look forward to (three-part verbs)
look forward to (three-part verbs) means “Three-part verbs: a verb + adverb + preposition act as one unit, e.g. look forward to, run out of”. Some phrasal verbs have three parts that always stay together and carry one meaning: look forward to (feel happy about a future event), run out of (have no more), get on with (have a good relationship, or continue). Formation: verb + adverb + preposition (look forward to + V-ing)
Three-part verbs: a verb + adverb + preposition act as one unit, e.g. look forward to, run out of
A2Formation
verb + adverb + preposition (look forward to + V-ing)
Explanation
Some phrasal verbs have three parts that always stay together and carry one meaning: look forward to (feel happy about a future event), run out of (have no more), get on with (have a good relationship, or continue). Because the last word is a preposition, a following verb takes -ing: I look forward to seeing you, not to see you. An object comes after the whole group: get on with your neighbours.
Examples
Note
In look forward to, 'to' is a preposition, so V-ing follows — unlike the to before a base verb (want to go). Keep the three words together and don't split them.
FAQ
look forward to (three-part verbs) — what does it mean and how is it used?
Three-part verbs: a verb + adverb + preposition act as one unit, e.g. look forward to, run out of. Some phrasal verbs have three parts that always stay together and carry one meaning: look forward to (feel happy about a future event), run out of (have no more), get on with (have a good relationship, or continue). Because the last word is a preposition, a following verb takes -ing: I look forward to seeing you, not to see you. An object comes after the whole group: get on with your neighbours.
look forward to (three-part verbs) — how do you form it?
verb + adverb + preposition (look forward to + V-ing)
look forward to (three-part verbs) — any usage notes?
In look forward to, 'to' is a preposition, so V-ing follows — unlike the to before a base verb (want to go). Keep the three words together and don't split them.