UNIT 1 COMMUNICATION, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION
Key Unit Competence:
To use language in the context of communication, international relations and
cooperation
• Text 1: Some types of communication
Communication is a process by which information is exchanged between
individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behaviour. We
communicate continually throughout each and every day. We sometimes do it
without thinking – we operate on communication autopilot. However, we should
actually think about how we communicate. There are many different ways to
communicate and each of which play an important role in sharing information.
The four main categories or types of communication are verbal, nonverbal,
written and visual communication.
Verbal communication occurs when we engage in speaking with others. It
can be face-to-face, over the telephone, via Skype or Zoom, etc. Some verbal
engagements are informal, such as chatting with a friend over coffee or in the
office kitchen, while others are more formal, such as a scheduled meeting.
Regardless of the type, it is not just about the words, it is also about the calibre
and complexity of those words, how we string those words together to create
an overarching message, as well as the intonation (pitch, tone, cadence, etc.)
used while speaking. And when occurring face-to-face, while the words are
important, they cannot be separated from non-verbal communication.
Nonverbal communication is the use of facial expressions, posture, eye contact,
hand movements, and touch to convey information to others. It can be used both
intentionally and unintentionally. What we do while we speak often says more
than the actual words. For example, if you’re engaged in a conversation with your
boss about your cost-saving idea, it is important to pay attention to both their
words and their non-verbal communication. Your boss might be in agreement
with your idea verbally, but their nonverbal cues: avoiding eye contact, sighing,
scrunched up face, etc. indicate something different.
In addition to nonverbal and verbal communication there is written communication.
Written communication is the act of writing, typing or printing symbols like letters
and numbers to convey information. Whether it is an email, a memo, a report,
a Facebook post, a Tweet, a contract, etc. all forms of written communication
have the same goal: to disseminate information in a clear and concise manner
– though that objective is often not achieved. In fact, poor writing skills often
lead to confusion and embarrassment, and even potential legal jeopardy. One
important thing to remember about written communication, especially in the
digital age, is the message lives on, perhaps in perpetuity. Thus, there are two
things to remember: first, write well – poorly constructed sentences and careless
errors make you look bad; and second, ensure the content of the message is
something you want to promote or be associated with for the long haul.
On top of the above three mentioned types of communication, there is another
type of communication which is referred to as visual communication. Visual
communication is the act of using photographs, art, drawings, sketches, charts
and graphs to convey information. We are a visual society. Think about it,
televisions are running 24/7, Facebook is visual with memes, videos, images,
etc., Instagram is an image-only platform, and advertisers use imagery to sell
products and ideas. Visuals are often used as an aid during presentations to
provide helpful context alongside written and/or verbal communication.
In conclusion, you should know that understanding how you communicate is
the first step to communicating more effectively. That is why you are advised
to think about how you communicate. Words, sentences, pitch, tone, cadence
and nonverbal cues you use can
be a hindrance or furtherance to how youcommunicate effectively.
Adapted from Communications for Professionals: Five Types Of Communication By Anne
Converse Willkomm
• Comprehension questions
1. What do you understand by “we operate on communication autopilot”?
2. Does the author think that operating on communication autopilot is a
good idea? Explain.
3. State the four main types of communication.
4. Referring to the text, answer the following question on this scenario: “As
Kalisa stood up to ask for permission, the teacher looked at him deniably
and he went back to his seat. Which type of communication was this?
5. Suppose that you have watched a video on YouTube showing step
by step how to insert a picture in Microsoft Word document. In which
category of communication can you classify this communication?
6. Using a clear example, explain how one can use nonverbal communication
unintentionally.
7. Explain how visual communication can help a primary teacher to teachscience subjects
• Text 2: History of Braille
Braille is a system of touch reading and writing for blind people in which
raised dots represent the letters of the alphabet. It also contains equivalents
for punctuation marks and provides symbols to show letter groupings. Braille
is read by moving the hand or hands from left to right along each line. The
reading process usually involves both hands, and the index fingers generally do
the reading. The average reading speed is about 125 words per minute. But,greater speeds of up to 200 words per minute are possible.
By using the braille alphabet, people who are blind can review and study the
written words. They can also become aware of different written conventions such
as spelling, punctuation, paragraphing and footnotes. Most importantly, braille
gives blind individuals access to a wide range of reading materials including
recreational and educational reading, financial statements and restaurant
menus. Equally important are contracts, regulations, insurance policies,
directories, and cookbooks that are all part of daily adult life. Through
braille, people who are blind can also pursue hobbies and cultural enrichment
with materials such as music scores, hymnals, playing cards, and board games.
Various other methods had been attempted over the years to enable reading for
the blind. However, many of them were raised as versions of print letters. It is
generally accepted that the braille system has succeeded because it is based
on a rational sequence of signs devised for the fingertips, rather than imitating
signs devised for the eyes.
The history of braille goes all the way back to the early 1800s. A man named
Charles Barbier who served in Napoleon Bonaparte’s French army developed
a unique system known as “night writing” so soldiers could communicate safely
during the night. As a military veteran, Barbier saw several soldiers killed because
they used lamps after dark to read combat messages. Barbier based his “night
writing” system on a raised 12-dot cell; two dots wide and six dots tall. Each dot
or combination of dots within the cell represented a letter or a phonetic sound.
The problem with the military code was that the human fingertip could not feel
all the dots with one touch.
Braille as we know it today was invented by Louis Braille. He was born in the
village of Coupvray, France on January 4, 1809. He lost his sight at a very young
age after he accidentally stabbed himself in the eye with his father’s awl as his
father was a leather-worker
At eleven years old, Braille found inspiration to modify Charles Barbier’s “night
writing” code in an effort to create an efficient written communication system for
fellow blind individuals. One year earlier he was enrolled at the National Institute
of the Blind in Paris. He spent the better part of the next nine years developing
and refining the system of raised dots that has come to be known by his name,
Braille.
After all of Braille’s work, the code was now based on cells with only 6-dots
instead of 12. This crucial improvement meant that a fingertip could encompass
the entire cell unit with one impression and move rapidly from one cell to the
next. Over time, braille gradually came to be accepted throughout the world as
the fundamental form of written communication for blind individuals. Today it
remains basically as he invented it.
However, there have been some small modifications to the braille system,
particularly the addition of contractions representing groups of letters or whole
words that appear frequently in a language. The use of contractions permits
faster braille reading. It also helps reduce the size of braille books, making them
much less cumbersome.
Braille passed away in 1853 at the age of 43, a year before his home country of
France adopted braille as its’ official communication system for blind individuals.
A few years later in 1860, braille made its way “across the pond” to America
where it was adopted by The Missouri School for the Blind in St. Louis. (Adapted
from History of Braille by Braille works.
Retrieved from https://brailleworks.com/braille-resources/history-of-braille/ ;
(accessed on 26 December 2019)
• Comprehension questions
1. Explain how written communication is possible for blind people.
2. Account for the weakness of other methods that had been attempted to
enable reading for the blind.
3. What made Braille successful in enabling reading for the blind?
4. Appreciate the contribution of Charles Barbier’s night writing to Louis
Braille’s work.
5. Which small modifications were done to the braille system?
- Physical noise or external noise are environmental distractions such as
startling sounds, appearances of things, music playing somewhere else, and
someone talking really loudly near you, etc;
- Physiological noise are biological influences that distract one from effectively
communicating; these could include sweaty palms, pounding heart, butterfly
in the stomach, induced by speech anxiety, or feeling sick, exhausted at work,
the ringing noise in your ear, being really hungry, and if you have a runny nose
or a cough.
- Psychological noise are the preconceived bias and assumptions such as
thinking someone who speaks like a valley girl is dumb, or someone from a
foreign country can’t speak English well so you speak loudly and slowly to
them.
- Semantic noise is word choices that are confusing and may have the effect
of distorting the meaning.
Adapted from Theories & Models Of Communication by Amudavalli, A.
• Comprehension questions
1. What do you understand by “communication is a two-way process”?
2. Referring to the passage above, answer the following questions on
this scenario: “Keza cried and her mother realised that she (Keza) was
hungry.”
a. Between Keza and her mother, who is the sender, who is the receiver?
b. What is the message?
c. Suggest the feedback of the receiver.
3. In your own words, define the term “context” as a component of
communication.
4. Choose which of these classifications (physical noise, physiological
noise or Psychological noise) applies to the following scenarios:
a. Shema cannot hear properly due to the infection in the ear.
b. When John heard that Hassan had just come from Saudi Arabia, he
started using gestures because he thought Hassan was not familiar with
American accent.
c. Two soldiers are trying to communicate but the gun shot noise preventsthem from hearing one another.
• Text 1: History and the Evolution of Diplomacy
We do not know when human societies first felt the need to communicate with
each other, but it is safe to assume that they did so from the very earliest times.
We know that diplomatic status existed very early and it is both evident and
instructive why it should have been so. If it has been decided that it may be
better to hear the message than to eat the messenger, then there have to be
rules about who a legitimate messenger is, and there have to be sanctions which
will ensure his safety. The earliest diplomats were a response to a felt need for
a mechanism to convey messages between societies safely and reliably. It isinstructive to note that right from the beginning, diplomacy, even in its crudest
forms, evolved in response to political needs reciprocally felt. It has continued
and is continuing thus until today.
Once diplomacy actually existed and was conceded to be irreplaceably useful,
a reverse factor also became possible. The nature and functioning of the
diplomatic machine at any particular historical moment could of itself shape the
way in which principals - whoever they might be - conducted their exchanges.
Thus it has occasionally occurred that functions which had developed within
diplomacy came to create a particular international activity simply because they
existed. Of course, sometimes what the machine could not do, or could not be
seen to be doing without damaging its basic function, could be done by other
means - by Secret Services, for example, or by hired assassins.
The evolution of foreign ministries followed from the desire of rulers and their
ministers to maintain a continuous flow of diplomatic business in which cross
relationships between diplomatic partners, between internal sources of political
influence and between differing issues could be carefully followed and controlled.
To do this successfully and to have instantly available knowledge of current
obligations and commitments required an institutional memory obtainable only
through a properly managed single foreign ministry.
In the beginning, the role of foreign ministries was to coordinate embassies and
their staffs. These embassies were still far smaller than their modern form. With
embassies legitimate messengers in foreign countries became ambassadors.
The embassy staffs were made up of highly qualified professionals including
some dedicated to espionage. The information gathered by spies plays an
increasingly important role in diplomacy. Treaties to prevent wars would not be
possible if a country has no information about military activities of another.
These kinds of development occasionally engendered reluctance from
contemporary traditionalists. None, however, encountered the fierce opposition
and disapproval from the principals themselves that accompanied the
emergence of the resident ambassador. There could be no doubt that this was
an inescapable response to particular circumstances otherwise it could not
have triumphed over the objections of the proprietors of the system itself. The
origin of the problem lay in a change of emphasis in the purpose of diplomacy.
Diplomacy steadily developed as the means by which sovereign rulers
communicated with other sovereign rulers. It was the great assertion of
sovereign individuality, functioning in a sometimes avowedly - or sometimes
simply politely - adversarial mode, depending on circumstances. Diplomacy and
international relations were then considered the most effective and principled
means of resolving conflict.
In today’s diplomacy, the most effective response to a crisis is to call a meeting
in peacetime to discuss it before it gets out of hand. Conferences or congresses
had of course been well known devices, but always in the context of bringing an
existing war to an end. In most of discussions, each country is encouraged to
try to satisfy another country’s needs in order to avoid a warAdapted from History and the Evolution of Diplomacy by Richard Langhorne.
• Comprehension questions
1. Do we know when diplomacy started? Explain.
2. What do you understand by “it may be better to hear the message than
to eat the messenger”?
3. Explain the measures taken to ensure the safety of diplomats.
4. In the second paragraph, the author says that sometimes what the
machine could not do was done by other means. What does he mean by
“machine”?
5. Does diplomacy have anything to do with espionage? Explain.
6. Do you think that espionage is justifiable? Justify your answer.
• Text 2: Economic and Commercial Diplomac
Economic diplomacy, narrowly defined, is concerned with international
economic policy questions, such as how to preserve global financial stability
without indefensible levels of youth unemployment and unmanageable levels of
wholly defensible levels of civil unrest; and how to stimulate economic growth,
particularly in the poorest countries, while arresting or at least slowing down
climate change. Commercial diplomacy, on the other hand, consists mainly of
assistance to the promotion of exports and foreign direct investment (FDI), and
access to raw materials. Modern diplomacy was influenced by commerce from
its earliest days. The priority given to economic as well as commercial diplomacy
has risen more in recent years. The role of foreign ministries and especially
embassies is undeniably great in both economic and commercial diplomacy.
The invention and spread of resident diplomatic missions in the late fifteenth
century had probably been encouraged by the example of the consulates earlier
established by trading peoples in and around the Mediterranean world, and, from
the first, they sometimes had a decidedly commercial flavour. In a few exceptional
cases, major trading companies, with the blessing of their sovereigns at home,
themselves established full-blown embassies, not only financing them but also
appointing and sharing in the instruction of ambassadors. Thereafter, although
high politics came to dominate the work of most embassies until World War
I, the ‘trade’- averse aristocrats who usually headed them were rarely able toignore commercial work altogether.
This was because they had field responsibility for the consular posts that, in time,
fell under state control; because international trade began to grow enormously
in the first half of the eighteenth century; and because embassies themselves
came to be given direct responsibility for the negotiation of commercial treaties
–that is, the general framework in which trade was conducted in bilateralrelationships
In the late nineteenth century, as international rivalry intensified for markets –
as also for foreign concessions to sink mine shafts, drill for oil, build railways,
and cut canals – so commercial diplomacy was given a strong fillip. Diplomats
were required to interest themselves in projects such as these, especially when
they were thought to have the additional advantage of serving political and
strategic interests. The Suez Canal and the Berlin–Baghdad Railway are well
known examples. Diplomatic missions intervened with local ministries both to
support the placement of capital by their nationals on advantageous terms and
subsequently to provide protection to their investments against violence, breach
of contract, and hostile legislation. The latter role gave rise to the legal doctrine
of ‘diplomatic protection’ and, inevitably, to a counter-doctrine.
Adapted from Economic and Commercial Diplomacy. In: Diplomacy (P.210-211) by BerridgeG.R.
• Comprehension questions
1. Differentiate economic diplomacy from commercial diplomacy.
2. Do you really think that commerce can influence diplomacy? Justify your
answer.
3. What do you understand by “with the blessing of their sovereigns at
home”?
4. Evaluate the role of major trading companies in foreign politics.
5. What caused commercial diplomacy to be given a strong fillip in the late
nineteenth century?6. What do you understand by “diplomatic protection”?
• Text 3: Rwanda’s diplomacy in 2018
In her work, ‘the secret life of bees’ Sue Monk Kidd observed that, “if you need
something from somebody, always give that person a way to hand it to you”. I
couldn’t think of a better statement to aptly describe Rwanda’s diplomacy in
2018.
Towards the end of October, it’s not too early to begin analysing the year and
for Rwanda’s diplomacy, it’s not an exaggeration to assert that this will go
down as one of the country’s best, both at home and away, especially from theinternational relations front.
• Comprehension questions
1. How does the journalist describe Rwanda’s diplomacy in the first
paragraph?
2. Appreciate Rwanda’s post-1994 diplomacy template.
3. Why do you think Rwanda joined the Commonwealth while it was not
formerly a British colony?
4. What do you think boosted Mushikiwabo’s victory in OIF elections?
5. Did analysts think that Mushikiwabo would easily win elections? Explain.
6. Mention two Rwanda’s diplomatic victories in 2018.
II. Vocabulary (Text2)
Use a dictionary and thesaurus to look up the missing meanings of the
words/phrases in the table below. Copy the table into your book and fill inthe blank spaces.
III. Vocabulary (Text3)
Use a dictionary and thesaurus to look up the missing meanings of the
words/phrases in the table below. Copy the table into your book and fill inthe blank spaces.
IV. Sentence construction:
Use each of the following words/phrase in your own sentence.
a) e-communication
b) Sign language
c) Embassy
d) Sovereigns
e) Rivalry
f) Diplomacy
g) Espionage
V. Paragraph writing
In one paragraph, explain why embassies are needed. You can again havea look at the techniques of writing a good paragraph in year one, unit 5.
1.4 Treaties and agreements:
Text 1: Regional integration to foster prosperit
President Paul Kagame has said that regional integration and close partnership
between members of regional economic communities can fast-track development
and prosperity for individual nations.
Kagame was, on 1st November 2017, speaking at the Global Business Forum
on Africa held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The session was moderated by
John Defterios, the emerging Markets anchor at CNN UAE.
The Head of State noted that regional integration in Africa would enable
countries to get past divisions that have long prevented the continent from
being as prosperous at it should.
Citing the example of the East Africa Community integration, Kagame said the
initiative has yielded positive impacts such as free movement of people, customs
union and joint infrastructure projects.
“If you look at the East African region, even more progress has been realised,
for example, in the area of customs union, integration in the area of infrastructure
that bring the countries of the East African Community together, whether it is
telecommunication in the area of realising one area network, where there are no
roaming charges,” Kagame said.
Other impacts, he noted, include working together to implement reforms that
cover aspects such as the economy and security. EAC integration has, among
others, seen the liberalisation of free movement of people, goods and services,
consequently increasing opportunities for the over 160 million citizens of the
bloc.
Four countries in the bloc (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan) in 2014
rolled out the One Area Network, scrapping calls roaming rates which brought
down the cost of communication. The region is also in the process of rolling
out the Standard Gauge Railway, a 2000km project which will further ease
movement of goods.
On the side-lines of the Global Business Forum on Africa, Rwanda signed
two bilateral agreements with UAE, which are expected to enhance investor
relations.
The pacts will facilitate the promotion and reciprocation of protection of
investments as well as double taxation avoidance. This, experts say, will serve
to increase investor confidence in Rwanda’s business regulatory environment.
Speaking to The New Times, from Dubai, Emmanuel Hategeka the Chief Operating
Officer of the Rwanda Development Board, said that the forum presents an
ideal platform to mobilise investments.
“The forum presents an excellent platform to attract private investors to Rwanda.
We are able to access a global network of investors brought together by the
Dubai Chamber and showcase Rwanda’s investment opportunities and engage
in forward-looking discussions,” he said.
The United Arab Emirates, he said, is one of Rwanda’s main sources of investors.
“UAE has been a major source of investors to Rwanda registering over $100
million in planned investments in logistics, hospitality and financial services,”
Hategeka said.
The two-day forum, which was opened recently was the fourth on Africa. H.E
Paul Kagame attended it at the invitation of Sheikh Mohamed Al Maktoum, the
vice-president of UAE and the ruler of Dubai.
The forum was organised by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Convening over 1,000 top-level government and corporate decision-makers as
well as industry experts the forum was running under the theme “Next Generation
Africa.”
Participants examined the current economic outlook for the African continent,
and explored prospects for its development, investment opportunities and the
potential for forging partnerships between African businesses and their UAE
counterparts.(Adapted from The New Times https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/222853)
• Comprehension questions:
1. Assess the importance of regional integration for countries.
2. What do you understand by “joint infrastructure projects”?
3. Explain the role EAC played as far as telecommunication is concerned.
4. What should we expect from rolling out the Standard Gauge Railway?
5. Appreciate the role of The United Arab Emirates in Rwanda’s investment.
• Text 2: International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)
The United Nations Security Council established the International Criminal
Tribunal for Rwanda to “prosecute persons responsible for genocide and other
serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of
Rwanda and neighbouring States, between 1 January 1994 and 31 December
1994”. The Tribunal was located in Arusha, Tanzania, and had offices in Kigali,
Rwanda. Its Appeals Chamber was located in The Hague, Netherlands.
Since it opened, the Tribunal indicted many individuals whom it considered
responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in
Rwanda in 1994. Those indicted include high-ranking military and government
officials, politicians, businessmen, as well as religious, militia, and media leaders.
With its sister international tribunals and courts, the ICTR has played a pioneering
role in the establishment of a credible international criminal justice system,
producing a substantial body of jurisprudence on genocide, crimes against
humanity, war crimes, as well as forms of individual and superior responsibility.
The ICTR was the first ever international tribunal to deliver verdicts in relation
to genocide, and the first to interpret the definition of genocide set forth in the
1948 Geneva Conventions. It also is the first international tribunal to define rape
in international criminal law and to recognise rape as a means of perpetrating
genocide.
Another landmark was reached in the media case, where the ICTR became
the first international tribunal to hold members of the media responsible for
broadcasts intended to inflame the public to commit acts of genocide.
On 14 December 2015, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)
delivered its final judgment on appeal in the case against former Minister of
Family and Women’s Development Pauline Nyiramasuhuko and five co-accused.
Nyiramasuhuko was the first woman convicted of genocide by an international
court. The court found her guilty of rape, among other crimes. The Appeals
Chamber upheld convictions for most of the charges against Nyiramasuhuko,
her son Arsène Ntahobali, and four local government officials.
“The creation of the ICTR was an extraordinary evolution in the international
response to serious and widespread human rights violations,” said Geraldine
Mattioli-Zeltner, international justice advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.
“It signalled that all serious crimes, whoever commits them and wherever they
are committed, should be prosecuted and tried.”
At the ICTR’s closing event, Rwandan Justice Minister Johnston Busingye called
upon states where indicted genocide suspects are sheltering to understand
that they owe a duty to humanity, and to the Rwanda victims. He urged them toensure that those suspects are brought to justice.
“Diplomatic pressure on countries where Rwandan genocide suspects are living
to step up efforts to apprehend and prosecute them is of primary importance,”
Mattioli-Zeltner said. “The UN Security Council should make clear that they will
be held to account, wherever they may be, and that justice for the Rwandan
genocide does not end with the closure of the ICTR.”
Adopted from International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals by UnitedNations
• Comprehension questions
1. Why was the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda established?
2. Before ICTR establishment, had any other international tribunal delivered
verdicts in relation to genocide? Justify your answer.
3. Describe ICTR’s achievement in terms of media cases.
4. The court found Nyiramasuhuko guilty of rape. Explain how a woman can
be involved in rape.
5. Discuss the Minister Johnston Busingye’s message at the ICTR’s closing
event.6. Advise countries that harbour genocide suspects.
Vocabulary, sentence construction and composition writing.
I. Vocabulary (Text1)
Use a dictionary and thesaurus to look up the meanings of the following
words/phrases
a. Integration
b. Anchor
c. Roaming charges
d. Rolled out
e. Bilateral agreements
f. Pacts
g. Reciprocation
h. Hospitality
i. Prospects
II. Vocabulary (Text2)
Use a dictionary and thesaurus to look up the missing meanings of the
words in the table below. Copy the table into your book and fill in the blankspaces.
III. Sentence construction
Use each of the words in the above table in your own sentences.
IV. Composition writingWrite a 300 word composition explaining the role of regional integration
1.5 Language structure: Uses of gerunds and ing-clauses
and Verbs used with either infinitive or ing- forms
I. Uses of gerunds
Note: A gerund is a noun formed from a verb which refers to an action, process,
or state. Gerund will always contain the ending –ing and used as a noun. Inshort, any verb ending in -ing and used as a noun is a gerund.
Verb / Gerund
Study the following sentences:
1. She is running very fast. (verb)
2. She likes running very fast. (
gerund)
In the first sentence, run is used as a verb. She is doing the action of running.
In the second sentence, running is used as a gerund (noun) and like is the verb.
Therefore, a gerund will always be used as a noun and does not replace the
progressive form of the verb.
Functions of Gerunds
• Because a gerund is a noun, it can be the subject of a sentence
Examples:
- Singing makes Sarah happy.
- Smoking is prohibited in public places.
• A gerund can also be the direct object
Examples:
- Kayitesi enjoys singing.
- When her mother died, she started misbehaving.
• Gerunds can be Subject Complement.
Example: It was singing that made Kayitesi happy.
• Because a gerund is a noun, it can be the object of a preposition in a
prepositional phrase.
Example: Besides singing, Kayitesi likes dancing.
When to use gerund
• There are verbs that are commonly followed by a gerund. Those verbs
include:
- like
- love
- enjoy
- dislike
- hate
- start
- admit
- avoid
- keep etc
Example: I like playing soccer but I hate boxing.
Note that some verbs such as like/love/hate… can be also followed by an
infinitive.
• Gerund is also used after prepositions. Those prepositions include:
- aim at
- keep on
- interested in
- instead of
- good at
- before ...
- after ...
Examples:
I am interested in collecting stamps.”
After playing football I drank an orange juice”.
• Gerund is equally used after expressions, such as:
- It’s no use ...
- It’s no good ...
- There’s no point in ...
- I can’t help...
- I don’t mind...
- I can’t stand/bear...
Example: It’s no use convincing him to meet her.
II. Verbs used with either infinitive or ing- forms
Study the following sentences:
- The bus stopped picking up the children.
- The bus stopped to pick up the children.
Do the above sentences have the same meaning?
Notes: Some verbs have a different meaning depending on whether they are
followed by an -ing form or to + infinitive.
Stop
• Stop + -ing means the action is not happening any more.
Examples:
- I’ve stopped buying the newspaper because now I read the news online.
- Janet stopped reading her morning newsletters.
• Stop + to + infinitive means that someone or something stops an activity
so that they can do something else.
Examples:
- Muhire stopped to greet the Ambassador.
- He stopped the video to ask the students some questions.
Try
• Try + gerund means that you are trying something as an experiment,
especially as a possible solution to a problem, to see if it works or not.
Examples:
- Have you tried turning the computer off and on again?
- I want to try studying with a friend to see if it helps us stay more motivated.
• Try + infinitive means that something is difficult but you are making an
effort to do it.
Examples:
- I’m trying to learn Japanese but it’s very difficult.
- Our country tried to satisfy your needs but you look indifferent.
- I’m trying to study but it’s impossible with all this noise.
Remember/forget
• Remember + gerund and forget + gerund refer to having (or not having) a
memory of something in the past.
Examples:
- I remember watching this film before.
- I’ll never forget meeting you for the first time in this café.
• Remember + infinitive and forget + infinitive refer to recalling (or not
recalling) that there is something we need to do before we do it.
Examples:
- Please remember to buy some milk on the way home.
- He forgot to lock the door when he went out.
Exercise
Choose the correct verb form from the brackets to complete the sentences.
1. I’d forgotten _____ to Canada when I was small, but then my parents
showed me photos. (to go/ going)
2. I always forget _____ my alarm for Monday morning. (to set/ setting
3. She tried _____ the whole book but it was very long and complicated. (to
read/ reading)
4. You’ll be OK. I remember _____ really nervous on my first day too! (to be/
being)
5. Try _____ the video with subtitles. This might help you understand better.
(to watch/ watching)
6. She had to stop halfway through the race _____ the wheel on her bike.
(to repair/ repairing)
7. Remember _____ your swimming costume in case we go to the pool. (to
pack/ packing)
8. He’s stopped _____ French classes and changed to Spanish. (to take/
taking)
9. Kamali is good at _____(to dance/ dancing)10. Rutebuka couldn’t give up _____(to smoke/ smoking)
1.6 Spelling and pronunciation
A. Spelling
Identify and correct misspelled words in the following paragraph
The ability to practice diplomacy is one of the defining elements of a stete,
and diplomacy has been practiced since the formation of the first city-stetes.
Originally dipolomats were sent only for specific negotiasions, and would return
immediately after their mission concluded. Dipolomats were usually relatives of
the ruling family or of very high rank in order to give them legitimasy when they
sought to negosiate with the other stete. Ambassaders at that time were nobles
with little foreign or dipolomatic experience and needed to be supported by alarge emberssy staff.
B. Phonetic transcription
Give the missing phonetic transcriptions of the words in the table below and
practise their pronunciations.
1.7. End unit assessment
