nothing here was shocking. Nothing new really. And yet the real question is: can you use it smoothly in a conversation without freezing?
If you’re tired of learning more and more and instead want to train speaking for real, with regular conversations, structured practice, and my feedback, this is your moment.
Enrollment to Say It Out Loud closes on Sunday, 22 February 2026. The Speaking Club starts on 26 February at 19:35. We’ll be meeting every Thursday at 7:35. This Thursday you could already be after your first session. In six weeks you could feel a completely different level of ease in conversation. In twelve weeks you could look back at this moment and smile, knowing this was the decision that changed everything.
Go to www.siol.pl and book your spot now.
And if you still have questions, write to me at contact@teacherola.com or message me on social media. I’ll be there.
Let’s recap today’s sentences:
She avoids eating sugar during the week.
He keeps checking his phone every five minutes.
The doctor recommended taking more vitamins.
She suggested going for a walk after dinner.
Do you mind closing the window?
She avoids eating sugar during the week.
Do you fancy watching a movie tonight?
That’s all from me for now. Don’t forget to head to teacherola.com/327 and grab your free worksheet. Learning is revising, so grab that worksheet and practice.
And if you want to practice speaking regularly, learn grammar and vocabulary with me inside the SIOL programme, join us now at siol.pl. The program starts on the 26 February 2026. So there’s not much time left! Go to siol.pl.
Thank you so much for listening. Stay fearless, take care, and say it out loud. I love you, I believe in you, I know you are ready to speak English. I’m your teacher, Teacher Ola, and you’ve been listening to the Teacher Ola Podcast. BYE FOR NOW!