Usage of "vital to"

Question

I found the following sentence on one of a videos that I've watched. The thing that I cannot understand is the whey they use present continuous verb form after "to". Furthermore, I couldn't find a phrasal verb such as "vital to". In addition, the video is published by The Economist magazine. Therefore, I don't think this is a mistake. Hence, I would really appreciate it if someone could let me know what is the reason for this usage.

Now state-of-the-art technology is giving these scientists an unprecedented opportunity to conduct research that is research that is vital to protecting the ocean

Reference :-

https://youtu.be/Zwgtn41TpfU?t=24

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

dileepaI found the following sentence on one of a the videos that I've watched. The thing that I cannot understand is the ~~whey~~ why they use the present continuous verb form after "to".

It's not a case of "present continuous". That's only possible when the auxiliary verb be (am, is, are) occurs before it. Without the auxiliary verb we just call it an "-ing form".

Present continuous (tense): are looking, is going, is running
-ing forms: looking, going, running

dileepaFurthermore, I couldn't find a phrasal verb such as "vital to".

No. That's not possible. "vital" is an adjective. It's not a verb.

Besides, "to" is not likely to be a component of a phrasal verb. The second component of most phrasal verbs is in, out, on, off, up, down, away, or back. Very few have to.

dileepalet me know ~~what is the reason~~ what the reason is for this usage.

The only verb form possible after a preposition in the -ing form. "to" is a preposition in the example "vital to" in your quotation from The Economist. Of course, you can also have a noun.

A good diet is vital to your health. (prep. + noun)
They conduct research that is vital to (the activity of) protecting the ocean. (prep. + -ing form)

The usage just described above is not the same usage as shown below, where there is a "dummy it". In the example below the adjective "vital" is followed by an infinitive. "to" is not a preposition here. It's part of the infinitive.

It is vital to save some money for emergencies. (adj. + full infinitive)

CJ

Usage of "vital to"

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