It’s important to remember this basic grammar rule:
HOWEVER, there is always an exception to the rule in English! Normally, ‘to’ goes with a verb (as part of the infinitive form), not a noun. If, however, the ‘to’ is a preposition that is part of a combination, then it is OK to use a gerund after to.
Here are three situations in which you can use a gerund after the preposition to:
1) If the to is part of a phrasal verb or verb + preposition combination:
I look forward to meeting your parents tonight!
He confessed to killing his next-door neighbour.
She adjusted to living on her own.
He objects to spending so much money on a T.V.
Mother Theresa devoted her life to helping the poor.
(Remember, not every verb + preposition combination is a phrasal verb! A phrasal verb is when the preposition changes the meaning of the verb.)
2) If the to is part of an adjective + preposition combination:
I am addicted to watching soap operas on T.V.!
She is committed to improving the education system.
I am opposed to increasing taxes.
Many of the nurses and doctors in the hospital are truly dedicated to making life better for the patients.
Mother Theresa was devoted to helping the poor throughout her life.He’s not used to driving on the left-hand side of the road!
3) If the to is part of a noun + preposition combination:
His addiction to gambling has caused a lot of stress for his family.
Her great dedication to teaching inspires her students.
Mother Theresa’s devotion to helping the poor brought her worldwide acclaim.
Her reaction to winning the Oscar was priceless!
NOTES:
*Remember, you can use to + gerund, but the to MUST be a preposition that is part of a combination. You CANNOT say:
X I want to going shopping.
X I like to listening to music.
*Also note that in the above combinations, you could NOT use to + verb. You CAN’T say:
X He objects to spend so much money on a T.V.
X I am opposed to increase taxes
*As you may know, gerunds can be use after prepositions. This does NOT mean that gerunds must always be used after prepositions. Verb / adjective / noun combinations could also be followed by any noun or noun phrase:
I’m looking forward to her party tonight!
He confessed to the murder of his next-door neighbour.
I haven’t adjusted to the time change yet.
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Now, I’m sure your next question is: how do I know what verb / noun / adjective combinations include to? Unfortunately there is no easy answer. You can memorize lists, or you can do as much reading and listening as possible in English so that you get used to seeing and hearing these combinations! The purpose of the post was just to make you aware that there are certain, specific circumstances when you can use to + gerund.
Melanie is a TESL-certified English teacher. She lives near Toronto, Canada. Through her blog, videos, podcasts, and social media, she helps thousands of people around the world improve their English. She makes English a little less confusing and a little more fun! She also helps people understand Canadian and American culture. She believes that natural interaction with a native speaker helps people practice what they have learned and builds their confidence with English!
{ 42 comments… read them below or add one }
Dear Melanie ,
Thank you so much. I don't have so much clear ideas about this before as i red it and having a very clear idea about gerund now! :)
You saved me *__*
… and you made me happy with your comment! I'm glad this helped you = )
Hello:
Really interesting, I knew there were some uses for to + V ing, but I didn't know about this specific information you posted. Thanks a lot, I'll share it with my students too. Regards from Mexico.
Hi, Otty!
I'm glad I could help! This is a little-known part of gerunds AND prepositions! Most students learn about phrasal verb, but don't spend a lot of time learning about these combinations.
I hope your students find this useful, too!
Melanie
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Dear Melanie,
I’m Brazilian, love to learn English language by myself and your tips are simply great. Although I already have a reasonable knowledge of the language, I still struggle with some details, for I have never taken English classes. So please forgive me if my question is stupid, but I don’t understand the use of the infinitive in VERY simples cases like this: “I just called to say hi”.
In this case, suppose the word “to” is not part of the infinitive but a preposition, right? So if “to” works as a preposition here, why isn’t the verb “say” on the gerund form??
I always think it would be logical this way: “I just called to saying hi”, where “to saying” is “to + to say”.
Could you please help me? Thank you very very much.
Or, asking in another way, why can’t we just say: “I just called IN ORDER TO say hi”??
Hi, Maria!
Your question is not stupid at all!
In this case we need to focus on the verb ‘call,’ not on the preposition ‘to.’
‘Call + to’ is NOT a verb+preposition combination. You can say “I called him.” or “She called me.” In those sentences, you cannot use ‘to.’ You can’t say “I called TO him.” So, the verb call doesn’t need the preposition ‘to.’
If you are going to use another verb after ‘call,’ then you need to use the infinitive form (to + verb) of the verb:
“I just called to say hi!”
“I just called to tell you I am at work.”
“I just called to let you know that I’m going to be late for dinner.”
“I just called to remind you to pick up the kids at school.”
It’s the rule! Some verbs are followed by a gerund, some verbs are followed by an infinitive, and some verbs can be followed by both. I have no idea why … that’s just the way it is!
I hope this makes sense!
Melanie
It’s simple. In the sentence “I called to say hi” to say is an adverbial modifier of purpose! It’s not an object of the verb “call”. So it just explains why you do something. It is interchangeable with “in order to do smth.”, “so as to do smth.”
I called to say hi
I called in order to say hi
I called so as to say hi
Hi, Vitalii!
You are correct, but Maria’s original question was why can’t a gerund be used in the sentence “I just called to say hi!” Gerunds can also be used as adverbial modifiers of purpose. In this case however, ‘call’ is not followed by a gerund, so the infinitive must be used.
thank u . i am english lecturer from pakistan
I must write this down :) I like it when I finally see a system in grammar. It really bothers me when Im not sure about something. :) thank you ;)
thanks for detail
Dear Melanie,
Hope you’re fine and doing very well. I read your explanation regarding to+gerund, which really inhanced my knowledge about it. Your contribution is worth praising…
With best regards and wishes,
Masoom Khan, Quetta, Pakistan.
I read you blog. Nice to see everything in correct form.
Thanks.
Can I say “we are open to working with you?”
Yes, that’s correct! = )
(Just remember to start with a capital letter: “We are …. “)
Melanie, thanks for this informative post. Is a gerund required or optional in usage number 3? For example, would the following sentence be considered wrong?
“We are dedicated to create and provide excellent products to our customers.”
Hi, Daniel!
A gerund is required! Your sentence should say:
“We are dedicated to creatING and providING excellent products FOR our customers.”
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Thank you so much we teach gerunds to our students though only recently I had noticed that gerunds too can follow a TO I just didn’t find the rule to it.
Much obliged.
Thank you for your helpfull information. I was very confused about the use of to before a gerund, but you have clear it to me a lot. God Bless you!
I’m a student in Secondary school. I want to know that how to notice the preposition combination. Can you tell me the common ones? Thanks in
advance. :-)
Hi, Muyleng!
You can learn the combinations by reading & listening, and noticing which prepositions are used. Eventually, you’ll just get used to & you’ll just know which prepositions go with which words.
Good luck!
= )
And one more question. Is it correct to use Verb + Verb? Example: I go take
it. Help comment. Thanks :-)
Hi, Muyleng!
No, you cannot use verb+verb in English. Your sentence is not correct.
Most of the time, if a verb follows another verb, the 2nd verb must be a gerund or an infinitive:
verb + gerund = I go skiing every weekend.
verb + infinitive = I need to take my books to school.
This website has a great tutorial on gerunds & infinitives:
http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/index.htm
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Oh thanks so much :-) This really helps me, I always get confused with this. :-)
As i’ve read your explanation, all the combinations above are used with ‘to+gerund’. I just want to know if some of the combinations above work
with ‘to+verb’? Or is it the rule that all the combinations above must use with ‘to+gerund’?
Ex: I’m addicted to watching cartoons.(like your explanation)
Ex: I’m addicted to watch cartoons.(Is it correct?)
Hi, Muyleng!
This post only explains when you can use ‘to + gerund.’ ‘To + verb’ is the infinitive form of a verb. You can read more about gerunds & infinitives in this tutorial:
http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/index.htm
The adjective ‘addicted to’ is not followed by an infinitive. It is followed by a gerund. All the combinations above are followed by gerunds. They are not followed by infinitives.
“I’m addicted to watching cartoons.”
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I’m happy to help you.
I’m happy to helping you.
Which one is correct?
Sorry if I bother you.
Can I have your email?
Hi, Muyleng! I am not available by email.
This is a great question! There are some exceptions:
http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/adjective_infinitive_list.htm
For example …
I am surprised to see you.
I’m happy to help you.
… but …
It’s nice to meet you. / It was nice meeting you.
=)
Sir,we do not use gerund after” In order to” but after” With a view to” we use gerund.If, here the” to” is working as a preposition then how I can understand whether it is working as a preposition or not though the meaning of two phrases used above are same.Please Help me.I have been looking forward to finding this answer for a long time.Thank you.
Hi!
First of all, I’m not a ‘sir.’ ‘Sir’ is used to address men.
Second, I think this is what you wanted to say:
We do not use a gerund after “in order to,” but we use a gerund after “with a view to.” If the ‘to’ here is working as a preposition, then how can I understand whether it is working as a preposition or not since the meaning of the two phrases are the same? Please help me. I have been looking for the answer to this for a long time. Thank you.
~
You have made two assumptions that are wrong:
1. “in order” and “with a view to” are not the same. They are slightly different.
2. Just because they have a similar but slightly different meaning, this does not mean that they must be used the same grammatically .
A. “In order to” is not a phrase by itself and the ‘to’ is not a preposition. It’s usually ‘in order’ + infinitive
= so that someone can do something or something can happen, to make it possible for something to happen
“In order to finish my report, I need more information.”
The sentence is the same without ‘in order’: “To finish my report, I need more information.”
“They bought the land in order to change it into a working farm.”
= They have a definite plan. The reason they bought that land was to turn it into a farm. Again, the meaning is the same without ‘in order’:
“They bought the land to change it into a working farm.”
“They bought the land because they wanted to change it into a working farm.”
B. “With a view to (doing something) = with the hope of doing something in the future
It is always followed by a gerund.
“They bought the land with a view to turning it into a working farm.”
= In the future, they hope to turn the land into a farm, but there are no definite plans right now. It’s just something they’re thinking of doing.
To be honest, “with a view to” is not commonly used in American English. I can’t remember the last time I heard or read that phrase. Also, how many time are you actually going to use ‘in order’ or ‘with a view to’ in conversation? I wouldn’t worry about it too much.
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Hi :-) I want to know if this sentence is correct.
* I typed ‘Jane’, but it appeared AS ‘Jone.
I want to know whether we use ‘APPEARD’, ‘APPEAR TO BE’, or ‘APPEARED AS’. Why? What are the differences between 3 of them. Thanks in advance.
Hi, Muyleng!
The correct sentence is, “I typed ‘Jane,’ but it appeared as ‘Jone.’”
The base form of the verb is ‘appear,’ and the past tense & past participle of the verb is ‘appeared.’
There are many definitions of the verb ‘appear’:
http://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/appear
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/appear
‘Appear to be’ = to give the impression, to look, to seem
‘Appear as’ = to be seen
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This was really not known to me. I always wondered as to why “to” is sometimes followed by _ing. Now it is quite clear to me why such form is used.
Would you please explain whether the following sentences with ‘help/make’ & ‘to’ are correct:
1. He helped his wife to succeed in life.
2. Her lost wallet made her to cry in the shop.
3. Please do not make me to shout!
4. Always help new families to find a good store.
Thank you.
Regards,
Arpana Prakash, Varanasi, India.
1. He helped his wife to succeed in life. CORRECT
ALSO: He helped his wife succeed in life.
2. Her lost wallet made her to cry in the shop. INCORRECT
“Her lost wallet made her cry in the shop.”
3. Please do not make me to shout! INCORRECT
“Please do not make me shout!”
4. Always help new families to find a good store. CORRECT
ALSO: Always help new families find a good store.
*’Make’ is not followed by an infinitive or gerund. If you are going to use a verb after ‘make,’ the verb is in the base form.
*’Help’ can be followed by both an infinitive and the base form of a verb.
http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/gerunds-and-infinitives.html
Thanks Madam.
This will help me (to) bring accuracy in my language-use and make me study further depths.
Regards,
Arpana Prakash, Varanasi, India
Hello Melanie
In cases as “contribute to”? Can I say “He contributes to finding solutions” ?
Thank you!
Hi, Nixon,
Yes, that’s fine! ‘Contribute to’ is a verb + preposition combination, and ‘contribution to’ is a noun + preposition combination.
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Hello Melanie!
I’m glad that I found your website explaining about gerund. This subject really gets me confused quite a number of times. But your simple and easy explanation offer so much assistance in understanding the principle. I’d like to seek your favor to see whether the following sentence is correct:
“my job scope also extended to executing team projects, researches and other administrative tasks. ”
Thanks!!
Hi, Mims,
Are you writing a resume?
“The scope of my job extended to executing team projects, doing research, and completing other administrative tasks.”
However, the sentence is better this way:
“I was responsible for executing team projects, doing research, and completing other administrative tasks.”
In English you need to use parallel structures. If you are making a list of things, they all need to be in the same form. You used “executing team projects,” so everything after that must be in the same form.
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