STRUCTURAL POINTS

01. PREPOSITIONS + VERB (ING)
A verb has the gerund form (ing) when it comes after a preposition (in - on - at - of - with - without - after - before).
- I'm interested in speaking an excellent English.
- He never goes to work without having a hearty breakfast.
- She's very good at dealing with people.
02. LIKE - LOVE - HATE - PREFER
After the verbs 'like', 'love', 'hate', 'prefer' we can use TO (infinitive) or ING (gerund).
- I like to watch soap operas.
or
- I like watching soap operas.
- I love to go to costume parties.
or
- I love going to costume parties.
- I hate to eat in a hurry.
or
- I hate eating in a hurry.
- I prefer to eat cheese pizza.
or
- I prefer eating cheese pizza.
03. IN A GYM
* treadmill
* exercise bike
* pump iron
* push-ups
* sit-ups
04. AMERICAN ENGLISH---BRITISH ENGLISH
**movie house..............cinema (place)
**movies......................cinema (generic)
**parking lot................car park
**zip code.....................postcode
**schedule....................timetable
05. CAN'T AFFORD
- can't afford = do not have enough money to buy or to do sth
- I can't afford a trip around the world.
- I can't afford to buy a Ferrari.
06. CAN'T STAND
- can't stand sb or sth = can't tolerate sb or sth
- I can't stand people interrupting the lecture all the time.
- I can't stand her brother.
07. CULTURAL TIP
It's an American standard procedure to serve a soft drink with lots of ice when you go to a restaurant or a snack bar. So, if you don't want ice, when you order, just say NO ICE, PLEASE!