to + verb with ing

[Juliusestella]

Hello Mentors,

I am confused. Is this form corrected?

What is the best way to learning English?

The best way to learning English is to watch American soap operas.

What is the difference between

to learning and to learn

Thank you so much,

Julius

[Dozy]

It should be "best way to learn English". This is a standard pattern of "way to" + verb infinitive. If you say "best way to learning English" then you are forcing "learning English" to be a noun describing a destination. While this is not grammatically impossible, in practice it sounds like a mistake in this case. On the other hand, "What is the key to learning English?", for example, is correct, with "learning English" describing a goal or outcome. So, it all depends whether the context requires a verb infinitive or a noun phrase.

[Juliusestella]

I see Dozy, Thank you so much again.

[Bazza]

This...is more complicated than it seems. And I'm still sorting it out in my mind.

Start with:
The way of doing something
and then
A way to do something.

So I'm still deliberating whether this isn't the infinitive v gerund issue! Leave this with me...
BUT...in trying to jog my brain, I googled for 'way to' (and tried various verbs, wanting to substantiate what Dozy has suggested), and low and behold, this popped up, which is an excellent starter for the juices of current forum members who wish to tease this out further:

http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic25054.html