Episode 38: I Enjoy Reading

enjoy/stop/finish + -ing — Jane Austen, 1811 (A2-B1)

Grammar Box

Meaning: These verbs describe experiences and ongoing states, so they take -ing form (gerund), not to-infinitive. Enjoy shows pleasure. Stop means to quit. Finish means to complete.

Form: enjoy/stop/finish/keep/mind + verb-ing

Example 1: I enjoy reading books. (ongoing pleasure)

Example 2: She finished writing the letter. (completed activity)

Common mistake: Wrong: I enjoy to read. Better: I enjoy reading.

The Question

Luna’s friend asked, “Do you enjoy to study English?” Luna felt confused. It sounded wrong. “Do you enjoy studying English?” That felt right. But why? “Professor, why do some verbs use ‘-ing’ instead of ‘to’? How do I know which one?” The watch glowed. Professor Wisdom smiled. “Let’s visit a woman who never stopped writing.”

The Journey

Chawton, England, 1811. A small cottage. Jane Austen sat at her writing desk. She was 35 years old. Unmarried. Not wealthy. But she had something precious. Time to write. Freedom to create. Joy in her work.

The morning sun came through the window. Jane dipped her quill in ink. She was finishing her novel. “Pride and Prejudice.” She had started writing it 15 years ago. Stopped. Started again. Revised. Edited. Finally, she was almost done.

Her sister Cassandra entered quietly. “Jane, breakfast is ready. Will you stop writing soon?” Jane smiled. “I’ll finish writing this chapter first. Just a few more pages.”

Jane enjoyed writing more than anything. Not “enjoyed to write.” Enjoyed writing. The -ing form felt right. It described an ongoing pleasure. A continuous joy. An experience, not just an action.

Her mother called from downstairs. “Jane! Stop wasting time with those stories!” But Jane didn’t stop. She kept writing. Not “kept to write.” Kept writing. The -ing showed the continuation. The persistence. The dedication.

She thought about her characters. Elizabeth Bennet. Mr. Darcy. She loved creating them. Not “loved to create” in this moment. She loved creating. The process itself. The act of imagination. The flow of words.

Later, Jane read her work aloud to Cassandra. “Do you mind listening?” she asked. “I enjoy reading my own writing. It helps me find mistakes.” Not “enjoy to read.” Enjoy reading. The -ing made it feel like an experience. Like something she lived in. Not just did.

By afternoon, Jane finished writing the chapter. “Done!” she announced. “I finished writing!” Not “finished to write.” The -ing showed completion of a process. An activity that had been ongoing.

Luna watched Jane’s joy. Writing wasn’t just work. It was life. It was pleasure. It was purpose. The -ing form captured this perfectly. Not a simple action. But an experience. A state of being. A way of living.

The cottage was simple. The desk was small. But Jane’s imagination was vast. She kept writing. Never stopped believing. Always enjoyed creating. Her words would live forever.

The Insight

Professor Wisdom explained. “Some verbs take ‘-ing’ form, not ‘to’ form. Common ones are: enjoy, finish, stop, keep, mind, love (when talking about general liking).”

“We say ‘I enjoy reading.’ Never ‘I enjoy to read.’ We say ‘She finished writing.’ Never ‘She finished to write.’ We say ‘They stopped talking.’ Never ‘They stopped to talk.'”

“Why -ing? Because these verbs describe experiences or states, not just actions. Enjoying isn’t pointing to future action. It’s describing an ongoing pleasure. Finishing isn’t about what comes next. It’s about completing what was happening.”

“Think of it this way: want, need, hope point forward (use ‘to’). Enjoy, finish, stop describe experiences (use ‘-ing’). Jane understood this naturally through her writing life.”

Practice Zone

More Examples:

1. “I enjoy swimming in summer.” — ongoing pleasure
2. “Please stop making noise.” — end an ongoing action
3. “She finished reading the book.” — complete an activity
4. “They kept working all night.” — continue an action
5. “Do you mind waiting?” — polite question about experience
6. “He loves cooking for friends.” — general enjoyment

Exercises:

1. Fill in the blank: “I enjoy _____ music.” (listen)

2. Choose the correct:
   a) She stopped to smoke.
   b) She stopped smoking.
   (meaning: she quit smoking)

3. Complete: “They finished _____ the project.” (do)

4. Fix the mistake: “I enjoy to study English.”

5. Your turn: Write three sentences about activities you enjoy, things you keep doing, and something you finished recently.

Answer Key:

1. listening to
2. b) stopped smoking (quit the habit)
3. doing
4. “I enjoy studying English.”
5. Check: Did you use -ing after enjoy/keep/finish? Does each sentence describe an experience or ongoing action?

The Lesson

Luna wrote in her journal. “I enjoy learning new words. I keep practicing every day. I finished reading my first English book last week.” She smiled. Jane Austen taught her something beautiful. Some activities aren’t just actions. They’re experiences. They’re parts of who we are. The -ing form captures this. It’s not just what we do. It’s how we live. Grammar reflects the texture of life itself.