Wisdom English Learn about the world. Grow your English.
โ† Back to Grammar
Part 2 ยท Episode 54 B1-B2

I’m Looking Forward to Meeting You

๐Ÿ“ Preposition + -ing (especially "to")

Letter writers (historical correspondence) ยท Various eras: Letter writers and correspondence ๐Ÿ“– 6 min read

Episode 54: I’m Looking Forward to Meeting You

Preposition + -ing โ€” Letter writers, various eras (B1-B2)

Grammar Box

Meaning: When “to” is a preposition (not part of infinitive), it must be followed by -ing, not the base verb. Common in expressions of anticipation and habits.

Form: look forward to, be used to, object to, get used to + -ing (not base verb)

Example 1: I’m looking forward to seeing you. (not: to see you)

Example 2: She’s not used to working night shifts yet.

Common mistake: Wrong: I look forward to meet you. Better: I look forward to meeting you.

The Challenge

Luna wrote an email: “I look forward to meet you next week.” It looked wrong. “To meeting you”? But wasn’t “to” always followed by a verb? Her teacher had said “look forward to” takes -ing, but why? The watch glowed with the warmth of old paper and ink. Professor Wisdom appeared holding sealed letters. “The most confusing ‘to’ in English,” he said, “isn’t part of the infinitive. It’s a preposition. And like all prepositions, it needs a noun โ€” which means the -ing form. Let me show you centuries of letters where anticipation was everything.”

The Journey

Letters across time. Each one ending with the same grammatical pattern of longing.

London, 1850s. Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote to Robert Browning before their secret marriage: “I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow, though I am not used to such happiness. I object to waiting even one more day, but society insists.” Three “to” + -ing structures in one sentence. Each “to” was a preposition requiring -ing, not an infinitive marker. She wasn’t saying what she would do (infinitive’s future intention). She was describing her current emotional state toward a future event.

France, 1918. A soldier in the trenches wrote to his wife: “I look forward to holding you again, to returning to our quiet life, to forgetting this horror. I’m getting used to sleeping through artillery fire, but I’ll never get used to being away from you.” The “to” in “look forward to” is the same “to” as in “listen to” or “according to” โ€” a preposition. It needs an object, and “-ing” forms function as nouns.

Berlin, 1961. A young woman separated by the newly built Wall wrote to her sister on the other side: “I’m not used to seeing guards when I look out my window. I object to being told I can’t visit you. But I look forward to the day when this wall falls and we can be together again.” Her grammar was precise even in heartbreak. Each “to” governed an -ing form because these weren’t statements of intent โ€” they were descriptions of emotional states, habits, and reactions.

What all these letter writers understood instinctively: “looking forward to” isn’t about the future action itself (that would be infinitive: “I plan to see you”). It’s about the present state of anticipation toward that action. The -ing form captures that nuance. Not “I will see you” (future fact), but “I am in a state of anticipating seeing you” (present emotional orientation toward future event).

The Deep Dive

The confusion arises because “to” appears in two different grammatical roles. As an infinitive marker, it’s followed by the base verb: “I want to go.” As a preposition, it’s followed by a noun or -ing form: “I look forward to going.” The key is recognizing which “to” you’re dealing with.

Common expressions where “to” is a preposition include: look forward to, be/get used to, object to, prefer (doing X) to (doing Y), in addition to, with regard to, when it comes to. All require -ing forms. Test: Can you replace “to” with another preposition like “about” or “of”? If yes, it’s a preposition requiring -ing.

“Be used to” (accustomed to) versus “used to” (past habit) creates additional confusion. “I’m used to working nights” (accustomed, preposition + -ing). “I used to work nights” (past habit, followed by base verb). The first is present state of familiarity; the second is past repeated action. Understanding this distinction marks advanced proficiency.

More Examples

History: Lincoln got used to receiving death threats but never got used to losing soldiers in battle.

Science: Darwin objected to religious explanations and looked forward to publishing his controversial theory despite knowing the backlash.

Everyday: I’m not looking forward to the dentist appointment, but I’m used to going every six months.

Formal: The company objects to implementing the new regulations and is not used to such strict government oversight.

Informal: I’m really looking forward to seeing you! I’m not used to having friends in this city yet.

Contrast: “I look forward to see you” (WRONG) vs “I look forward to seeing you” (CORRECT) โ€” “to” is preposition, needs -ing.

Practice & Reflection

Exercises:

  1. Fill in the blank: Elizabeth Browning was looking forward to _ Robert again and objected to _ even one more day. (see / wait)

  2. Correct the mistake: I’m not used to wake up so early on weekends.

  3. Choose and explain: Which is correct?
    a) I look forward to meet you.
    b) I look forward to meeting you.

  4. Rewrite: Use “object to”: “I don’t like being interrupted during meetings.” โ†’ “__”

  5. Compare: “I used to live in Paris” versus “I’m used to living in Paris” โ€” which describes current familiarity?

  6. Your reflection: What’s something you’re looking forward to? What are you getting used to? Write about both.

Answer Key:

  1. seeing / waiting โ€” both follow prepositions requiring -ing
  2. I’m not used to waking up โ€” “used to” (accustomed) takes -ing
  3. b) meeting โ€” “to” is preposition here, requires -ing not base verb
  4. I object to being interrupted during meetings โ€” “object to” + -ing
  5. Second โ€” “be used to” = accustomed to (present); “used to” = past habit
  6. Check: “look forward to” + -ing? “used to” + -ing (for accustomed)?

The Lesson

Luna corrected her email: “I look forward to meeting you next week.” Perfect. The watch faded. She thought about those letter writers โ€” separated by war, walls, society โ€” each one looking forward to reunion. The -ing form captured something the infinitive couldn’t: not just the future event, but the present state of longing for it. They weren’t describing what would happen. They were describing how they felt about what would happen. Grammar doesn’t just communicate. Sometimes it holds our hearts while we wait.