Look Forward to, Agree to, and Object to

Look Forward to, Agree to, and Object to (three small phrases that cause big grammar problems)

Some English phrases look innocent. Short. Familiar. Harmless. And yet they quietly sabotage essays, emails, and exam answers every year. Look forward to, agree to, and object to all share one hidden feature that learners often miss — and once you understand it, your writing immediately becomes more accurate and more natural.

Let’s break them down properly, with meaning, grammar, tone, and real examples you can trust.

Look forward to

Meaning: Look forward to means to feel pleased or excited about something that will happen in the future. It is commonly used in formal emails, Informal messages, essays and reviews.

Grammar pattern

Look forward to + noun / -ing form

✔️ Correct

I’m really looking forward to meeting you.
She looks forward to the weekend.
We look forward to hearing from you.

❌ Incorrect

~~I look forward to meet you~~
~~I am looking forward to hear from you~~
~~I look forward to receiving your response at your earliest convenience.~~

Here, to is a preposition, not part of the infinitive. That means it must be followed by a noun, or a gerund (-ing). The tone is neutral to polite, very common in formal writing and it is perfect for email endings. here are more example sentences

Agree to

Meaning: Agree to means to say yes to a suggestion, plan, request, or proposal. You agree to something — not with it (that’s a different structure).

Grammar patterns

➡️ Agree to + noun

➡️ Agree to + to-infinitive (to + verb)

✔️ Correct

She agreed to the proposal.
They agreed to the plan.
He agreed to pay the fine.
They agreed to delay the meeting.
I agreed to take part in the project.
The committee agreed to introduce stricter regulations.

❌ Incorrect

~~She agreed to do the proposal.~~
~~They agreed with delay the meeting.~~

❌ ~~I agreed to going there.~~

❌ ~~She agreed to doing it.~~

Compare: agree to vs agree with

Agree to → accept a plan, action, or proposal

Agree with → share the same opinion as someone

✔️ I agree with you.

✔️ I agree to take part in the project.

✔️ She agreed to the new rules.

Tone of the phrase is neutral to formal. It is common in business, academic, and exam writing.

The committee agreed to introduce stricter regulations.

Object to

Meaning: Object to means to express opposition or disapproval. It is often used in formal complaints, essays, reviews, polite disagreement.

Grammar pattern

➡️ Object to + noun / -ing form

✔️ Correct

Residents objected to the new building.
She objects to working overtime.
Many people object to being treated unfairly.

❌ Incorrect

~~She objects to work overtime~~
~~They object to build a new road~~

Tone of the phrase is formal or serious. It is stronger than “dislike”; useful for argumentative writing

Some citizens object to paying higher taxes without improved public services.

Quick comparison table

Look forward to	feel excited about the future	to + noun / -ing
Agree to	accept a plan or action	to + noun / to-infinitive
Object to	oppose something	to + noun / -ing

Common learner mistake

❌ ~~I look forward to meet you.~~
✔️ I look forward to meeting you.

❌ ~~They object to build a road.~~
✔️ They object to building a road.

If you’re unsure, ask yourself: Is “to” acting like “about” or “against”? If yes — use -ing.

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Look Forward to, Agree to, and Object to

Published by My Lingua Academy on 7 Jan 20267 Jan 2026