Meaning & use
to preposition
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
the word 'to' when used as a preposition, showing direction, destination, or a relationship between words
Grammar: Countable; you can say 'a to preposition' or 'the to preposition'. It is a metalinguistic term.
Patterns
- the to preposition
- to as a preposition
In the sentence 'I went to the store,' 'to' is a to preposition.
The to preposition often indicates movement toward a place.
She explained the difference between the to preposition and the infinitive marker.
Word forms
| plural | to prepositions |
|---|
Common combinations
- the to preposition
- The to preposition is common in phrases like 'to school'.
- to as a preposition
- In 'give it to her', 'to' functions as a preposition.
- identify the to preposition
- Can you identify the to preposition in this sentence?
Word family
- preposition noun
- A word that shows the relationship between a noun and another word, such as 'in', 'on', or 'to'.
- prepositional adjective
- Relating to a preposition, as in 'prepositional phrase'.
Commonly confused: to preposition or infinitive marker?
to preposition vs infinitive marker
The word 'to' can also be an infinitive marker before a verb, as in 'to run'. The 'to preposition' is different because it is followed by a noun or pronoun, not a verb.
Practice
In which sentence is 'to' a to preposition?
Choose one answer.
The correct answer is 'He gave the book to his friend.' because 'to' is followed by a noun phrase 'his friend', showing a recipient. In the other options, 'to' is an infinitive marker followed by a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to preposition”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.