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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Looking forward to talk/talking

I can understand that you can't mix tenses, eg, progressive & infinitive, but I can't understand why it's OK to say . . .
He is hoping to talk to X tomorrow
- but it's not OK to say . . .
He is looking forward to talk to morrow

Aren't hoping and looking the same tense? In the first, I can add an infinitive but in the second, I can't?

Can someone explain the difference?

Thanks
  

Top answer

'To' in "looking forward to" is a preposition, like in, for, towards, etc. View "looking forward to" as one phrasal verb.

— Persian Learner

  • 'To' in "looking forward to" is a preposition, like in, for, towards, etc.
  • View "looking forward to" as one phrasal verb.
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3 Answers
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'To' in "looking forward to" is a preposition, like in, for, towards, etc.
View "looking forward to" as one phrasal verb.
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Look forward to means to be excited and pleased about something that is going to happen. What follows this prepositional verb is a gerund ( an -ing construction that stands for a noun).
You look forward to something: He is looking forward to talking.
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AnonymousCan someone explain the difference?
The word "to" has two different functions.

1. Infinitive "to". This "to" is part of an infinitive. to say, to do, to know, ...
2. Preposition "to". This "to" is part of a prepositional phrase. to the station, to you, to Chicago, ...

Infinitive "to" is followed by a verb. We s
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