look forward to (be/being) ?

Question

Hi everyone,I'm always confused about why people add +ing to verbs after "look forward to". I mean, shouldn't the verb be in be form after to?Is this a special case, and are there any other situations where I should add ing after to ?Thank you,Please help me in improving my english by telling me if there are any grammatical mistakes or better ways to express my idea in my post  Thanks

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

You should use the gerund in this case, because "to" is a preposition here, and not part of an infinitive. The verb phrase is "to look forward to XY". "to look forward to see" is always wrong!

You could also say "I am looking forward to the holiday season", for example. Clearly, "to the holiday season" is not an infinitive. I can't think of any other verb phrases that use "to" as a preposition at the moment, but I'm sure that that's due to my being somewhat tired.

I look forward to answering any further questions you might have!

Avangi · Answer

Some other examples:

"I don't feel up to going out tonight."
"She was given to taking long naps."
"I don't object to doing my homework."

The first underlined phrase is redundant. The second choice is good. +ing works better in a formula format. I like "to improve" but "in improving" is fine. Use "grammatical."

Njjames · Answer

Hi all, its me again, I decided to sign up a screen name

Thank you guys very much for your helpful information.
Avangi, Thanks very much for correcting me. I corrected my signature in my profile, but I have a question regarding "help me to improve", is it also right to say "help me improve my English" ? I hear people at TV say it like this, but I'm not sure if they really are not saying "to" or if its just me who is not hearing the word "to"? Also, did I phrase my previous question correctly as native English (American or British) speakers would do ?

Thanks again for your helpful posts.
Regards,

Yoong Liat · Answer

NjjamesHi all, its me again, I decided to sign up a screen name

"help me to improve", is it also right to say "help me improve my English" ? I hear people at TV say it like this, but I'm not sure if they really are not saying "to" or if its just me who is not hearing the word "to"? Also, did I phrase my previous question correctly as native English (American or British) speakers would do ?

"help me to improve" is the same as "help me improve my English. Both are correct. The 'to' is optional.

Njjames · Answer

Ahaa I understand, Thank you <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

CalifJim · Answer

For more on to ... -ing constructions, see .

CJ

Avangi · Answer

NjjamesHi all, its me again, I decided to sign up a screen name

Thank you guys very much for your helpful information.
Avangi, Thanks very much for correcting me. I corrected my signature in my profile, but I have a question regarding "help me to improve", is it also right to say "help me improve my English" ? I hear people at TV say it like this, but I'm not sure if they really are not saying "to" or if its just me who is not hearing the word "to"? Also, did I phrase my previous question correctly as native English (American or British) speakers would do ?

Thanks again for your helpful posts.
Regards,

Hi Njj,

I was kicking myself for sticking the "to" in there (to improve.) We used to say, "the 'to' is understood." When I look at something I've written a day before, I find [that] it reads much better if I take out all the junk (such as the "that" I just put in brackets.)

Re the "previous question," it sounds great to my ear, but I don't believe it's a question. Nix the question mark. "Its" wants an apostrophe. (The contraction takes one; the posessive pronoun doesn't .)

Regards, - A.

Edit. We say, "people on TV."

Teo · Answer

The word "to" is often confusing in English. It can be used as part of a modal expression, infinitive or as a preposition.

Note the usage of "to" in the following sentences.

To V

I used to live in Utah.

I am supposed to go.

I hope to see you.

To V ing

I am used to living in Utah.

I am opposed to going.

I look forward to seeing you.

Modal expressions are always followed by the base form of the verb.

ought to

have to

have got to

used to

be to

be able to

be supposed to

be going to

Similar expressions are followed by infinitives (to + V)

need to V

want to V

hope to V

happen to V

mean to V

tend to V

care to V

wish to V

would like to V

be allowed to V

be inclined to V

be reluctant to V

be willing to V

be happy to V

be afraid to V

be required to V

be delighted to V

be compelled to V

Many prepositional combinations using "to" are followed by gerunds.

look forward to V ing

resort to V ing

submit to V ing

confess to V ing

give in to V ing

admit to V ing

with regards to V ing

be accustomed to V ing

be addicted to V ing

be opposed to V ing

be limited to V ing

be dedicated to V ing

be commited to V ing

be used to V ing

Njjames · Answer

Hi all,
Thanks guys for your help and for the extra information.
And thank you a lot Avangi, for correcting my mistakes, it's been very useful

Anonymous · Answer

The grammatically correct form would be “I look forward to being there”. This is due to the “Gerund” rule in grammar, it refers to the usage of a verb (in its -ing form) as a noun (for example, the verb "learning" in the sentence "Learning is an easy process for some").

look forward to (be/being) ?

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