Level: B1-B2

The "To" Preposition Trap — Practice

The word to has two completely different jobs in English. As an infinitive marker, it’s followed by a base verb (want to go). As a preposition, it’s followed by a noun or -ing form (look forward to seeing). Mix them up and you get the most common advanced-ESL mistake.

📝 Prepositions unit · lesson 8 of 11 ⏱ about 13 minutes 🔊 every example has audio

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Two jobs of "to" — quick guide

1. to as part of an infinitive — followed by the BASE verb:

I want to go home.
She needs to study.

2. to as a preposition — followed by a NOUN or -ING form:

I look forward to seeing you. (seeing = -ing form, not "to see")
She is used to waking up early.
I prefer tea to coffee.

The most common to-preposition phrases

look forward to + noun / -ing
be used to + noun / -ing (= be accustomed to)
get used to + noun / -ing
be accustomed to + noun / -ing
be addicted to + noun / -ing
be opposed to + noun / -ing
object to + noun / -ing
in addition to + noun / -ing
prefer X to Y

🎯 Test trick — replace "to" with a noun

Try replacing to with a noun like "to the party". If you can do that naturally, to is the preposition — so use -ing:

"I look forward to the party" ✓ → it’s a preposition → "I look forward to seeing you."
"I want to the party" ✗ → to is part of the infinitive → "I want to see you."

📖 Want the full explanation? See English Prepositions → The "to" preposition trap on the main grammar page.

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TO as a preposition — followed by -ing form
I look forward to seeing you. – preposition
She is used to waking up early. – preposition
He is getting used to living alone. – preposition
I am accustomed to working late. – preposition
He is addicted to playing video games. – preposition
I object to being questioned. – preposition
She is opposed to spending more money. – preposition
She works in addition to studying. – preposition
I am looking forward to meeting you. – preposition
She is used to driving on the left. – preposition
He is addicted to smoking. – preposition
We look forward to hearing from you. – preposition
I am not used to getting up so early. – preposition
TO as part of infinitive — followed by base verb
I want to go home. – part of an infinitive
She needs to study tonight. – part of an infinitive
He hopes to win the prize. – part of an infinitive
I plan to travel next month. – part of an infinitive
They decided to leave early. – part of an infinitive
She refused to help me. – part of an infinitive
I learned to drive last year. – part of an infinitive
He promised to call tomorrow. – part of an infinitive
I forgot to bring my umbrella. – part of an infinitive
I need to finish this report. – part of an infinitive
He chose to stay home. – part of an infinitive
Used to (past habit) vs be used to (accustomed)
I used to smoke, but I quit. – part of an infinitive
I am used to smoking after meals. – preposition
She used to live in Paris. – part of an infinitive
She is used to living alone. – preposition
He used to play the guitar. – part of an infinitive
He is used to playing in front of crowds. – preposition
Same sentence — TWO jobs of "to"
She agreed to come to the party. – part of an infinitive
She agreed to come to the party. – preposition
I want to go to the store. – part of an infinitive
I want to go to the store. – preposition
He decided to move to Paris. – part of an infinitive
He decided to move to Paris. – preposition
She refused to talk to him. – part of an infinitive
She refused to talk to him. – preposition
They plan to fly to Europe. – part of an infinitive
They plan to fly to Europe. – preposition
I forgot to send the letter to my mother. – part of an infinitive
I forgot to send the letter to my mother. – preposition

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