Why do you say "to speaking" in this phrase? The surprising secret to speaking with confidence" What is the reason to use ING at the end of the verb speak?
asked May 9, 2021 at 23:42
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2 Answers
"To" in this construction is a preposition, not part of the infinitive of the verb. In fact the verb "speak" is not a verb at all here, but a gerund.
The construction is The secret to noun, with "to" meaning "of." Thus:
- The secret to math.
- The secret to happiness.
- The secret to speaking with confidence.
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2To and of are not interchangeable here. "The secret to <x>" means a secret that achieves or improves <x>, but <x> itself is not the thing that is secret. "The secret of <y>" could be used either when <y> itself is the secret thing ("The secret of adding cinnamon to hot chocolate") or just that the secret is associated with <y> ("The secret of the lost mine"). May 10, 2021 at 3:26
the surprising secret to speaking with confidence
In this phrase, speaking functions as a noun and is called a gerund.
gerund noun [ C ] LANGUAGE specialized UK /ˈdʒer.ənd/ US /ˈdʒer.ənd/
C1
a word ending in "-ing" that is made from a verb and used like a noun: In the sentence "Everyone enjoyed Tyler's singing", the word "singing" is a gerund.
Further reference on the use of the form to+v+ing is shown below.
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/38964/how-to-use-to-v-ing
answered May 10, 2021 at 0:24
