Sri Aurobindo

Letters on Poetry and Art

SABCL - Volume 27

Part 2. On His Own and Others’ Poetry
Section 3. Practical Guidance for Aspiring Writers
Remarks on English Usage

Some Questions of Pronunciation and Usage [3]

As between the forms — “with a view to express” and “with a view to expressing” — the Oxford Concise calls the former vulgar.

I don’t agree with Oxford. Both forms are used. If “to express” is vulgar, “to expressing” is cumbrous and therefore inelegant.