word choice - Why was "to + verb + ing" used in this case?





How to use “to + V-ing”?
“To hear” or “to hearing”?




Samson had been a strong man prior to having his hair cut.



From a grammatical point of view, when to appears before a verb, it indicates that the infinitive (simple) form of the verb is to be used. But I have seen to used with conjugated forms of verb as well. What is the explanation for such uses?


For instance, why is this not correct?



Samson had been a strong man prior to his hair are being cut?





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