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Using nouns (including -ing forms) after prepositions

In a prepositional phrase, use a noun (not a verb) after the preposition.

Sometimes the noun will be a gerund, the -ing verb form that functions as a noun.

Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: Our student government is good at save money. Revised sentence: Our student government is good at saving money. Explanation: The -ing form “saving” has replaced the verb “save” following the preposition “at.”

to as preposition vs. to as infinitive marker

Distinguish between the preposition to and the infinitive marker to. If to is a preposition, it should be followed by a noun or a gerund.

Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: We are dedicated to help the poor. Revised sentence: We are dedicated to helping the poor. Explanation: The -ing form “helping” has replaced the verb “help” following the preposition “to.”

If to is an infinitive marker, it should be followed by the base form of the verb.

Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: We want to helping the poor. Revised sentence: We want to help the poor. Explanation: The verb “help” has replaced the -ing form “helping” following the “to” that marks an infinitive.

Test

To test whether to is a preposition or an infinitive marker, insert a word that you know is a noun after the word to. If the noun sounds right in that position, to is a preposition.

In this case, a noun (such as magazines) makes sense after to, so to is a preposition and should be followed by a noun or a gerund: Zoe is addicted to magazines. Zoe is addicted to reading.

In this case, a noun (such as house) does not make sense after to, so to is an infinitive marker and must be followed by the base form of the verb: They are planning to build a new house.