So could someone tell me what the verbs are that must have “ing” (gerund) after “to”? (a small list)
I know we have : “look forward to”, “admit to”, “be opposed to”... but are there other verbs?
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1I look forward to a more detailed explanation of your question, along with some examples. – Xanne Jun 15 '20 at 21:03
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Is there a list of verbs that for sure need a gerund after the preposition “to”. -to look forward to - to be used to... – Lou Jun 15 '20 at 21:59
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What I meant is that, how do we know when a verb needs a gerund after “to”. Is there a rule to know that? – Lou Jun 15 '20 at 22:00
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I think you are confusing a gerund and a present participle. They have the same strtucture because they are the same word but a gerund is actually a present participle functioning as a noun. In the case of the examples you give the present participle is still functioning as a verb. When I say "I look forward to meeting him" 'meeting' is an anticipated action. If I said "I look foreward to my meeting with him" then 'meeting' is a gerund becasue I am looking forward to an event. – BoldBen Jun 15 '20 at 22:01
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1@BoldBen That is not correct. When you look forward to meeting him, meeting is a verb whose direct object is him, and the whole clause is the prepositional object for to. In my meeting with him, meeting is simply a noun; it can even be plural if you have several meetings with him. Only the one with an object is a gerund, because gerunds are verbs whose clauses are used in substantive roles. They are not nouns. – tchrist♦ Jun 16 '20 at 5:41
