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Why English Phrasal Expressions Break the TO Rule

The Rule That Breaks Down

A student was describing her weekend plans.

"I'm looking forward to eat at the new restaurant," she said.

When I corrected her to "looking forward to eating," she looked genuinely confused.

"But TO means infinitive!" she protested. "To eat, to go, to study..."

She was absolutely right about the rule.

And absolutely wrong about this phrase.

The Two Different TOs

English has two completely different TOs that look identical:

TO #1: Infinitive Marker

  • I want TO eat
  • I need TO go
  • I love TO study

This TO introduces the base form of a verb.

TO #2: Preposition

  • Looking forward TO eating
  • Object TO smoking
  • Accustomed TO waking up early

This TO is a preposition. After prepositions, we use -ing forms.

Why Students Get Confused

The problem is simple: both TOs look exactly the same.

Students learn "TO + base verb" as a fundamental rule.

Then they encounter phrases like "looking forward TO" and their rule breaks down.

Their brain says: "TO = infinitive!" English says: "Not this time."

No wonder they feel frustrated.

The Complete Unit Strategy

Here's how I help students overcome this confusion:

I teach phrasal expressions as complete units.

"Looking forward to" is one complete phrase. "Object to" is one complete phrase. "Prefer something to" is one complete phrase.

After these complete units, you need -ing.

Common Phrasal Expression Mistakes

Here are the most frequent errors I hear:

❌ "I'm looking forward to eat" ✅ "I'm looking forward to eating"

❌ "I object to smoke in restaurants" ✅ "I object to smoking in restaurants"

❌ "I'm accustomed to wake up early" ✅ "I'm accustomed to waking up early"

❌ "I prefer coffee more than tea" ✅ "I prefer coffee to tea"

❌ "I like to swimming" ✅ "I like swimming" OR "I like to swim"

The Complete Units List

These phrases work as single units + -ing:

LOOKING FORWARD TO + -ing

  • "I'm looking forward to meeting you"
  • "We're looking forward to traveling"

OBJECT TO + -ing

  • "I object to smoking indoors"
  • "She objects to working overtime"

ACCUSTOMED TO + -ing

  • "I'm accustomed to getting up early"
  • "He's accustomed to living alone"

COMMITTED TO + -ing

  • "We're committed to improving"
  • "She's committed to studying harder"

DEVOTED TO + -ing

  • "He's devoted to helping others"
  • "I'm devoted to learning English"

PREFER [something] TO + [something else]

  • "I prefer tea to coffee"
  • "She prefers walking to driving"

The Mental Test

When you see TO, ask yourself:

Is this part of a longer phrase?

  • If yes → use -ing after the complete phrase
  • If no → probably use infinitive

"Looking forward TO" = complete phrase → looking forward to EATING

"Want TO" = want + infinitive marker → want TO EAT

Why "Prefer" Is Tricky

Students often say "prefer coffee more than tea" to avoid the confusing "prefer coffee TO tea."

Both are correct, but they sound different:

"Prefer A to B" = formal, written style "Prefer A more than B" = casual, spoken style

The Like/Love Pattern

"Like" and "love" have two correct patterns:

Like/Love + -ing (general preference)

  • "I like swimming"
  • "I love reading"

Like/Love + TO + infinitive (specific situations)

  • "I like to swim in the ocean"
  • "I love to read before bed"

❌ "I like to swimming" (mixing both patterns)

Practice Recognition Exercise

Can you tell which TO needs -ing and which needs the base verb?

  1. Used to: "I'm used to _____ (get) up early"
  2. Want to: "I want to _____ (travel) to Japan"
  3. Look forward to: "I'm looking forward to _____ (see) you"
  4. Need to: "I need to _____ (study) harder"
  5. Object to: "I object to _____ (pay) extra fees"

The Learning Strategy

To master these expressions:

  1. Learn complete units
    • Don't break "looking forward to" into separate words
    • Memorize the entire phrase as one piece
  2. Practice with -ing
    • After each complete unit, always use -ing
    • Never use infinitive after these phrases
  3. Separate the two TOs
    • Infinitive TO: want to, need to, have to
    • Preposition TO: looking forward to, object to, accustomed to

Practice with Podcast Episode X

This week's podcast episode contains many phrasal expressions.

Try this exercise:

  1. Listen for phrases containing "to"
  2. Decide: infinitive TO or preposition TO?
  3. Notice what follows each type
  4. Practice saying complete phrases with correct forms

Remember:

English has two different TOs that look identical.

Infinitive TO takes base verbs. Preposition TO takes -ing forms.

Learn phrasal expressions as complete units, and the pattern becomes clear.