Start, keep y stop: acciones en curso en inglés
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Start, keep y stop: acciones en curso
Veamos tres construcciones útiles en inglés: to start (empezar), to keep (seguir, continuar) y to stop (parar, dejar) doing something (de hacer algo).
To start (doing something) y to stop (doing something) se utilizan habitualmente para describir acciones que empiezan y terminan.
— Se utilizan con frecuencia en imperativo (para dar órdenes), seguidos de un verbo en -ing:
Stop making faces (Deja de hacer muecas).
Don't start eating until I say so (No empieces a comer hasta que yo te lo diga).
— Cuando to start y to stop se utilizan en otros tiempos verbales que no son el imperativo, pueden ir seguidos de un verbo en infinitivo. Ten en cuenta que el uso del infinitivo a veces cambia el significado de la frase.
El verbo to keep (continuar, seguir) se utiliza habitualmente para describir la continuación de una acción. Siempre va seguido de un verbo en -ing.
Keep (on) moving! (¡Sigue avanzando!)
Nota: El verbo to continue (continuar) es similar a to keep, sin embargo, rara vez se utiliza en el imperativo, y rara vez para dar ánimo. No decimos: 'Continue like that!' (¡Continúa así!). En su lugar decimos:
Keep on going! Keep it up! Keep up the good work! (¡Sigue así! ¡Sigue trabajando así!)
Ejercicio 1
Conjugate the following verbs when necessary. Keep them in the infinitive form if no change is required. Important: you MUST write something in every blank (unless you don't know the answer).
Horatio: I need to you Donna.
Donna: OK. Start .
Horatio: It's my monkey. I can't stop him from bananas.
Donna: I am a psychologist Mr Oléré, not a vet.
Horatio: Monkeys have feelings too, Dr. Donovan.
Donna: Oh very well, bring him to my office this afternoon.
Horatio: He is very shy, will he be required his clothes off?
Donna: No, but make sure he has a bath.
Horatio: I need to you Donna.
Donna: OK. Start .
Horatio: It's my monkey. I can't stop him from bananas.
Donna: I am a psychologist Mr Oléré, not a vet.
Horatio: Monkeys have feelings too, Dr. Donovan.
Donna: Oh very well, bring him to my office this afternoon.
Horatio: He is very shy, will he be required his clothes off?
Donna: No, but make sure he has a bath.
Conjugate the following verbs when necessary. Keep them in the infinitive form if no change is required. Important: you MUST write something in every blank (unless you don't know the answer).
Horatio: I need [not done] to talk 1 to you Donna.
Donna: OK. Start [not done] talking 2.
Horatio: It's my monkey. I can't stop him from [not done] eating 3 bananas.
Donna: I am a psychologist Mr Oléré, not a vet.
Horatio: Monkeys have feelings too, Dr. Donovan.
Donna: Oh very well, bring him to my office this afternoon.
Horatio: He is very shy, will he be required [not done] to take 4 his clothes off?
Donna: No, but make sure he has a bath.
Horatio: I need [not done] to talk 1 to you Donna.
Donna: OK. Start [not done] talking 2.
Horatio: It's my monkey. I can't stop him from [not done] eating 3 bananas.
Donna: I am a psychologist Mr Oléré, not a vet.
Horatio: Monkeys have feelings too, Dr. Donovan.
Donna: Oh very well, bring him to my office this afternoon.
Horatio: He is very shy, will he be required [not done] to take 4 his clothes off?
Donna: No, but make sure he has a bath.
1 to talk: The verb 'to need' is always followed by another verb in its full infinitive form. For example: I need to start exercising.
2 talking: When the verb 'to start' is used in the imperative voice (as a command), it can only be followed by a verb in the gerundive form. Other verbs which follow this rule are 'stop', 'keep', and 'keep on' – verbs which indicate commencing, continuing or stopping an action.
3 eating: In English, sometimes entire phrases can only be followed by verbs in the 'ING' form. 'To stop someone from doing something' is one such phrase. This sentence indicates that Horatio is unable to prevent his monkey from eating bananas.
4 to take: The verb 'to be required' can only be followed by a verb in its infinitive form.
Ejercicio 2
Conjugate the verb in each blank correctly.
Keep and you will eventually reach the Mountain of Doom.
Start as soon as you hear the goblins approaching.
Stop with fear, Rodolph. It’s not going to be that dangerous.
Keep and you will eventually reach the Mountain of Doom.
Start as soon as you hear the goblins approaching.
Stop with fear, Rodolph. It’s not going to be that dangerous.
Conjugate the verb in each blank correctly.
Keep [not done] going 1 and you will eventually reach the Mountain of Doom.
Start [not done] running 2 as soon as you hear the goblins approaching.
Stop [not done] shaking 3 with fear, Rodolph. It’s not going to be that dangerous.
Keep [not done] going 1 and you will eventually reach the Mountain of Doom.
Start [not done] running 2 as soon as you hear the goblins approaching.
Stop [not done] shaking 3 with fear, Rodolph. It’s not going to be that dangerous.
1 going: The verb "to keep", used in the same sense as "to continue", is always followed by a verb ending in "-ing". Another example: "Keep writing! I'm sure you'll write a good poem one day!".
2 running: When used in the imperative (the form of the verb used to give an instruction or command), "start", "keep" and "stop" are followed by a verb ending in "-ing". For example: "Start praying!", "Keep swimming!" or "Stop burping"!
3 shaking: "Stop shaking with fear" has the same meaning as "Do not tremble because you feel afraid any more". "To start", "to keep" and "to stop" are followed by a verb in the "-ing" form when used in the imperative form. Another example: "Stop humming that terrible song!".
Ejercicio 3
Conjugate the verb in each blank correctly.
I started at 8 o’clock. At 11:30, I stopped a cup of coffee. I resumed work at 12 o’clock, and I kept until my brother stopped able to sit still without clothes on any longer.
I started at 8 o’clock. At 11:30, I stopped a cup of coffee. I resumed work at 12 o’clock, and I kept until my brother stopped able to sit still without clothes on any longer.
Conjugate the verb in each blank correctly.
I started [not done] painting 1 at 8 o’clock. At 11:30, I stopped [not done] to make 2 a cup of coffee. I resumed work at 12 o’clock, and I kept [not done] working 3 until my brother stopped [not done] being 4 able to sit still without clothes on any longer.
I started [not done] painting 1 at 8 o’clock. At 11:30, I stopped [not done] to make 2 a cup of coffee. I resumed work at 12 o’clock, and I kept [not done] working 3 until my brother stopped [not done] being 4 able to sit still without clothes on any longer.
1 painting: In most cases, the verb "to start" can be followed by either a verb in the "-ing" form or a verb in the infinitive. Therefore, we can say "to start painting" or "to start to paint". "To start painting" sounds slightly more natural, but both are correct.
2 to make: In this context, this sentence means "I stopped painting in order to make a cup of coffee". To stop + infinitive means "to pause or interrupt an action in order to perform a different action". Another example: "I was tired of watching TV, so I stopped to read a book" (I stopped watching TV and started reading a book).
3 working: The verb "to keep", used in the same sense as "to continue", is always followed by a verb ending in "-ing". Another example: "Keep thinking! We have to come up with a better slogan than this!".
4 being: The phrase "until my brother stopped being able to sit still without clothes on any longer" indicates that at a certain time, the speaker's brother could not sit still any more, because he was naked. To convey the end of an action, we use to stop + -ing. Another example: "I stopped talking when I saw the wolves coming towards us out of the forest".
Ejercicio 4
Fill in the blanks in the dialogue below.
Brian: Horatio, if you to chase me, I'm going to tell Bruno!
Horatio: running as fast as you can, Englishman. But I will catch you!
Brian: Can't we to discuss this like normal adults?
Brian: Horatio, if you to chase me, I'm going to tell Bruno!
Horatio: running as fast as you can, Englishman. But I will catch you!
Brian: Can't we to discuss this like normal adults?
Fill in the blanks in the dialogue below.
Brian: Horatio, if you continue 1 to chase me, I'm going to tell Bruno!
Horatio: Keep 2 running as fast as you can, Englishman. But I will catch you!
Brian: Can't we stop 3 to discuss this like normal adults?
Brian: Horatio, if you continue 1 to chase me, I'm going to tell Bruno!
Horatio: Keep 2 running as fast as you can, Englishman. But I will catch you!
Brian: Can't we stop 3 to discuss this like normal adults?
1 continue: The verb "to continue" is followed by a verb in the full infinitive form. "If you continue to chase me" has the same meaning as "If you keep chasing me". Another example: "If he continues to play 20-minute guitar solos, we will have to kick him out of the band".
1 keep: Although the verbs "to keep" and "to continue" can both express an ongoing action, they are used differently within a sentence. "To keep" is followed by a verb in the "-ing" form. For example: "If you keep throwing stones at my window, I'm going to release the hounds".
1 stop: "If you stop to chase me" means "If you interrupt another action in order to chase me". This is grammatically correct, but isn't very logical in the context of the dialogue. Horatio tells Brian to "keep running", which implies that Brian is already running because Horatio is already chasing him. We also don't know what action Horatio would be interrupting in order to chase Brian.
2 Keep: "Keep running" has the same meaning as "continue to run": Horatio is telling Brian not to stop running. The verb "to keep" is often used in the imperative form instead of "to continue", and is followed by a verb in the "-ing" form. For example: "Keep swimming!", "Keep singing!", "Keep working hard!".
2 Continue: "To continue" is followed by a verb in the infinitive (like "to run") not by a verb in the "-ing" form (like "running"). In addition, as a general rule, we don't use "continue" in the imperative, as it sounds unnatural. It is preferable to use "keep" instead.
2 Remain: The verb "to remain" is generally followed by an adjective, not a verb like "running". For example: "Remain calm, ladies and gentlemen. It is perfectly normal for the plane to fly upside down for a while".
3 stop: Brian's request is for him and Horatio to "stop to discuss this": this means that he wants to stop running in order to have a discussion. We use to stop + infinitive to mean "to interrupt an action in order to perform another action". For example: "Yesterday, while I was having sex with my boyfriend, he stopped to take a phone call. I couldn't believe it".
3 keep: "To keep" is followed by a verb in the "-ing" form, not an infinitive verb like "to discuss". For example: "I suggest that we keep discussing this topic until we have reached a compromise".
3 starting: After the phrase "Can't we…", we need to use a verb in the infinitive form (without "to"). It's not possible to use a verb in the "-ing" form. We could say: "Can't we start to discuss this like normal adults?".
3 stopping: After the phrase "Can't we…", we need to use a verb in the infinitive form (without "to"). It's not possible to use a verb in the "-ing" form. We could say: "Can't we stop to discuss this like normal adults?".
Ejercicio 5
Fill in the blanks in the dialogue below.
Polly: From tomorrow, I’m going to to count how many emails I receive per day. I bet it will be in the hundreds.
Philip: Oh yeah? I’ve been drinking a coffee every time I’ve made a sale today. If I going at this rate, I’m going to break my personal record.
Polly: You should really consuming so much caffeine. Sometimes you talk so fast that I can’t even understand you.
Polly: From tomorrow, I’m going to to count how many emails I receive per day. I bet it will be in the hundreds.
Philip: Oh yeah? I’ve been drinking a coffee every time I’ve made a sale today. If I going at this rate, I’m going to break my personal record.
Polly: You should really consuming so much caffeine. Sometimes you talk so fast that I can’t even understand you.
Fill in the blanks in the dialogue below.
Polly: From tomorrow, I’m going to start 1 to count how many emails I receive per day. I bet it will be in the hundreds.
Philip: Oh yeah? I’ve been drinking a coffee every time I’ve made a sale today. If I keep 2 going at this rate, I’m going to break my personal record.
Polly: You should really stop 3 consuming so much caffeine. Sometimes you talk so fast that I can’t even understand you.
Polly: From tomorrow, I’m going to start 1 to count how many emails I receive per day. I bet it will be in the hundreds.
Philip: Oh yeah? I’ve been drinking a coffee every time I’ve made a sale today. If I keep 2 going at this rate, I’m going to break my personal record.
Polly: You should really stop 3 consuming so much caffeine. Sometimes you talk so fast that I can’t even understand you.
1 start: Polly is going to start to count how many emails she receives each day: she will commence this activity "from tomorrow" or "starting from tomorrow". The verb "to start" can be followed by either the infinitive or a verb in the "-ing" form, so Polly could also have said "I'm going to start counting how many emails I receive per day".
1 keep: The verb "to keep" is followed by a verb in the "-ing" form, not an infinitive like "to count". For example: "I keep bumping into Karl in the street lately". In addition, the phrase "from tomorrow" refers to the beginning of an action, so it doesn't make sense to use "to keep", which refers to the continuation of an action.
1 stop: "To stop to count…" means "to interrupt another action in order to count" (and not "to stop counting" or "to discontinue the act of counting"). It is not clear in this context what action Polly would interrupt in order to count her emails. In addition, the rest of her statement implies that she doesn't know yet how many emails she receives per day, so it makes more sense for her to start counting her emails "from tomorrow".
2 keep: "To keep going" is another way of saying "to continue". Philip is saying that if he continues to drink coffee as often as he has done today so far, then he will break his personal record (he will drink more than ever before). Another example: "If we keep going for another hour or two, I'm sure we'll find the mythical Tree of Life" (in this context, "to keep going" means "to continue walking or travelling").
2 start: We can't say "to start going" in this context. Note that "going" in this sentence does not refer to movement, but is part of the idiom "to keep going", meaning "to continue". In another context, we might say "I'm going to start going to the gym every morning" (notice that in this sentence, we specify the destination of the verb "going").
2 stop: It doesn't make sense to say "stop" in this context. Philip cannot later break his personal record (drink more coffee than ever before) if he stops (ceases, discontinues) drinking coffee at his current rate.
3 stop: Polly is advising Philip to no longer consume so much caffeine (in other words, to no longer drink so much coffee). The verb "to stop", when it refers to ending an action, is followed by a verb in the "-ing" form. Another example: "Please don't stop rowing, Geoff, or we'll fall down that waterfall!".
3 start: The phrase "so much caffeine" means "the large amount of caffeine (that you currently consume)". It doesn't make sense for Polly to advise Philip to start (commence, initiate) consuming "so much caffeine", because he is clearly already consuming a large amount of caffeine.
3 continue: The verb "to continue" is followed by a verb in the full infinitive form, not in the "-ing" form. Polly could say "You should really continue to consume so much caffeine": this would be grammatically correct. However, it would be unlikely, because she says that Philip's fast speech - which is presumably caused by his caffeine intake - is a problem.
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