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looking forward to hear…
 
norio
Posted: 28 June 2004 02:30 PM   [ Ignore ]
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What is the correct form,
"looking forward to hear from you"
or
"looking forward to hearing from you"?

thanks

norio (I would bet on the first…)

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Kasia25
Posted: 28 June 2004 09:06 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 1 ]
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It is certainly the second answer:
looking forward to hearing from you
Greetings-Kasia

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Garzo
Posted: 28 June 2004 10:44 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 2 ]
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Our Kasia’s right - give that girl another star!

I can see why the first example might look right. To hear is the to-infinitive form of the verb. However, in this case to is a part of the multi-word verb to look forward to. Almost all mult-word verbs take the gerund rather than the to-infinitive of a following verb when they are catenative.

  "I look forward to the party."
  "I look forward to dancing with you."
  "I look forward to drinking you under the table."
  "I look forward to hearing your Tom Jones karaoke."

- Garzoing now.

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Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.&&-The First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 13.

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Kasia25
Posted: 28 June 2004 11:55 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 3 ]
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Thank you Garzo for your esteem smile and can I have this star please? raspberry

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Garzo
Posted: 29 June 2004 12:00 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 4 ]
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Please have a nebula:

http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=tbn:_LeA9DANwDkJ:www.physast.uga.edu/~jss/1010

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Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.&&-The First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 13.

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Kasia25
Posted: 29 June 2004 12:04 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 5 ]
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Well, I thought about another one :D but thanks- it’s nice of you smilesmile

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“The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.”&&Horace; Walpole &&

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Perry
Posted: 29 June 2004 03:55 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 6 ]
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[quote author=Garzo link=board=grammar;num=1088479845;start=0#4 date=06/29/04 at 09:00:13]Please have a nebula:

http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=tbn:_LeA9DANwDkJ:www.physast.uga.edu/~jss/1010

It is so unlike you to be nebulous m’lord.  Perhaps someone drank you under the table?

Perry

 

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Garzo
Posted: 29 June 2004 04:02 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 7 ]
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Dear Perry!

Your computer must be faster than all of ours. Is this the second time you’ve ‘quoted’ an image? Maybe you’re byting us under the desk!

I remain my Lord’s faithful servant,
                 
                                                         Garzo.

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Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.&&-The First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 13.

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Flaminius
Posted: 29 June 2004 11:49 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 8 ]
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Garzo

I remain my Lord’s faithful servant,

I am looking forward to forwarding this message to your boss.

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Fortunae rota volvitur; descendo minoratus; alter in altum tollitur; nimis exaltatus.

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norio
Posted: 29 June 2004 03:30 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 9 ]
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[quote author=Garzo link=board=grammar;num=1088479845;start=0#2 date=06/29/04 at 07:44:17]Our Kasia’s right - give that girl another star!

I can see why the first example might look right. To hear is the to-infinitive form of the verb. However, in this case to is a part of the multi-word verb to look forward to. Almost all mult-word verbs take the gerund rather than the to-infinitive of a following verb when they are catenative.

  "I look forward to the party."
  "I look forward to dancing with you."
  "I look forward to drinking you under the table."
  "I look forward to hearing your Tom Jones karaoke."

- Garzoing now.

dear Garzo, I was looking forward to thanking you…

it’s clear now.

here’s to linguistic clarity.
-norio

 

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Brazilian_dude
Posted: 11 July 2004 02:30 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 10 ]
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And also to is a preposition here, not a marker of the infinitive, and all prepositions require the ing form if a veb is to be used.

I’m dreaming of buying a boat. (of is a preposition)

What I always tell my students is if they can use a noun instead of a verb after to, then that’s a preposition, and they need to use ing.  Of course I don’t mention deverbal nouns and other complicated stuff, they don’t need to know that crap, which is delightful to us, but a bane of any normal person’s existence.

Brazilian dude

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