Sentence: This class is for players who are looking for more specific instruction

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Which of the following is correct?

This class is for players who are looking for more specific instructions to help advance their game

This class is for players who are looking for more specific instructions to help advancing their game

This class is for players who are looking for more specific instructions to help to advance their game

I’m confused about the “to” in the sentence. Is the “to” a part of the verb “to help” or the “to” is used as a preposition?

2

The first version is best, in my opinion.

As for the uses of “to”, there are a couple:

  1. As a preposition:
    I gave the ball to the girl. “To the girl” is a prepositional phrase.
    To whom it may concern. Again, “to” conveys action, which is what preps do.
    Then there is the great (great!) John Keats poem titled “To My Brothers”. Again “to” is used as a preposition. You might ask “To whom?” And I will reply, “To my brothers.”

  2. Infinitives:
    To eat is to live. Coincidentally, this is my motto. I love eating.
    To be or not to be; that is the question.
    I like to eat.

Well I guess that’s it: “to” is either a preposition or it is used with the infinitive form of a verb.

3

Whenever a preposition is placed before a noun phrase, a prepositional (“prep”) phrase is the result:

Noun phrase: the dog
Prep phrase: over the dog

Noun phrase: the man
Prep phrase: with the man

Noun phrase: the bridge
Prep phrase: under the bridge

Language is full of thousands of nouns. Prepositions tell us what is happening to, with, about (etc.) those nouns.

4

Thanks, but are the 2nd and 3rd examples incorrect?

5

Yes, 2 and 3 have minor errors:

In #2, “advancing” is incorrect.

In #3, “to” (before “advance”) should be removed.