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Hi,I have posted this one but nobody answered it, so i hope this will be.   I have some questions. I have read some entertainment news, and I am not sure if they are grammatically correct.Katharine McPhee was a runner-up in American Idol in 2006 and has gone on onto a successful pop career, if her $130,000 Aston Martin V8 Vantage roadster is anything to go by.Don't we say," has gone onto something?"Next, I heard people say," that is all to it." Is it a correct usage? Does it mean," that is all it is?"And to in the case is a prepostion? Could you give me some examples?Thanks,

Avangi · Accepted Answer

clee62Katharine McPhee was a runner-up in American Idol in 2006 and has gone on onto a successful pop career

"Onto" should be two words.

She has completed step one and gone on. ("On" is an adverb. Where has she gone?)
She has gone to step two. ("To" is a preposition.)
She has completed step one and gone on to step two.

I often hear "That's all [there is] to it!" "To" is a preposition here.
I don't remember hearing it without "there is."

(I hope you didn't see my statement about the infinitive marker. I misread the sentence.)

After college, she went on to become President.
In this one, the "to" is an infinitive marker!

Clee62 · Answer

Thanks,
So the sentence should be"Kaharine...has gone on to a successful pop career"?

And in "She went on to become...", "went on" is the phrasal verb and to is an infinitive.

Is it okay to say," She went on to becoming "a" president"?

Is the article required in the case?

Thanks,

Avangi · Answer

Hi,

So the sentence should be"Kaharine...has gone on to a successful pop career"? Yes.

And in "She went on to become...", "went on" is the phrasal verb and to is an infinitive. "To" is the infinitive marker, or the infinitive particle. The infinitive is "to become."
I think that whether or not "went on" is a phrasal verb is argumentative. "On" may simply be viewed as an adverb, in my opinion.

Is it okay to say," She went on to becoming "a" president"? That particular phrase would not be idiomatic. There may be other gerunds which would work with "to" as a preposition. I'll have to think about it.

Is the article required in the case? It's optional, and carries a change in meaning.

- A.

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