Question

Looking forward to working with you” or “Looking forward to working with you”. Which sentence is correct?

Answer 1

Hint: A preposition is a word or group of words followed by a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show time, location, spatial relationships, event, or to introduce an object. A preposition is never used before a verb.

Complete answer:
The word ‘to’ can be used as a preposition, or an infinitive marker or an adverb. Also, in the given phrase ‘Looking forward to’, it is used as a preposition. Since it is used as a preposition it has to be followed by a noun or a pronoun.

In the second sentence, “Looking forward to work with you”, the word preposition ‘to’ is followed by the word ‘work’, which is a verb. When we use ‘to’ before a verb, it becomes the infinitive form of the verb and ‘to’ is no longer a preposition. But the word ‘to’ is used as a preposition in this sentence and hence, the following word should have been a noun or a pronoun.

In the first sentence, “Looking forward to working with you”, the preposition ‘to’ is followed by the word ‘working’. Verb + ing is generally a present participle form. But in this case, it is not a verb but a gerund. A gerund is the present participle form of a verb that acts as a noun. Therefore, this makes the first sentence grammatically correct.

Therefore, the grammatically correct sentence is “Looking forward to working with you.”

Note:
- To identify an infinitive marker, we need to look for a pattern that is, To + base verb. For example, I went out to buy fruits.
- To identify a preposition, we need to look for a pattern that is, To + gerund. For example,He is dedicated to helping the needy.
- Gerund- It is a form of the verb which acts as a noun and ends in -ing. For example, the word dancing is an example of a gerund.