by R. S. Karunaratne

More on the use of 'to'

As a preposition 'to' is used to show the direction of a place or time. It is also used as an infinitive marker.

1. 'To' is used to talk about a place that you move towards.

Sita went to office and called her father.

Can you direct me to St. Anthony's church?

We were flying to Bangalore when you were driving to the airport.

Mary went to hospital to get her wound dressed.

Sam is visiting his friends who are returning to the island.

2. 'To' is used to talk about the position of something in relation to another thing.

Danny was standing next to the statue.

The driver stopped the car close to the check point.

3. 'To' is used to talk about a time period.

The exhibition will be open from 9 am to 7 pm.

The library hours are from 9 am to 8 pm.

We usually work from Monday to Friday.

How long will it take from Panadura to Colombo?

4. 'To' is used to talk about an action where someone receives something.

I gave Rs. 10 to the beggar who never begged for money.

The devotees offered flowers to the Buddha image.

Diana passed the message to her boss.

Please pay your subscription to the cashier.

We send new year greeting cards to our friends.

Nowadays people do not write to their friends.

What's in your hand? Show it to me.

5. 'To' is used to report a communication.

Sally explained to the principal why she got late.

If you dump garbage on the road, I'll complain to the municipal authorities.

If you see a damaged pipe, report it to the Water Board.

Sena admitted to me that he had stolen some money from my purse.

Jonathan mentioned to me that you had handed over your letter of resignation.

6. 'To' follows certain adjectives.

This image house is similar to the one at Polonnaruwa.

My flat is close to the police station.

Our company is next to the library.

Nayana is married to Bandara.

Be kind to animals.

We must be polite to everybody.

Some bus conductors are rude to passengers.

Why can't you be nice to others?

Be faithful to your friends.

7. 'To' commonly combines with certain verbs.

Please listen to me before speaking.

This car belongs to my neighbour.

She didn't take to the stranger. (did not like).

The defence lawyer objected to the suggestion made by the prosecutor.

The physician referred the patient to a specialist.

After the High Court judgement we decided to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Smoking leads to lung cancer.

8. 'To' is used in many phrasal verbs.

Face up to your responsibilities.

Let's get down to business.

We look forward to meeting the chairman.

He was not used to climbing hills.

9. Set phrases.

We decided to do the interview face to face.

There's a million to one chance of winning a lottery.

Some people can be seen going to and fro the whole day!

Here's a novel way to improve your vocabulary. Simply tick off (a), (b), or (c) and check your answers with the key.

1. The sonnet was introduced to England by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard.

(a) injected

(b) added

(c) presented

2. The reproductive behaviour of the sea horse is unusual.

(a) unnatural

(b) rare

(c) typical

3. Julius Caesar had a reputation for fearlessness in battle.

(a) distinction

(b) estimation

(c) feeling

4. Lovebirds are noted for their affectionate responses to each other.

(a) proud

(b) uncaring

(c) friendly

5. The great artist's parents displayed little interest in art.

(a) veiled

(b) showed

(c) pictured

6. Belief in a guardian spirit is widespread among some people.

(a) protector

(b) ancestral

(c) friendly

7. The manufacture of milk products is a major business in Switzerland.

(a) printing

(b) destruction

(c) production

8. The common mackerel is an important fish for commercial purposes.

(a) biological

(b) economic

(c) ecological

9. Mahogany is a hard wood which can be highly polished.

(a) shined

(b) well-bred

(c) roughed

10. After being spun, nylon can be drawn to about four times its original length.

(a) real

(b) creative

(c) initial

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[Key]

1 (c), 2. (b), 3. (a), 4. (c), 5 (b), 6 (a), 7 (c), 8 (b), 9 (a), 10 (c)

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Starters :

Adverbs of comparison

When we compare the actions of two people, we use comparative adverbs. For one-syllable adverbs we add 'er' endings.

Rahul runs faster than Begum.

We finished writing the essay sooner than the other group.

Malini goes to school earlier than me.

For adverbs, with two or more syllables we add 'more' to them.

Latha dances more gracefully than her elder sister.

Mother drives more carefully than father.

Neela sings more sweetly than Harshini.

Brian walks more briskly than John.

Berty visits the library more often than his friends.

Mother appeared more emotional than her daughter.

The principal looked more composed than the class teacher.

Swarna dresses more smartly than Malini.

Shehan exercises more regularly than his father.

When we compare the actions of more than two people, we use superlative adverbs.

Danushka runs the fastest in class.

Renuka dances the most gracefully among us.

Mother listened the most eagerly for news of her child among the family members.

Among all his friends, John has travelled the most widely.

Among those who taught me, I love Mr. Santiago the most dearly.

Diana looked the prettiest among the girls.

Parami seemed the least nervous among the patients.

Nancy made the least noise among all her classmates.

Rex worked the hardest among his colleagues to build up the business.

Some adverbs have irregular comparative and superlative forms.

Aruni danced well at the concert.

Aruni danced better than Nayana at the concert.

Aruni danced the best among all the competitors.

Roy performed badly in the examination.

Roy performed worse than Bob.

Roy performed the worst among them.