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Rimma Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary

"see to it"

Hello there,

Can you help me with the following sentence, please? Why "to" is used in this case and what is the meaning then? If i don't use "to" in this sentence, will the meaning be changed?

- No problem. Renee and I will see to it.

Thanks.
  

Top answer

"See to it" is a standard English phrase. It means "ensure". Those three words work as a group; you can't remove or change any of them.

  • "See to it" is a standard English phrase.
  • It means "ensure".
  • Those three words work as a group; you can't remove or change any of them.
  • "You must SEE TO IT that the car is washed" means that it's your RESPONSIBILITY to ENSURE that the car is washed, whether that means washing it yourself, or getting someone else to do it.
  • If someone says "I will SEE TO IT" it means he is taking responsibility for making sure that it gets done.
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8 Answers
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"See to it" is a standard English phrase. It means "ensure". Those three words work as a group; you can't remove or change any of them.
"You must SEE TO IT that the car is washed" means that it's your RESPONSIBILITY to ENSURE that the car is washed, whether that means washing it yourself, or getting someone else to do it.
If someone says "I will SEE TO IT" it means he is taking responsibil
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Hello,

Thank you for your swift reply. Now i clearly understand the sentence and it makes sense Emotion: smile

Have a good time!
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One more question, please

Does "See to it" sound formal or it is ok to use in a casual speech?

Thanks.
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That's a good question. I think it does have a sense of formality, but so does "ensure". This is because they are both somewhat abstract; they tell you that you are responsible for GETTING something DONE, but they don't simply tell you to DO IT.
For example, if I say "Johnny, go and mow the lawn", that is simple, direct and casual. If I said "Johnny, SEE TO IT that the lawn is mowed", or "John
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Emotion: big smile I like the example. Now i got that. Thanks a lot.
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Is there any structure of it
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SEE TO IT actually means to make sure that something is done. For example, "Can you see to it that everyone gets a copy of this memo?".

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