Since young, I've been inculcated this grammar rule on infinitives. (Infinitives = the root of a verb plus the word "to"). The verb form after the word "to" remain. i.e. Correct usage: I look forward to see you next week. Incorrect usage: I look forward to seeing you next week.
What sparks off this post was my sm (read: senior manager, not the provocative term sm) insisted that it is grammatically correct to write "We look forward to receiving your written confirmation..." instead of "We look forward to receive your confirmation..." (Initially, I've drafted "We look forward in receiving your confirmation....but she changed it to "to receving..."). She said she understand that we have been taught that the verb being "to" need not be changed to continuous tense in school, but in this case, it's an exception..
Not convinced, I goggled the web but did not find anything that support her stand. Oh well, since she insists that in business writting, it is deemed grammatically right to use "to receiving" (since the quantum of salt she has consumed over the years is much more than the amount of rice i ate.. - translate to the old chinese saying - another form will be "she crosses more bridges over the years than the distance I've walked ).
Similarly for the word "revert". Frankly, the meaning of "revert" is not synonymous to "reply". Yet, in business writing in Singapore, as far as i know, they like to use to the word "please revert by next week" when what they meant was "please reply by next week". According to dictionary.com, the closest meaning of revert (when you are referring to "reply") is " to come or go back (as to a former condition, period, or subject)". So.. when you ask someone to revert by next week, does that mean that you want the person to go back to its original form by next week?? 打回原形? 哈哈!!
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