Gerund after to

Question

Hi, everyone.Could someone please help me with this question.  I teach English at a private institute and I have a second year adult group who are doing the infinitive with or without to and also the gerund form.  Why do we say "I'm looking forward to eating this."  and not "I'm looking forward to eat this"?I really need an answer because I've looked this up and I don't seem to find it.  I would really appreciate it if someone could answer me as soon as possible.  Thank you.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,
Could someone please help me with this question. I teach English at a private institute and I have a second year adult group who are doing the infinitive with or without to and also the gerund form. Why do we say "I'm looking forward to eating this." and not "I'm looking forward to eat this"?

I really need an answer because I've looked this up and I don't seem to find it. I would really appreciate it if someone could answer me as soon as possible.

Because the syntax is 'look forward to something'.
It requires a noun or the noun-like form of a verb,. That's what a gerund is.
eg I'm looking forward to the meal.
eg I'm looking forward to eating.

A second way you can approach this is to explain that 'to' is part of the fixed phrase 'look forward to', and not part of the infinitive 'to eat'.
In other words, you can't say (I look forward to ) (eat)
for the same reason that you can't say (I like) (eat).

Clive

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Hi fernandam;
Welcome to the Forums!

Your question is connected to two different topics of grammar: catenative verbs and phrasal verbs.

Phrasal verbs are multi-word verbs, consisting of a main verb and one or more particles (prepositions). The phrasal verb is idiomatic - the meaning is more than the sum of the parts.

Look forward to is a phrasal verb, meaning to anticipate with pleasure.

Phrasal verbs, like other verbs, can take direct objects.

I am looking forward to your party. (The direct object is "party")
I am looking forward to eating and drinking at your party. ("eating" and "drinking" are gerunds - direct objects.)

Catenative verbs are a special class of verbs which can be followed by the infinitive, gerund, or bare infinitive.

For example:
I forgot my keys. (keys is the direct object. )

I forgot to lock the door. (to lock is an infinitive phrase which is the direct object of "lock".
Here is a reference:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_catenative_verbs

Avangi · Answer

I'd say that "to look forward to something" is an idiom, in which "to" is a preposition, having nothing to do with the infinitive marker "to."

I look forward to his departure. I look forward to his leaving. I look forward to leaving (myself).

Here, "leaving" is a gerund, functioning as direct object of the preposition.

I would like to leave. I would like to eat this. (Infinitives)

I would enjoy eating that. I would enjoy walking to the store with you. .(Gerunds)

We sometimes get in trouble because we know that the infinitive and the gerund are usually interchangeable as objects:
I like to swim. I like swimming. But some verbs and some phrases take only one or only the other.

Avangi · Answer

AlpheccaStarsI forgot to lock the door. (to lock is an infinitive phrase which is the direct object of "lock".

'Tis a puzzlement.

CalifJim · Answer

It has to do with the difference between the infinitive marker to and the preposition to.

See

CJ

BillJ · Answer

fernandamWhy do we say "I'm looking forward to eating this." and not "I'm looking forward to eat this"?

'Looking forward to...' is a verbal idiom, comprising verb+preposition+preposition phrase ('forward' and 'to' are both prepositions). Its complement can be a noun phrase or a gerund clause (which functions like a noun), but infinitival clauses don't generally function as complement to a preposition, like 'to':

"I'm looking forward [to dinner]" (noun phrase)

"I'm looking forward [to eating this]" (gerund clause)

*"I'm looking forward [to eat this]" (infinitival clause - ungrammatical)

BillJ

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Correction:
I forgot to lock the door.
"to lock" is the direct object of "forgot" {I'm embarrassed!}

Anonymous · Answer

I am looking forward to. ......my consume.

Gerund after to

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