Sentence structure, agreement, pronouns, verbs and related grammar.
Ablaze With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Abound In or With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Absent From: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Absorbed In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Abstain From: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Accept” is usually a verb meaning to receive, agree to, or recognize something; “except” usually means excluding or not including something and commonly functions as a preposition or conjunction. Their similar spelling can hide very different grammatical jobs.
Acceptable To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Accessible To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Acclaimed For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Accountable For: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge records “accuse someone of something” and specifically “accuse someone of doing something.” That supports of + -ing when the action is the alleged wrongdoing.
Cambridge directly gives accustom yourself to followed by an -ing form for becoming familiar with new conditions. The to belongs to the prepositional construction accustom yourself to something; do not infer an equivalent to-infinitive from the surface word to.
Cambridge records accustomed to something and gives -ing examples such as being accustomed to working or being treated in a particular way. Do not interpret the “to” after accustomed as an infinitive marker in this construction.
Acquainted With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Action verbs describe actions or events and commonly allow both simple and continuous forms. Stative verbs describe states such as possession, perception, belief, or relationship and usually prefer simple forms, although some verbs change behavior when their meaning changes.
The established English expression is “ad hoc,” written as two words. Cambridge records it for something created or arranged for a particular purpose or immediate need; this guide does not merge it into the closed form “adhoc.”
Cambridge distinguishes adapt to a situation or activity from transitive patterns such as adapting plans to fit new circumstances. The surface sequence “adapt … to + verb” therefore needs its grammatical structure identified before choosing an -ing form or infinitive.
Addicted To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Adept At: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Adhere To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Adjacent To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Admired For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge documents both admit + -ing and admit to + -ing for acknowledging something. Other passive patterns such as “be admitted to be” are separate constructions.
Adorned With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Advice” is an uncountable noun meaning a suggestion about what someone should do; “advise” is a verb meaning to give advice. The spelling difference corresponds to a part-of-speech difference, and standard English does not normally use “an advice” or “advices.”
Both patterns are standard. “Advise waiting” recommends an action generally or in context, while “advise him to wait” names the person who is advised to perform it. A that-clause is another standard option.
“Affect” is most commonly a verb meaning to influence or cause change, while “effect” is most commonly a noun meaning a result. Both words have less common uses, so the part of speech is the safest first check.
When “afford” is followed directly by another verb, standard learner references use a to-infinitive: “afford to do.” An -ing form can appear elsewhere in a sentence, but it is not a like-for-like direct complement after “afford.”
Aglow With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Agree to do” expresses consent to take an action. An -ing form normally follows a preposition in patterns such as “agree with doing,” which expresses approval rather than the direct promise-to-act construction.
Agree With vs. Agree On separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Cambridge documents aim + to-infinitive for intention and aim at for directing effort toward an objective. Do not omit the preposition and present bare “aim doing” as equivalent to “aim to do.”
“Ain’t” is a nonstandard or informal negative form that can stand for “am not,” “is not,” “are not,” “has not,” or “have not.” It is widespread in speech and dialectal writing, but many formal edited contexts prefer the corresponding standard contraction or full form.
Akin To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Alien To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Alive With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
All and every deserve a direct comparison because the choice changes both viewpoint and noun-phrase structure. The broad quantifier guide maps the system, while this page answers the specific all/every substitution question and keeps each/every as a separate comparison.
Allergic To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Allied With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Allow” can take an activity as its object, as in “allow smoking,” or a person/thing followed by a to-infinitive, as in “allow visitors to enter.” The patterns answer different structural questions: what is allowed versus who is allowed to do what.
Although and despite can both express contrast, but they have different grammar. Although is a subordinating conjunction followed by a clause; despite is a prepositional expression normally followed by a noun phrase or -ing form.
Traditionally, “alumnus” is singular and “alumni” is its plural; “alumna” is a singular woman and “alumnae” its plural. Cambridge also notes that “alumni” is often used for mixed-gender groups, so audience and institutional style can affect the preferred form.
Amenable To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Amid” and “amidst” are documented alternatives with the same core formal prepositional meaning. The choice is stylistic rather than a meaning split.
“Among” and “amongst” serve the same prepositional function in the documented uses. The distinction is chiefly one of frequency and formality, not grammatical correctness.
“Between” is used for distinct, individually identified people, things, places, times, or choices; “among” is used for being part of, surrounded by, or included within a group or mass. The old rule that between is only for two and among only for three or more is too simple.
Use “amount” with uncountable nouns and “number” with countable plural nouns. The distinction depends on whether you are measuring a mass or quantity that is not normally counted as separate units, or counting individual items.
Analogous To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Angry With vs. Angry About separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Annoyed With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Antagonistic To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Antithetical To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Any more” can be a determiner for additional quantity and an adverb meaning “no longer.” Cambridge notes that the one-word adverb “anymore” is especially common in American English, while the determiner remains two words.
“Anyone” is one word when it means any person. “Any one” is written as two words when the construction refers to a single member of a larger set, including the common pattern “any one of …”.
Apart is usually an adverb meaning separated by distance/time or into separate pieces. A part is the article “a” plus the noun “part,” meaning one component or portion of a larger whole. The spacing reflects a real grammatical and semantic difference.
Cambridge distinguishes “apologize to someone” from “apologize for something/doing something.” You can combine the two roles, as in “apologize to someone for doing something”; “to” marks the recipient while “for” marks the reason.
Cambridge describes appear as a linking verb and with a to-infinitive; a progressive action can sit inside that infinitive, as in “appears to be working.” An -ing form after appear can belong to another structure or sense, so “appear doing” is not a free alternative to “appear to do.”
Applicable To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Oxford documents apply yourself to (doing) something for working hard and attentively at a task. This apply-yourself construction takes prepositional to; other senses of apply use different complements and should not be merged into this pattern.
“Appraise” means to examine and judge the quality, condition, needs, success, or value of something. “Apprise” is a formal verb meaning to inform someone about something, commonly in the pattern “apprise someone of something.”
Cambridge documents appreciate with an -ing clause, including an expressed subject such as “your making the effort.” Appreciate also takes nouns and clauses (“appreciate that …”); those alternatives do not create a direct appreciate + to-infinitive pattern.
Appropriate For vs. Appropriate To separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Cambridge distinguishes intransitive “approve of” for a favorable opinion from transitive “approve something” for official acceptance or authorization. The official-authorization sense uses transitive “approve” with an object; do not collapse that separate sense into the “approve of doing” judgment pattern.
Apt To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Oxford directly documents “argue somebody into doing something” for persuading somebody by giving reasons. The cited construction evidence directly supports into + -ing; it does not license “argue someone to do” as an equivalent complement pattern.
Oxford documents arrange + to-infinitive and arrange for + noun/pronoun + to-infinitive, alongside ordinary transitive uses of “arrange.” These patterns distinguish who is to act without requiring a bare gerund complement.
Country names are a useful exception-focused article task that the broad article guides do not currently resolve in a practical way. This guide starts with the default zero-article pattern, then isolates conventional “the” names without turning words such as “United” into an absolute rule.
Geographic names are not governed by one proper-name rule. The useful decision is to identify the type of place first, then apply the usual pattern while preserving lexical exceptions. This page stays broader than the country-name guide and narrower than the general article system.
This guide resolves article choice with languages and nationality expressions without duplicating capitalization. The key is whether the word names a language, identifies one person, modifies a noun, or denotes a whole population group.
Use the fixed expression “as follows” to introduce a list or explanation. Cambridge records “as follows” in that function; “as follow” and “as following” are not interchangeable versions of the same introductory phrase.
“As at” usually presents a snapshot at a particular date or time, while “from” marks a starting point. “As of” can identify a date and, in business usage, may also carry an effective-from sense, so context matters.
“As per” and “per” can both appear in formal or business English, but they are not interchangeable in every use. “Per” also has important meanings such as “for each,” while “as per” functions as a fixed phrase meaning roughly “according to” or “in accordance with.”
When ask means request an action from a person, Cambridge documents ask + person + to-infinitive. Bare “ask doing” is not the ordinary request complement for that meaning.
Associated With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Assure” commonly means to tell a person confidently so they feel certain; “ensure” means to make something certain to happen; “insure” most clearly refers to providing or buying insurance. In American English, “insure” can also overlap with “ensure,” so context and house style matter.
At The Weekend vs. On The Weekend is a regional-English contrast: Cambridge identifies the former with British use and the latter as the U.S. equivalent.
“Ate” and “eaten” are different forms of the irregular verb “eat.” “Ate” is the simple past, while “eaten” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
Oxford presents the verb “attempt” with a to-infinitive or a direct noun object. Its noun entry separately documents “attempt at doing,” so “attempt doing” should not be treated as an interchangeable verb-complement alternative to “attempt to do.”
Attentive To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Attributable To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Available To vs. Available For separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
“Averse” describes a person’s strong dislike or unwillingness, usually in the construction “averse to.” “Adverse” describes something harmful, unfavorable, or working against a desired result.
When avoid is followed directly by another verb, standard usage uses the -ing form: “avoid making,” “avoid using,” and similar patterns. A direct “avoid to do” construction is not the reviewed pattern.
Aware Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the page scoped to that supported complement pattern.
Awash With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Awhile” is an adverb meaning “for a short time.” “A while” is a noun phrase meaning a period of time and can also function adverbially in sentences such as “wait a while.” American Heritage’s usage note gives a reliable structural test: after a preposition such as “for,” use the noun phrase “a while,” not “awhile.”
“Awoke” is the simple-past form of the literary verb “awake,” while “awoken” is its past participle. Cambridge also records “awaked” as a US simple-past variant, so the guide keeps that regional option visible.
The useful distinction is grammatical and editorial at once: the formal title uses Bachelor of Science without a possessive, while the generic phrase uses bachelor’s degree. University style guides also show why capitalization should be presented as a house-style boundary rather than an absolute rule for every document.
“Backup” is commonly a noun or adjective for support, a reserve, or an extra copy. “Back up” is the phrasal verb: you back up files, back up a claim, back up a vehicle, or traffic can back up.
Bad At: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Bad For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge directly documents both badger + object + into + -ing and badger + object + to-infinitive for repeated pressure or requests that push someone toward an action. The verb also covers repeated questioning, so context must show whether the sentence is about persistent persuasion or interrogation rather than assuming every use names a requested action.
Cambridge directly illustrates bamboozle + object + into + -ing for deceiving someone so that the person takes an action. The cited entry does not establish bamboozle + object + to-infinitive as an equally documented alternative, so this guide does not manufacture a two-way rule.
Oxford documents the person-action pattern as be banned + from + -ing and separately documents direct-object uses of ban. The cited evidence does not support person + to-infinitive as the equivalent prohibition construction.
Cambridge records bar + person + from + doing for officially preventing or disallowing an action. Bar also has direct-object and bar-to-place patterns, but person + to-infinitive is not the parallel action complement.
This guide isolates a frequent structural error: adding to or an inflected verb after a core modal. It keeps the modal rule separate from let/make/help and from general infinitive choice, and shows how negatives and questions keep the same base form.
“Bare” commonly means uncovered, exposed, or minimal. “Bear” can be the animal or a verb meaning to carry, support, or tolerate.
Based On vs. Based Off Of follows Merriam-Webster’s evidence-based usage note: based on is preferred, while based off/off of is newer but attested.
Be Afraid To Do vs. Afraid Of Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “afraid.” Use afraid + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use afraid of + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Be Alarmed To Do vs. Alarmed At Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “alarmed.” Use alarmed + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use alarmed at + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Cambridge directly records amazed + to-infinitive and amazed at + complement, making it an evidence-safe replacement for the unsupported Satisfied proposal.
Be Amused To Do vs. Amused By Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “amused.” Use amused + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use amused by + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The guide stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Be Annoyed To Do vs. Annoyed About Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “annoyed.” Use annoyed + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use annoyed about + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Cambridge directly records anxious about + noun and anxious + to-infinitive, with a useful meaning contrast between worry and eagerness.
Oxford directly records both ashamed + to-infinitive and ashamed of + noun/pronoun. The guide compares those attested structures without inventing an unsupported parallel complement.
Be Astonished To Do vs. Astonished At Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “astonished.” Use astonished + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use astonished at + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Be Astounded To Do vs. Astounded By Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “astounded.” Use astounded + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use astounded at/by + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The guide stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Oxford directly documents averse to (doing) something. This is a prepositional to + noun/-ing construction, so a bare infinitive should not be assumed to be an interchangeable complement.
Oxford documents the idiomatic adjective pattern bent on (doing) something for determination. The evidence does not license a parallel bent + to-infinitive complement for that same meaning.
Be Bound To Do vs. Bound For Somewhere separates two distinct Oxford-documented senses. Bound to do/be expresses certainty or likelihood, while bound for + destination describes travel toward a place. The guide keeps those senses separate from legal or duty-bound uses.
Cambridge directly documents busy + -ing for being occupied with an activity, and separately documents too busy to do something. Busy doing and too busy to do are different constructions with different meanings. Do not treat bare busy to do as a direct alternative to busy doing.
Cambridge directly documents capable of something/doing something for having the ability, power, or qualities needed to do something. The documented adjective complement is capable of + noun or -ing form; do not replace the prepositional complement with capable to + infinitive on the basis of meaning alone.
Oxford directly records careful + to-infinitive and careful about + noun/gerund, supporting this complement comparison.
Cambridge directly records certain + to-infinitive and certain of + noun, allowing the two attested structures to be compared without claiming they are freely interchangeable.
Be Concerned To Do vs. Concerned About Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “concerned.” Use concerned + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use concerned about + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Cambridge directly records content + to-infinitive and content with + noun, supporting this narrow complement comparison.
Cambridge directly records curious + to-infinitive (including curious to know) and curious about + noun, supporting this narrow contrast.
Oxford directly documents dedicated to doing something. The cited construction treats to as part of the prepositional complement, so an infinitive should not be inferred as an equivalent just because the spelling is the same.
Cambridge directly records delighted + to-infinitive and delighted with + noun, making this an evidence-safe replacement for the already-owned Keen intent.
Be Disappointed To Do vs. Disappointed With Something distinguishes two attested complement patterns for the same adjective. Use disappointed + to-infinitive for the adjective followed by its documented complement pattern; use disappointed with + noun phrase for the separately documented construction. The constructions are not interchangeable simply because they share the adjective; choose the pattern that matches the grammatical relationship you mean.
Be Disgusted To Do vs. Disgusted By Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “disgusted.” Use disgusted + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use disgusted by + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Be Dismayed To Do vs. Dismayed By Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “dismayed.” Use dismayed + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use dismayed by + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Be Distressed To Do vs. Distressed By Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “distressed.” Use distressed + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use distressed by + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Cambridge directly documents be dying for/to do something as an informal expression of strong desire, supporting both complement patterns without extrapolation.
Cambridge directly records eager to do and eager for something. The guide compares those supported structures rather than manufacturing a gerund alternative.
Be Elated To Do vs. Elated By Something compares two directly documented complement patterns for “elated.” Oxford evidence supports an infinitival use as well as elated at/by + noun phrase, so the guide explains the construction choice without generalizing from synonyms.
Be Eligible To Do vs. Eligible For Something distinguishes Oxford’s directly documented eligible to + verb and eligible for + noun phrase patterns. The choice depends on whether eligibility is framed as an action or as eligibility for a benefit, status, role, or other noun phrase.
Be Embarrassed To Do vs. Embarrassed About Something distinguishes two attested complement patterns for the same adjective. Use embarrassed + to-infinitive for the adjective followed by its documented complement pattern; use embarrassed about + noun phrase for the separately documented construction. The constructions are not interchangeable simply because they share the adjective; choose the pattern that matches the grammatical relationship you mean.
Cambridge directly documents excited + to-infinitive and excited about + noun/event. The choice follows the supported complement structure rather than an invented symmetry.
Be Famous As Something vs. Famous For Something compares Oxford’s directly documented patterns. Famous as identifies the role or capacity in which a person or thing is famous, while famous for names the work, quality, achievement, product, or feature that is the basis of that fame.
Be Fascinated To Do vs. Fascinated By Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “fascinated.” Use fascinated + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use fascinated by + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The guide stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Be Fit To Do vs. Fit For Something distinguishes the directly documented fit to + verb and fit for + noun phrase patterns. Oxford uses both in suitability and health contexts, so the guide focuses on how the complement frames an action versus a purpose, duty, person, or thing.
Be Flattered To Do vs. Flattered By Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “flattered.” Use flattered + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use flattered by/at + noun phrase or -ing form for the separately documented prepositional construction. The guide stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Cambridge documents fond of + noun/-ing for liking people, things, or activities. The page therefore preserves the preposition of rather than inventing an infinitive alternative.
Be Fortunate To Do vs. Fortunate In Something distinguishes two attested complement patterns for the same adjective. Use fortunate + to-infinitive for the adjective followed by its documented complement pattern; use fortunate in + noun phrase for the separately documented construction. The constructions are not interchangeable simply because they share the adjective; choose the pattern that matches the grammatical relationship you mean.
Cambridge directly records free to do something and free from something, supporting a comparison of these distinct complement meanings.
Be Frightened To Do vs. Frightened Of Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “frightened.” Use frightened + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use frightened of + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Cambridge directly records glad + to-infinitive and glad about + noun/event, so the guide contrasts those documented structures rather than inferring a new complement.
Cambridge directly documents be good at something/doing something for being skilled or successful at an activity. Good to + infinitive can occur in other constructions and meanings, but it is not a substitute for the documented skill construction be good at + -ing.
Cambridge directly records grateful + to-infinitive and grateful for + noun, supporting this narrow complement comparison.
Be Gratified To Do vs. Gratified At Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “gratified.” Use gratified + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use gratified at + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The guide stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Cambridge directly records happy + to-infinitive and happy about + noun/event, providing an evidence-safe replacement for an unsupported unwilling + gerund contrast.
Cambridge directly records hesitant + to-infinitive and hesitant about + noun/activity.
Be Honored To Do vs. Honored For Something distinguishes two attested complement patterns for the same adjective. Use honored/honoured + to-infinitive for the adjective followed by its documented complement pattern; use honored/honoured for + noun phrase for the separately documented construction. The constructions are not interchangeable simply because they share the adjective; choose the pattern that matches the grammatical relationship you mean.
Be Horrified To Do vs. Horrified At Something distinguishes two attested complement patterns for the same adjective. Use horrified + to-infinitive for the adjective followed by its documented complement pattern; use horrified at + noun phrase for the separately documented construction. The constructions are not interchangeable simply because they share the adjective; choose the pattern that matches the grammatical relationship you mean.
Be Impressed To Do vs. Impressed By Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “impressed.” Use impressed + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use impressed by/at/with + complement for the separately documented prepositional construction. The guide stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Cambridge directly documents inclined to do and a literary inclined to something pattern. The guide uses those attested constructions instead of the preliminary, insufficiently supported toward-doing wording.
Cambridge directly distinguishes the adjective construction be intent on something/doing something from the noun construction intent to do something, so the page keeps category and complement structure explicit.
Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary records interested in + -ing for wanting or considering an activity and also interested + to-infinitive in uses such as being interested to find something out. The choice is therefore meaning-sensitive rather than a simple right-versus-wrong contrast.
Be Intrigued To Do vs. Intrigued By Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “intrigued.” Use intrigued + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use intrigued by + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The guide stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Oxford directly documents keen on doing and keen to do. Both can express eagerness; the page therefore avoids inventing a rigid meaning split that the cited dictionary does not require.
Be Known As Something vs. Known For Something distinguishes two directly documented constructions. Known as introduces a name, title, identity, or recognized type; known for identifies the work, quality, achievement, or feature that explains why the person or thing is known.
Be Lucky To Do vs. Lucky That Something Happened distinguishes two attested complement patterns for the same adjective. Use lucky + to-infinitive for the adjective followed by its documented complement pattern; use lucky that + clause for the separately documented construction. The constructions are not interchangeable simply because they share the adjective; choose the pattern that matches the grammatical relationship you mean.
Be Mortified To Do vs. Mortified At Something distinguishes two attested complement patterns for the same adjective. Use mortified + to-infinitive for the adjective followed by its documented complement pattern; use mortified at + noun phrase for the separately documented construction. The constructions are not interchangeable simply because they share the adjective; choose the pattern that matches the grammatical relationship you mean.
Cambridge directly licenses nervous about something/doing something. The guide treats that prepositional complement as the supported pattern and avoids symmetry not established by the source.
Be Overjoyed To Do vs. Overjoyed At Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “overjoyed.” Use overjoyed + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use overjoyed at/by/about + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The guide stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Cambridge directly records pleased + to-infinitive and pleased about + noun/event, supporting a narrow complement comparison.
Cambridge directly records prepared + to-infinitive and prepared for + noun/event.
Be Privileged To Do vs. Privileged Status or Access distinguishes two attested complement patterns for the same adjective. Use privileged + to-infinitive for the adjective followed by its documented complement pattern; use privileged + status/access noun phrase for the separately documented construction. The constructions are not interchangeable simply because they share the adjective; choose the pattern that matches the grammatical relationship you mean.
Cambridge directly records proud + to-infinitive and proud of + noun/pronoun. The title is deliberately narrower than an unsupported proud-of-doing contrast.
Be Qualified To Do vs. Qualified For Something compares Oxford’s directly documented qualified to + verb and qualified for + noun phrase patterns. One frames the qualification as permission or ability to perform an action; the other names the job, role, or target for which someone is qualified.
Oxford directly records ready + to-infinitive and ready for + noun, supporting a narrow comparison of the two standard patterns.
Oxford directly documents reduce somebody/something to (doing) something, usually in the passive, for being forced into a worse state or action. Here to introduces the resulting state or activity; the authority does not establish an equivalent be reduced to + bare infinitive pattern.
Oxford directly records relieved + to-infinitive and relieved about + noun/event, supporting this narrow comparison.
Cambridge lists reluctant with a to-infinitive for unwillingness or hesitation. The page therefore preserves the documented infinitive construction and rejects inferred gerund symmetry.
Cambridge records be responsible for someone, something, or doing something. The for + -ing construction therefore names the action within the responsibility relation, while responsible to typically expresses accountability to a person or authority.
Be Sad To Do vs. Sad About Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “sad.” Use sad + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use sad about + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Be Saddened To Do vs. Saddened By Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “saddened.” Use saddened + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use saddened by + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Cambridge directly records scared + to-infinitive and scared of + noun/-ing, so both structures can be explained without inferring unsupported symmetry.
Oxford directly distinguishes be set on something/on doing something for determination from be set to do something for being likely or ready to act.
Cambridge directly records shocked + to-infinitive and shocked at + complement, supporting this narrow complement comparison.
Cambridge directly documents be skilled at/in doing something for having developed ability in an activity. The preferred-source construction uses a preposition before the -ing form; do not infer skilled to + infinitive as a parallel complement solely from the adjective’s meaning.
Cambridge directly records sorry + to-infinitive and sorry about + noun/event, supporting a comparison of the two attested complement patterns.
Be Startled To Do vs. Startled By Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “startled.” Use startled + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use startled by + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Cambridge directly records surprised + to-infinitive and surprised at + noun/event. The title avoids claiming a gerund-specific pattern that was not directly established.
Be Terrified To Do vs. Terrified Of Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “terrified.” Use terrified + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use terrified of + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Be Thankful To Do vs. Thankful For Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “thankful.” Use thankful + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use thankful for + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Oxford directly records thrilled + to-infinitive and thrilled about + noun/event.
Oxford distinguishes tired of doing, meaning that someone has had enough of an activity, from too tired + infinitive contexts, where tired describes insufficient energy or need for rest.
Be Unhappy To Do vs. Unhappy About Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “unhappy.” Use unhappy + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use unhappy about + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Be Upset To Do vs. Upset About Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “upset.” Use upset + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use upset about + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The page stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
“Be used to” describes the state of being accustomed to something. “Get used to” describes the process of becoming accustomed to it.
Cambridge directly documents both willing to do and willing for someone to do, providing a useful subject-sensitive complement distinction without inferred gerund symmetry.
Cambridge describes be worth doing as the standard expression and explicitly rejects the to-infinitive after worth in this pattern. This rule concerns worth followed by a verb; other uses of worth with nouns or monetary values follow different structures.
“Beat” and “beaten” are different forms of the irregular verb “beat.” “Beat” is the simple past, while “beaten” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
“Became” and “become” are different forms of the irregular verb “become.” “Became” is the simple past, while “become” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
Because introduces a clause that gives a reason, while because of is a two-word preposition followed by a noun phrase or equivalent nominal expression. They express similar cause relationships but take different grammatical complements.
Cambridge explicitly documents beg + object + to-infinitive for an urgent request and also records beg for + noun and other request patterns. A following -ing form may appear elsewhere in a sentence, but it is not the ordinary replacement for the documented object + to-infinitive request construction.
“Began” and “begun” are different forms of the irregular verb “begin.” “Began” is the simple past, while “begun” is the past participle used in perfect constructions and, where applicable, passive constructions.
“Begin” is documented with both an -ing complement and a to-infinitive. In ordinary use they often describe the same start of an activity, so the choice is mainly contextual rather than a fixed grammar contrast.
Cambridge gives direct evidence for beguile someone into doing something in the literary persuade/attract/deceive sense. The cited entry supports the into + -ing construction; it does not establish beguile + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern for this meaning.
Cambridge documents “believe in something/doing something” for confidence that a practice or action is right or effective. Believe also has other constructions, such as “believe that …” and formal object-complement patterns; this guide covers the “believe in” value/effectiveness sense.
Belong To vs. Belong With separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Beneficial To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge records benefit from for the source of an advantage, and Cambridge grammar treats a verb after a preposition as an -ing form. That supports benefit from + -ing when the beneficial source is an action.
Bereft Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Beside” is a preposition meaning next to or at the side of. “Besides” most often means in addition to and can function as a preposition or linking adverb. The extra -s therefore marks a real meaning and grammar difference, not a spelling variant.
Between You and Me vs. Between You and I applies Cambridge’s subject/object-pronoun rule to a prepositional phrase.
“Bit” and “bitten” are different forms of the irregular verb “bite.” “Bit” is the simple past, while “bitten” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
“Biweekly” is the standard closed spelling, but its frequency meaning is genuinely ambiguous: Cambridge records both “every two weeks” and “twice a week.” Clear scheduling prose should state the interval when misunderstanding would matter.
Oxford directly documents blackmail + object + into + -ing when a threat forces a person to perform an action. Blackmail also takes a direct object without an action complement, and the verb’s legal or everyday sense should be kept separate from the question of which complement is documented.
“Blackout” is the closed noun, while “black out” is the two-word phrasal verb. The verb can describe losing consciousness or obscuring/darkening something; the noun names the resulting event or state.
Cambridge records blame someone for something and examples such as not blaming someone for getting angry, supporting for + -ing when the action is what the person is blamed for.
Blanketed In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Blessed With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Blew” and “blown” are different forms of the irregular verb “blow.” “Blew” is the simple past, while “blown” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
Blotched With: Standard Pattern records a directly evidenced English construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the attested complement rather than turning one documented pattern into a universal preposition rule.
“Blowout” is a closed noun for several events or results, and Cambridge also records “blow-out” as a noun variant. “Blow out” is the two-word phrasal verb, including the sense of extinguishing a flame.
Cambridge directly documents bludgeon someone into doing something for forceful pressure or persistent argument that makes someone agree or act. The cited entry directly supports the into + -ing construction; it does not establish bludgeon + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern for this meaning.
Oxford directly documents “bluff somebody into doing something” for making someone act by tricking them about your knowledge, experience, or intentions. The cited construction directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish bluff + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement pattern.
“Bore” is the simple past of “bear,” while “borne” is its usual past participle in senses such as carrying, supporting, or enduring. Birth expressions conventionally use “born,” so that exception remains explicit.
Bored With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Borrow” describes receiving or using something that belongs to someone else with the expectation of returning it. “Lend” describes giving something to someone temporarily with the expectation of getting it back.
Oxford documents both complement patterns for “bother” meaning spend time or energy on an action. The pair should not be turned into an absolute meaning distinction; the surrounding construction and tone do most of the work.
Cambridge directly documents bounce someone into doing something for UK usage for making someone decide or act before enough consideration. Cambridge labels this construction UK. The cited entry directly supports the into + -ing construction; it does not establish bounce + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern for this meaning.
The choice between “bound” and “bounded” depends on which verb you mean. “Bound” is the past and past participle of “bind,” while “bounded” belongs to the separate verb “bound” in senses such as moving by leaps or forming a boundary.
Cambridge directly documents brainwash + object + into + -ing for causing belief or action through repeated messaging while blocking other information. The verb is marked disapproving, and the cited source does not present brainwash + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent documented complement.
“Breakdown” is a noun, while “break down” is a phrasal verb. The pair appears across several senses—including failure, division, analysis, and mechanical problems—but the word boundary tracks the grammatical role.
“Breakout” is a closed noun for an escape and an adjective in several established senses. Cambridge also documents “break-out” in modifier use. “Break out” is the two-word phrasal verb for meanings such as beginning suddenly or escaping.
“Breakthrough” is a closed noun for an important discovery or advance and can also modify a following noun. “Break through” is the two-word phrasal verb for forcing or moving through a barrier or threshold.
“Break up” is a phrasal verb, while “breakup” is a noun for an ending, separation, or division. Cambridge also records the hyphenated noun “break-up,” so noun styling can vary even though the verbal form remains two words.
Cambridge directly documents bribe + object + to-infinitive for inducing an action by giving or offering money, gifts, or another desired benefit. Bribe can also take an object alone or a with-phrase naming the inducement, so the to-infinitive pattern is not the only possible syntax for the verb.
Brimming With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Bring” normally presents movement toward the speaker, listener, or relevant destination viewpoint, while “take” normally presents movement away from the speaker or listener to another place. Viewpoint can change which verb is natural.
Bristling With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Broke” and “broken” are different forms of the irregular verb “break.” “Broke” is the simple past, while “broken” is the past participle used in perfect constructions and, where applicable, passive constructions.
Cambridge directly documents browbeat + object + into + -ing for forcing or pressuring someone through threats or forceful, unfair persuasion. Browbeat can also appear transitively without an explicit action complement, so a sentence does not always need into + -ing even though that is the documented pattern for naming the forced action.
“Build up” is the two-word phrasal verb. For the noun, Cambridge records hyphenated “build-up,” while its American dictionary also records closed “buildup.” The noun spelling therefore has a documented regional/style variant rather than one universal form.
Cambridge directly documents bulldoze + object + into + -ing for forcing someone toward an unwanted action. The evidence supports the into + -ing construction; it does not establish bulldoze + object + to-infinitive as an equal alternative.
Cambridge directly documents bully + object + into + -ing for forcing a person to act by using power, strength, or fear. Bully can also take a direct object without naming the forced action, so into + -ing is specifically the documented pattern when the action itself is expressed.
Buried In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Burnout” is the noun for a state of severe exhaustion or, in other senses, a result/failure; “burn out” is the phrasal verb for becoming exhausted, ceasing to burn, or failing from heat. The spacing follows grammatical function rather than a single spelling preference.
Bursting With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Buyout” is the closed noun for an acquisition or controlling purchase. “Buy out” is the two-word phrasal verb for buying another party’s interest or, in some contexts, paying to be released from a contract.
For the communication medium, “by email” and “via email” are directly supported standard choices. “Through” can describe using a channel or means, while bare “per email” normally does not mean the medium: business English uses “as per” to mean according to something.
“By” and “until” both relate events to a time, but they do different jobs. “By” sets the latest acceptable time for completion, while “until” marks how long a state or activity continues.
Cambridge directly documents cajole + object + into + -ing for persuading someone through pleasant talk or promises to do something they may not want to do. Cajole can also be used without the into-complement when the act of persuasion is understood, so the page distinguishes verb meaning from the syntax used to name the resulting action.
Caked In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Callback” is a noun for a return phone call, a later audition or interview, or a reference to something earlier. “Call back” is a phrasal verb, including phoning someone again or returning to collect or see something.
“Came” and “come” are different forms of the irregular verb “come.” “Came” is the simple past, while “come” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
Can and could overlap in ability, possibility and requests, but could is not simply a past-tense substitute in every use. Could can mark past general ability, weaker possibility, hypothetical situations, or a more tentative/polite request.
Cambridge documents can’t/couldn’t help + -ing for being unable to control or stop an action, and also documents the separate “can’t help but + bare infinitive” pattern. Do not confuse the involuntary-action idiom with ordinary help meaning assist; the latter can take different complement patterns and expresses a different idea.
Oxford documents both stand doing something and stand to do something, including paired tolerate/dislike examples such as not being able to stand hearing or to hear something. The two patterns often overlap, but idiomatic preference can vary by following verb and variety; avoid inventing a rigid universal meaning split.
“Cannot” is the normal closed spelling for the negative of “can,” but “can not” is not universally wrong. Institutional and Chicago guidance document two-word uses when “not” is emphasized or belongs to a separate construction such as “not only” or a deliberate choice not to act.
“Canvas” is usually a noun for strong cloth, an artist’s painting surface, or a painting. “Canvass” is a verb meaning to seek votes/support, collect opinions, or discuss/consider something, and it can also be a noun for that activity.
Oxford documents “bear” with both -ing and to-infinitive complements in the “cannot tolerate” sense. There can be contextual preferences, but neither pattern is categorically the only correct form.
“Capital” has several common meanings, including a city that serves as a seat of government, financial resources, and an uppercase letter. “Capitol” is a building in which a legislature meets, especially the U.S. Capitol or a state capitol.
Cambridge records care about for considering something important and care + to-infinitive in a formal WANT sense; standard preposition-complement grammar accounts for the -ing form after about. Do not reduce this pair to a right-versus-wrong rule. The choice changes meaning, and “care to do” is especially common in offers, questions, and negative statements in formal or polite usage.
Careful Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Careful With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Carpeted With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Carryout” is a regional closed noun/adjective for takeaway food, while “carry out” is the two-word phrasal verb meaning to perform or complete something. The distinction is both grammatical and regional.
“Carryover” is a noun for something retained or continuing from an earlier period. “Carry over” is a phrasal verb for moving, postponing, or allowing something to continue into a later time or situation.
In the relevant discover-in-the-act sense, catch takes an object followed by an -ing form. A bare infinitive after the object is not the standard parallel construction, so this is a form-choice guide rather than a meaning split between two equally productive patterns.
A generic causative-have owner is useful because it joins two related constructions that answer different surface questions. It does not replace the older narrow “have someone do vs. have someone to do” page, which continues to own the specific bare-infinitive error after a person object.
For the verb cause followed by a person or thing that performs another action, Cambridge gives cause + object + to-infinitive. A direct object + -ing clause is not the parallel complement in this pattern.
Oxford documents both cease + -ing and cease + to-infinitive. Cease is formal, and many expressions strongly favor one wording in actual use, so the page treats the two as licensed constructions without claiming a rigid semantic contrast that the source does not establish.
Celebrated For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Censor” means suppressing, removing, or restricting material judged unsuitable or sensitive. “Censure” means expressing strong criticism or official disapproval.
Cambridge documents challenge + person + to-infinitive for inviting or pressing someone to perform an action, while challenge also has separate transitive senses such as questioning a claim, rule, or decision. Keep the “invite/test a person” sense separate from the “question or dispute something” sense.
Characteristic Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented adjective construction while separating it from the noun senses of characteristic.
Characterized By: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge distinguishes “charge someone with something/doing something” for accusation from charge + person + to-infinitive patterns used in other senses, such as requiring payment to do something.
Oxford now directly documents “charm somebody into (doing) something” for using personal appeal to obtain the desired action. The current cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish “charm someone to do” as an equivalent complement pattern. This direct construction evidence was not available in the project’s earlier screening snapshot.
“Check-in” is the hyphenated noun for registration or the place/process where it happens. “Check in” is the two-word phrasal verb used when someone registers or reports arrival.
“Checkout” is a noun for the act, time, counter, or process of checking out. “Check out” is the verb, used for actions such as leaving a hotel, borrowing an item, paying for purchases, or examining something.
For the medical-examination noun, Cambridge labels “checkup” as US English and “check-up” as UK English. The spaced words belong to the phrasal-verb construction “check up on,” which has a different grammatical role and meaning.
Cambridge directly documents chivvy someone into doing something for encouraging a person to do something they do not want to do, labeling the verb UK informal. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish chivvy + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern.
Oxford documents “choose to do” for deciding to perform an action and also “choose between” alternatives such as staying or going. The -ing form in the latter belongs to the between-construction, not to a direct gerund complement of “choose.”
“Choose” is the base/present form of the verb, while “chose” is its simple past. The past participle is “chosen,” so tense—not spelling preference—determines which form belongs in a sentence.
“Chose” and “chosen” are different forms of the irregular verb “choose.” “Chose” is the simple past, while “chosen” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
“Cite” is a verb used for quoting, mentioning, or formally referring to a source or authority. “Site” is a place or location. “Sight” relates to seeing, a view, or something that is seen.
Oxford documents claim + to-infinitive and claim + that-clause for assertions. “Claim” also has noun-object and entitlement senses, so an -ing form appearing as a noun-like object should not be confused with the reporting construction.
“Cleanup” is a noun for an act or instance of cleaning and can also function adjectivally in established uses. “Clean up” is the verb phrase for making something clean or improving a situation.
Cloaked In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Coated With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge directly documents both coax + object + into + -ing and coax + object + to-infinitive for gently persuading or encouraging someone to act. The verb can also take an object without either complement and can be used for gently moving or obtaining something; those uses do not erase the documented construction difference.
Cambridge directly documents coerce + object + into + -ing for forcefully persuading someone to do something they are unwilling to do. The dictionary definition paraphrases the meaning with a to-infinitive after “persuade,” but that paraphrase does not itself license coerce + object + to-infinitive as the target construction.
Cognizant Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Oxford directly documents come close to doing something for almost doing or reaching something. The to in come close to is prepositional before the activity; do not infer a parallel come close to + bare infinitive construction.
Come and go encode direction relative to a conversational viewpoint. The useful decision is not just physical location but whose place or reference point is being treated as the center, including invitations, future meetings, and reported movement.
“Comeback” is a noun for a return to a better, more successful, or more prominent state, and Cambridge also records “come-back” as a variant. “Come back” is the two-word phrasal verb meaning to return, including returning to popularity or fashion.
Oxford explicitly lists commence doing something and commence to do something. The verb is formal, and the source does not establish a general meaning contrast between the two complements, so the guide presents both as documented alternatives.
Cambridge records commend someone for something and commend someone on something when formally praising a person.
Commensurate With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge Business English explicitly records commit to doing something in the promise/commitment sense. A nearby sequence such as “committed funds to do something” has a different structure; it does not make bare “be committed to do” the direct alternative to “be committed to doing.”
Comparable To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Compare To vs. Compare With presents the Language Portal of Canada distinction between likening and analytical comparison.
Compatible With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction without inventing a parallel “compatible to” rule that the reviewed source does not establish.
Cambridge documents compel + object + to-infinitive for forcing a person to act and separate direct-object senses such as compelling a change or reaction. Compel can take noun objects in other senses, so distinguish “force a person to act” from “cause a result/reaction.”
Cambridge distinguishes complain about a subject from complain to a person, and standard preposition-complement grammar uses an -ing form when an action follows about. Do not confuse complain to + person with a to-infinitive. Complain can also introduce a that-clause, and a purpose infinitive may occur elsewhere in a larger sentence.
“Compliment” is praise or an expression of admiration. “Complement” is something that completes, matches, or improves another thing, and the verb means to combine well with it.
Compliant With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge gives compliment + person + on + noun phrase, including examples such as complimenting someone on how they handled or cooked something.
A “compliment” is praise or an expression of admiration; to “compliment” someone is to praise them. A “complement” is something that completes, matches, or improves something else, and “complement” is also a grammatical term.
Comply With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge documents “be comprised of” as a passive construction and “be composed of” as the passive pattern for compose. Active “comprises” can describe a whole containing its parts, so sentence structure matters more than a blanket prohibition.
Cambridge Business English directly gives con + object + into (doing) something for tricking a person into an action. The cited entry does not establish con + object + to-infinitive as an equally documented alternative, so the guide preserves that evidence boundary.
Cambridge directly records concentrate on doing something for giving most of your attention to one activity. A separate to-infinitive may occur in a larger sentence for a different function such as purpose. This guide covers only the complement that names what someone concentrates on.
Concerned About vs. Concerned With separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Concurrent With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge separately documents condemn someone to (do) something for imposing a punishment and condemn someone to something for causing someone to suffer a particular situation. The two to-patterns have different complement structures and can carry different senses. This guide does not infer condemn someone to doing as a third equivalent pattern.
Conducive To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction for the adjective and keeps the guidance narrower than an invented two-sided comparison.
Oxford documents confess to + noun/-ing, including confess to doing something; the to here belongs to the prepositional construction. Do not manufacture a parallel confess to + bare infinitive rule from the spelling of to; other uses of confess have their own syntax.
Confident About vs. Confident Of keeps its distinction narrow and example-led, based on Cambridge’s documented complement patterns rather than a universal substitution rule.
Confident In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Oxford directly documents confine yourself to (doing) something for limiting the scope of an activity or subject. In this construction to is prepositional; a matching confine yourself to + bare infinitive pattern is not established by the cited authority.
Conform To vs. Conform With keeps the comparison evidence-led: Cambridge documents both constructions, so the guide does not manufacture a right/wrong distinction.
Cambridge records congratulate someone on winning or on having won and similar on + -ing patterns. That evidence supports on + -ing when the action or achievement being praised is expressed as a verb.
Congruent With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Connect To vs. Connect With separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
“Conscience” is a noun for the moral sense that judges whether your actions are right or wrong. “Conscious” is an adjective meaning awake, aware, noticing something, or deliberate.
Conscious Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Oxford documents both consent to something and consent to do. That distinction explains why an -ing form can follow prepositional “to” while the direct action pattern uses the to-infinitive.
For the common sense “think about a possibility,” consider takes an -ing verb complement: “consider moving,” not direct “consider to move.” Other constructions such as consider something to be something belong to a different syntax and should not be confused with this pattern.
Consist Of vs. Consist In separates the composition sense from the formal essential-quality sense documented in Cambridge.
Consistent With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge collocation and avoids expanding it into an unsupported contrast page.
Consonant With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Contiguous With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Contingent On: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Continual” describes something that happens repeatedly, often with breaks between occurrences. “Continuous” describes something that continues without a pause or interruption.
“Continue” is documented with both -ing and to-infinitive complements. The pair normally describes persistence of the same activity, so it should not be given the meaning split associated with verbs such as “go on.”
Contrary To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Contrast With vs. Contrast To separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Convenient For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Conversant With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Correspond To vs. Correspond With separates the matching/equivalence uses from the distinct correspond-with communication sense documented by Cambridge.
“Council” is a noun for a group chosen to make decisions, give advice, represent people, or govern. “Counsel” can mean advice, a lawyer or lawyers, or the verb “to advise.” The words are homophones in standard Cambridge pronunciation, so meaning and grammatical role must decide the spelling.
“Countdown” is the closed noun for the act of counting backward or a lead-up period. “Count down” is the two-word phrasal verb for performing that count.
Covered With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge directly documents “cow someone into something/doing something” for frightening or forcing someone into an action. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish cow + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement pattern.
Cambridge directly documents cozen someone into something/doing something for old-fashioned/literary deception or trickery. Cambridge labels the construction old-fashioned. The cited entry directly supports the into + -ing construction; it does not establish cozen + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern for this meaning.
Crawling With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Credible” describes something or someone that is believable or convincing. “Credulous” describes a person who is too ready to believe things.
Critical Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge gives “be criticized for” with -ing examples such as being criticized for failing to act, supporting for + -ing when naming the conduct under criticism.
Crowded With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cruel To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Cutback” is the closed noun for a reduction; “cut back” is the two-word phrasal verb for reducing something. The forms are related but perform different grammatical jobs.
“Cutoff” is a noun for an ending, limit, point, date, device, or related result and is also used adjectivally. “Cut off” is the verb phrase for stopping, ending, separating, or interrupting.
Dangerous To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Dappled With: Standard Pattern records a directly evidenced English construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the attested complement rather than turning one documented pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Cambridge distinguishes dare as an ordinary verb and as a semi-modal. These patterns use a to-infinitive or bare infinitive depending on structure; the challenge construction takes an object + to-infinitive.
Oxford documents debar + person + from + -ing, commonly in the passive, for official prevention. The same entry also supports from + noun patterns, while person + to-infinitive is not the equivalent action complement.
Cambridge directly documents deceive + object + into + -ing for causing a person to do or believe something through falsehood or concealment. Deceive can also take ordinary objects and clauses about what is falsely believed; those are separate from the into + -ing action pattern.
For a decision to perform an action, standard references use “decide to do.” Gerunds occur in other constructions such as “decide against doing,” where the preposition—not “decide” alone—licenses the -ing form.
Oxford documents dedicate yourself to doing something for giving substantial time or effort to a purpose or activity. The construction uses prepositional to before an activity; do not replace it with a to-infinitive simply because both contain the word to.
Deferential To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Deficient In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Defuse” literally means prevent a bomb from exploding and figuratively means make a dangerous or tense situation calmer. “Diffuse” means spread something out or cause it to spread in many directions.
Oxford gives delay + -ing for an action that is put off. A to-infinitive elsewhere in the sentence can serve another purpose, but it is not the reviewed direct complement pattern.
Oxford directly documents “delude somebody/yourself into doing something” for causing a false belief that leads to an action. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish delude + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement pattern.
Cambridge documents deny + -ing and deny + that-clause for saying an action or claim is not true. Other deny constructions can take objects (for example denying someone something); they do not create a parallel direct to-infinitive complement.
Cambridge documents depend on/upon with -ing clauses and also the separate pattern “depend on someone/something to do something.” Do not overgeneralize this into a ban on every nearby to-infinitive: “depend on you to help” is valid because the infinitive belongs after the object of “on.”
Dependent On vs. Dependent Upon records both Cambridge-supported forms for the contingent sense without treating upon as an error or inventing a universal register rule.
Derivative Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Desert” can mean a dry region or, as a verb, to abandon. “Dessert” is a sweet course or dish, usually eaten after a meal.
Oxford lists both constructions. The -ing form commonly appears in passive-like expressions such as a point deserving mention, while the to-infinitive can describe what the subject merits doing or receiving.
Deserving Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Designed For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Desirous Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Despite” and “in spite of” have the same concessive role and are followed by a noun phrase or -ing form rather than a finite clause introduced directly after them.
Destitute Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge defines deter with the pattern deter someone from doing something when a difficulty, threat, or expected result prevents or discourages an action.
Detrimental To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
In ordinary general English, “device” is mainly a noun for an object, mechanism, method, or contrivance. “Devise” is mainly a verb meaning to plan or invent.
Devoid Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge documents devote something/yourself to something and gives -ing complements such as devoting oneself to getting justice or resources to teaching. The “to” is part of the devote-to prepositional construction, so a following activity is expressed with an -ing clause rather than a direct to-infinitive replacement.
“Did” and “done” are different forms of the irregular verb “do.” “Did” is the simple past, while “done” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
Different From vs. Different To vs. Different Than summarizes Oxford’s documented usage note: different from is the most common in both major varieties, different to is also used especially in British English, and different than is especially North American and can be convenient before a clause.
Cambridge records the pattern discourage someone from doing something when the meaning is to persuade someone not to do an action. Discourage can also take a noun or pronoun object without naming the action. This guide only distinguishes the direct action-complement pattern.
Discover can take object + -ing when someone is found engaged in an activity. A bare infinitive after that object is not the ordinary parallel pattern for this discover-in-the-act sense.
Disdainful Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
For precise formal writing, “disinterested” means impartial or without a personal stake; “uninterested” means not interested.
Cambridge gives dislike + -ing in its dictionary examples and places dislike among verbs normally followed by -ing rather than a to-infinitive. Like, love and hate have separate reviewed patterns that can permit both forms; those patterns should not be transferred automatically to dislike.
Oxford directly documents disqualify + person + from + -ing. It also records related from + noun and for + noun patterns, but those do not establish person + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement.
Dissatisfied With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Dissimilar To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge records dissuade someone from something or from doing something for persuading a person not to do an action. This guide covers the complement after dissuade. Other infinitives elsewhere in a larger sentence can have different grammatical functions.
Distinct From: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Divergent From: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Dotted With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge directly documents dragoon someone into doing something for forcing or persuading someone into an unpleasant action. The cited entry directly supports the into + -ing construction; it does not establish dragoon + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern for this meaning.
“Drank” and “drunk” are different forms of the irregular verb “drink.” “Drank” is the simple past, while “drunk” is the past participle used in perfect constructions and, where applicable, passive constructions.
Draped In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Oxford directly documents “draw somebody into (doing) something” for involving someone in an activity or situation. The cited construction supports into + -ing; it does not establish draw + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern for this sense.
“Drawback” is a closed noun meaning a disadvantage or negative feature. “Draw back” is a two-word phrasal verb used for moving away, withdrawing, or recoiling.
Cambridge explicitly contrasts “dream of doing” with the nonstandard “dream to do” for desired future actions. For dreams during sleep, Cambridge also documents “dream about” + noun or -ing; that is a different sense from aspiring to do something.
“Drew” and “drawn” are different forms of the irregular verb “draw.” “Drew” is the simple past, while “drawn” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
Oxford directly documents “drive somebody to do something” for forcing or causing someone to act in a particular way. The cited causative sense directly supports object + to-infinitive; physical drive + object + into a place is a different construction and does not license an inferred into + -ing complement here.
Merriam-Webster records hyphenated “drop-off” as the noun and two-word “drop off” as the verb. The closed spelling “dropoff” is a common search variant, but this guide does not treat it as the default Merriam-Webster headword.
“Dropout” is the closed noun, while “drop out” is the two-word phrasal verb. The noun names the person or participant; the verb describes the act of leaving before completion.
“Drove” and “driven” are different forms of the irregular verb “drive.” “Drove” is the simple past, while “driven” is the past participle used in perfect constructions and, where applicable, passive constructions.
“Dual” means having two parts, aspects, or functions. “Duel” is a fight or contest between two opponents and can also be used as a verb.
Cambridge directly documents dupe someone into doing something for deception that causes someone to do something. The cited entry directly supports the into + -ing construction; it does not establish dupe + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern for this meaning.
During and while can both relate events in time, but they take different complements. During is a preposition normally followed by a noun phrase; while is a conjunction normally followed by a clause.
Use “each other” as the reciprocal expression and “each other’s” before a noun to show reciprocal possession. Cambridge also notes that “each other” is written as two words; plain “each others” is not the possessive form.
“Each other” and “one another” both express reciprocal relationships, and Cambridge notes that there is very little difference between them in normal use. The practical distinction is mostly frequency and style, not a strict rule based on whether exactly two or more than two participants are involved.
Each and every can both distribute reference across a group, but each foregrounds individual members while every treats the complete group distributively. Their grammar also differs: each can be used with “of,” while every normally needs a following singular noun or “one.”
Either and neither normally organize choices involving two alternatives. Either presents one or the other (or appears in either…or), while neither rejects both (and appears in neither…nor); negative-sentence uses of either need separate treatment.
Cambridge distinguishes the wider comparative “older” from the more restricted “elder.” “Elder” is normally attributive and especially common for family relationships, while “older” can describe people or things and can also appear after a linking verb.
“Emigrate” describes leaving a country to live elsewhere; “immigrate” describes coming into a different country to live there. The same move can be described with either verb depending on the viewpoint.
“Eminent” means distinguished or prominent. “Imminent” means about to happen. “Immanent” means existing or operating within something and is common in philosophical or theological contexts.
Enable can make a person or thing able to act, commonly with object + to-infinitive, or make an activity/result possible by taking a noun-like object. These patterns differ in whether the enabled participant or the enabled activity is expressed as the object.
Enamoured Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Both patterns are standard. Encourage + person + to-infinitive names the person being persuaded or supported; encourage + -ing presents the activity itself as something promoted or made more likely.
Encrusted With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Endowed With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Engage In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Engaged To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Engrossed In: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Enjoy takes an -ing complement when it is followed by another verb: “enjoy reading,” “enjoy meeting people.” A direct “enjoy to read” pattern is not standard in the reviewed construction.
Enthusiastic About: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge documents both entice + person + to-infinitive and entice + person + into + -ing for persuading someone by offering something attractive. Do not reduce the contrast to gerund versus infinitive alone; the preposition into is part of the -ing construction.
Oxford directly documents “entrap somebody into doing something” in the legal sense of tricking and encouraging someone to commit an act so they can be arrested. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing in that legal sense; it does not establish entrap + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement pattern.
Enveloped In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Envious Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Equal To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Equipped With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Equivalent To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented adjective pattern and avoids turning an unsupported “equivalent with” contrast into a fabricated universal rule.
Essential For vs. Essential To separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Etched With: Standard Pattern records a directly evidenced English construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the attested complement rather than turning one documented pattern into a universal preposition rule.
“Everyone” is one word when it means every person. “Every one” is two words when one is a separate element referring to each individual member of a set, especially in constructions such as “every one of them.”
Everyday is a one-word adjective meaning ordinary, usual, or part of normal life. Every day is two words when it means each day. The distinction is therefore both grammatical and orthographic: adjective before a noun versus a determiner + noun time expression.
Excellent At: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge records “excuse someone for something/doing something” in the forgive sense, supporting for + -ing when naming the conduct being excused.
Exempt From: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Oxford documents exempt + person + from + -ing for official relief from an obligation and also supports from + noun patterns. The cited entry does not establish person + to-infinitive as the corresponding complement.
Cambridge explicitly documents exhort + object + to-infinitive for strongly encouraging or trying to persuade someone to act. A following -ing form may occur elsewhere in a sentence, but the cited person-plus-action construction is object + to-infinitive.
Oxford documents “expect to do” and other object/clause patterns. The page therefore treats direct expect + -ing as a construction problem rather than inventing two equivalent complements.
Oxford directly documents experience in doing something for practical knowledge or skill gained from doing an activity. A following to-infinitive can occur in other noun phrases with a different relationship; it is not evidence that experience to + infinitive is a parallel complement for the documented prior-experience meaning.
Experienced In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Oxford documents “fail to do” for unsuccessful or omitted actions and separately documents “fail in” patterns. Treat bare “fail doing” as different from the standard to-infinitive complement rather than as an interchangeable gerund alternative.
Faithful To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Fallout” is a closed noun with meanings including radioactive dust and adverse consequences. “Fall out” is a two-word phrasal verb with different verb senses, including becoming detached and quarrelling.
Famed For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Familiar To vs. Familiar With separates two directly documented constructions: recognizability to someone versus a person’s knowledge or experience of something.
Cambridge documents UK fancy + -ing for wanting to do something, while a separate prediction/preference sense can appear with an object followed by a to-infinitive, as in choosing who is expected to win. The to-infinitive pattern belongs to a different syntactic/meaning frame and is not a direct replacement for “fancy doing” in the want-to-do sense.
For physical distance, Cambridge treats “farther” and “further” as equivalent, with “further” more common. “Further” also has additional meanings—such as extra, additional, or more—that “farther” does not normally replace.
Favorable To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Fed Up With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
In ordinary general English, “feedback” is treated as an uncountable noun, so “some feedback,” “pieces of feedback,” or “comments” is normally clearer than “feedbacks.” Specialized technical fields may define countable uses, but those do not change the general-writing default.
Cambridge treats “feel like (doing) something” as the idiomatic pattern for wanting to have or do something. Here like is part of the fixed expression “feel like”; it is followed by a noun phrase or -ing form rather than a to-infinitive with the same meaning.
With perception feel + object, the bare infinitive and -ing form can both occur. The choice changes how the perceived event is viewed rather than simply marking one form correct and the other wrong.
Oxford directly documents feel up to doing something for having the strength or energy to undertake an activity. In feel up to, to is part of the prepositional expression up to; the cited pattern does not license feel up to + bare infinitive.
“Fell” and “fallen” are different forms of the irregular verb “fall.” “Fell” is the simple past, while “fallen” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
Festooned With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Few and a few both go with plural countable nouns, but the article changes the usual implication. A few means some or a small number; few often has a negative meaning close to not many or almost none.
The traditional distinction uses “fewer” with plural countable nouns and “less” with uncountable nouns, amounts, and degree. Modern informal speech also uses “less” with plural countable nouns, but Cambridge notes that this is traditionally not considered correct in formal standard usage.
When the object is a form, “fill in” and “fill out” overlap in meaning, but Cambridge marks a regional preference: “fill in a form” is mainly UK, while US English usually uses “fill out a form.”
“Fill-in” is a hyphenated noun for a temporary substitute and can also be an attributive adjective. “Fill in” is the two-word phrasal verb used for completing blanks, substituting for someone, or supplying missing information.
Filled With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Find can take an object plus an -ing form to describe the state or activity discovered. The corresponding object + bare-infinitive form is not the ordinary construction for this meaning.
Cambridge gives fine + person + amount + for and passive “be fined for” when the following act is the offence that caused the monetary penalty.
Cambridge documents finish + -ing for completing an activity. The normal direct verb complement is therefore “finish doing,” while “finish to do” is not a parallel alternative in this construction.
Flecked With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Flew” and “flown” are different forms of the irregular verb “fly.” “Flew” is the simple past, while “flown” is the past participle used in perfect constructions and, where applicable, passive constructions.
Flush With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge records focus on someone or something for directing attention, and standard preposition-complement grammar puts an -ing form after a preposition when the complement is an action. A to-infinitive can still appear elsewhere to express purpose, as in a larger clause about focusing in order to achieve something; that is not the same construction as focus on doing.
“Follow-through” is a hyphenated noun for the action of completing something or continuing a movement. “Follow through” is the two-word phrasal verb for carrying an action, promise, or movement through to completion.
“Follow up” is the phrasal verb for taking further action or investigating, while “follow-up” is the noun or adjective for a later connected action, question, visit, or similar item. Closed “followup” is not the form used in the reviewed Cambridge entry.
Cambridge documents active forbid + person + to-infinitive and passive be forbidden from + -ing, while its thesaurus also recognizes forbid someone from doing. Both constructions can express prohibition, but their syntactic framing differs.
Cambridge documents both force + person + to-infinitive and, in Business English, force + person + into + noun/-ing. Both express compulsion, with the into construction often presenting the person as pushed into a situation, course, or activity.
“Forgave” and “forgiven” are different forms of the irregular verb “forgive.” “Forgave” is the simple past, while “forgiven” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
“Forget + -ing” concerns whether an earlier event remains in memory. “Forget + to-infinitive” means the intended action was not remembered and therefore may not have been done.
Cambridge gives the pattern “forgive someone for something/doing something,” supporting for + -ing when the action is what is being forgiven.
“Forgot” is the simple past of “forget,” while “forgotten” is the usual past participle in general edited English. Cambridge’s American Dictionary also records “forgot” as a past-participle variant, so the guide keeps that regional usage visible instead of flattening it into a universal error rule.
“Forsook” and “forsaken” are different forms of “forsake”: “forsook” is simple past and “forsaken” is the past participle. Cambridge marks the verb literary or formal, so the guide keeps that register boundary visible.
Fraught With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Free From vs. Free Of records Cambridge’s paired free from/of pattern and avoids inventing a universal distinction where the learner dictionary presents both forms.
Friendly To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Friendly With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Oxford directly documents frighten + object + into + -ing for making somebody do something by making them afraid. Frighten can also occur simply with an object or in other phrasal patterns, so the into + -ing construction is specifically for the action produced by fear.
“Froze” and “frozen” are different forms of the irregular verb “freeze.” “Froze” is the simple past, while “frozen” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
Full Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Furious With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
The future perfect continuous is most useful when a future point is the viewpoint and the activity leading up to it matters. A single guide can answer form, negatives/questions, duration, activity/result contrast, and verb-class limits without creating separate form and uses doorway pages.
Oxford directly documents both “galvanize somebody into (doing) something” and “galvanize somebody to do something” for causing decisive action. Both complements are documented, but the into construction profiles movement into an action while the to-infinitive directly presents the action prompted.
“Gave” and “given” are different forms of the irregular verb “give.” “Gave” is the simple past, while “given” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
Geared To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Generous To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Generous With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Gerunds and infinitives can both follow verbs, but the allowed pattern depends on the governing verb and sometimes changes the meaning. This guide treats the choice as a verb-pattern question, not a universal substitution rule.
Cambridge documents get around to + -ing for finally finding time to do something after a delay. The phrasal construction ends in prepositional to, so the following action is expressed with -ing in the documented pattern.
Oxford directly documents get down to (doing) something for beginning serious attention to an activity. The to in get down to is prepositional in this pattern; do not infer a corresponding get down to + bare infinitive construction.
Get + object + to-infinitive can mean persuade or cause an action, while get + object + -ing can present causing an activity or state to begin or continue. The two patterns can overlap in broad causative meaning but do not package the event the same way.
Get + object + past participle expresses causing or arranging for something to be done, while get + object + to-infinitive causes or enables that object/person to perform an action.
Cambridge documents give up + -ing for stopping an activity, including giving up trying, going, driving, or smoking. Other senses of give up, including surrendering or relinquishing something, have different complements; they do not create a synonymous give up + to-infinitive construction.
“Giveaway” is a noun for something given free, the act or event of giving something free, an unintended clue or revelation, and other established senses. “Give away” is the verb phrase for giving, revealing, or otherwise transferring something.
“Go on + -ing” continues the same activity. “Go on + to-infinitive” moves the sequence forward to a different action or later stage.
Oxford records “go shopping” as the conventional expression for doing the shopping activity. A purpose infinitive such as to shop belongs to a different construction and should not be presented as an equivalent activity complement.
Oxford documents go + -ing for activities such as “go swimming.” A to-infinitive can express purpose in a larger sentence, but it should not be treated as an interchangeable replacement for the established go + activity pattern.
Cambridge directly documents goad + object + into + noun/-ing for provoking someone into an action by repeated annoyance or pressure. Other goad patterns exist, including “goad someone on”; this guide is limited to the complement used to name the resulting action.
Good For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Good With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Grew” and “grown” are different forms of the irregular verb “grow.” “Grew” is the simple past, while “grown” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
“Ground” has several noun senses with different countability patterns, while “grounds” is established for meanings such as surrounding property, reasons or justification, and coffee residue. The correct form therefore depends on sense.
Collins American English documents guilt as a verb for influencing behavior by arousing guilt and illustrates guilt + object + into + -ing. The cited evidence supports the into + -ing construction; it does not establish guilt + object + to-infinitive as an equally documented alternative.
Guilty Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Hand off” is the phrasal verb for passing or transferring something or responsibility. “Handoff” is a noun for the transfer or event, and Cambridge also documents “hand-off” as a noun spelling, so the noun boundary is not a universal closed-versus-hyphenated error rule.
“Handout” is a noun for a document or something distributed free. “Hand out” is the two-word phrasal verb meaning to give or distribute something to people.
“Handover” is the closed noun for the transfer itself or the transfer period. “Hand over” is the two-word phrasal verb for the act of giving or transferring something.
“Hangout” is an informal noun for a place or online space where people spend time. “Hang out” is the two-word phrasal verb meaning to spend time in a place or with people. The grammatical role determines the word boundary.
Oxford documents “happen to be/do” for chance occurrence. The ordinary event sense of “happen” is structurally different, so bare “happen doing” should not be treated as an interchangeable gerund option.
Happy With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Harmful To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Hate” can be followed by either -ing or a to-infinitive, and the difference is usually one of emphasis. The -ing form commonly foregrounds the experience; the to-infinitive can foreground the result or reluctant action.
Cambridge directly documents have difficulty doing something and the variant have difficulty in doing something. The cited construction does not license have difficulty to + infinitive as the parallel complement pattern; keep the documented -ing construction.
Cambridge Grammar Today states that when problem is followed by a verb, the verb is in the -ing form, and gives have problems doing something rather than have problems to do something. This guidance concerns problem meaning difficulty with an activity; a noun phrase such as problems to solve has different syntax and should not be collapsed into this complement choice.
When have means arrange for or cause a person to do something, Cambridge documents have + object + bare infinitive. A following to-infinitive can occur in other have constructions, but it is not the ordinary causative complement after the person object.
Cambridge grammar directly documents have trouble doing something alongside have difficulty doing something. The cited pattern licenses the -ing complement for this meaning; do not infer have trouble to + infinitive as an interchangeable complement.
After hear + object, both the bare infinitive and the -ing form are standard. The bare infinitive usually presents the perceived event as a whole or completed, while -ing usually presents it as in progress, incomplete, or repeated.
“Hear” normally presents sound perception as an event or natural process; “listen” presents deliberate attention. Before an object, “listen” normally takes “to.”
Heavy With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge documents both forms: “help someone do” and “help someone to do,” as well as help followed by an infinitive without an object. The presence of “to” is optional in this construction rather than a change of core meaning.
When help means make an action easier, standard English allows help + person + bare infinitive and help + person + to-infinitive. The two infinitive patterns are alternatives here; a direct -ing complement is not the corresponding pattern.
Helpful For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Helpful To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Oxford distinguishes hesitate + to-infinitive from hesitate about/over + -ing. The gerund is licensed by the preposition, so the two patterns should not be collapsed into a bare gerund-versus-infinitive choice.
“Hid” and “hidden” are different forms of the irregular verb “hide.” “Hid” is the simple past, while “hidden” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
For an action that is obstructed, standard patterns include hinder + person + from + -ing (and, in some varieties or contexts, hinder + person + in + -ing). “Hinder someone to do” is not the usual corresponding complement.
“Historic” normally means important or likely to be important in history. “Historical” means connected with the past, history, or the study/representation of past events.
“Hold up” is a phrasal verb with senses including delaying or robbing. As a noun, Cambridge records British-style “hold-up” and also the closed form “holdup,” especially in American usage. Preserve that documented noun variation instead of treating one noun spelling as universally wrong.
“Holdout” is a one-word noun for a person, organization, or other party that keeps resisting or refusing. “Hold out” is a two-word phrasal verb with senses including continuing to resist, continuing to last, and offering hope or another possibility.
Honest About: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Honest With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge directly documents “hoodwink someone into doing something” for tricking someone into an action. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish hoodwink + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement pattern.
“Hope” takes a to-infinitive when it directly introduces a following action, and it also supports clause patterns. A bare gerund after “hope” is not the like-for-like alternative that a simple gerund-versus-infinitive label might suggest.
Hostile To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge directly documents hurry someone into something/doing something for making a person decide or act before they have enough time to consider it. The cited entry directly supports the into + -ing construction; it does not establish hurry + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern for this meaning.
Collins documents a transitive pressure/coercion sense of hustle and illustrates it with a person being hustled into buying more. The cited dictionary evidence supports the into + -ing action pattern but does not establish hustle + object + to-infinitive as an equally documented alternative in this sense.
Identical To: Standard Pattern combines dictionary and grammar evidence for the directly documented identical-to construction without forcing an unsupported identical-with comparison page.
“If” and “whether” overlap in many indirect yes-no questions, but they are not fully interchangeable. “Whether” is used in structures such as “whether to …” and “whether … or not,” while “if” also introduces ordinary conditional clauses.
Ignorant Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge documents imagine + -ing and imagine + clauses when forming a mental picture or considering a situation. Passive constructions such as “is imagined to be” are structurally different and do not make active “imagine to do” an interchangeable complement.
Imagine readily licenses a new subject before an -ing form. Oxford also records object + to-infinitive uses, but that pattern is more restricted and formal; avoid treating any arbitrary “imagine someone to do” sentence as a direct substitute for the -ing form.
Imbued With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Immune To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Impatient With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge directly documents “impel someone to do something” for causing someone to feel that an action is necessary. The cited entry directly supports object + to-infinitive; it does not establish impel + object + into + -ing as an equivalent complement pattern.
Impervious To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Imply” is what a speaker, writer, fact, or message suggests without stating directly. “Infer” is what a reader/listener/reasoner concludes from evidence or information.
Important To vs. Important For separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
In Hospital vs. In The Hospital explains the institutional-activity versus particular-building distinction while preserving regional variation.
For the ordinary sense of waiting in a line or list, English uses “in the queue” or “in a queue”; Cambridge gives examples such as “Are you in the queue for tickets?” “On queue” is not the ordinary equivalent of that waiting construction and should not replace it without a specialized system-specific reason.
In usually describes position within an area or container, while into usually marks movement or direction from outside to inside. Some movement verbs allow either in or into with little or no difference, so the distinction is useful but not absolute.
Incapable Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Incidental To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge documents incite + object + to-infinitive for encouraging a person to do something unpleasant or violent, and incite + object + to + noun for related targets. The verb is semantically restricted toward encouraging unpleasant, violent, or otherwise problematic action; do not generalize it to neutral encouragement.
Inclusive Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Incompatible With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Inconsistent With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Incumbent On: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Indebted To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Independent Of vs. Independent From distinguishes common dictionary-supported uses without declaring one preposition universally invalid.
Indicative Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and limits the claim to the evidenced complement pattern.
Indifferent To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Indigenous To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Indispensable To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge marks the persuasion sense of induce as transitive with an object plus to-infinitive. Induce also has a separate cause sense with ordinary noun objects, so not every use of induce contains a person plus infinitive.
Infamous For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Inferior To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented complement and avoids manufacturing a two-sided “inferior than” comparison without matching authority.
Inherent In: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge directly documents inhibit + person + from + -ing for preventing an action, especially through nervousness or embarrassment. Other process-oriented uses exist, but person + to-infinitive is not established as the parallel complement.
Inimical To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Innocent Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Insensitive To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge records “insist on something/doing something” for demanding or continuing an action. “Insist to do” is not the parallel direct-complement pattern. Other valid insist patterns include “insist that …” and “insist on” followed by a noun phrase; this guide is only about the direct action complement.
Cambridge documents inspire + person + to-infinitive and separate direct-object senses such as inspiring confidence, loyalty, or ideas. If -ing material follows inspire, check whether it is functioning as a noun-like object or belongs to another clause rather than treating it as a direct alternative to object + to-infinitive.
Instruct + person + to-infinitive gives a formal direction or order. In the teaching sense, instruct can instead take in/on + a subject or activity; the prepositional phrase names what the person is trained in rather than functioning as the same command complement.
Integral To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Both patterns can express a plan, but they are not equally neutral across varieties. Oxford marks “intend doing” as British English while giving “intend to do” without that regional restriction.
Intended For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge directly documents intimidate + object + into + -ing for persuading someone to act through fear or threats. Intimidate also works transitively without an explicit action complement, so a sentence can name the target of intimidation without specifying the resulting action.
Into is a single preposition used for movement/direction into something, transformation, and several related senses. In to is not one lexical item: it occurs when “in” belongs to what comes before and “to” begins a separate complement or infinitive, as in “drop in to say hello.”
Inured To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Invaluable To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge directly documents the formal construction inveigle + object + into + -ing for clever and usually dishonest persuasion. The cited source does not license inveigle + object + to-infinitive as a parallel documented construction, so the comparison keeps that asymmetry explicit.
Invite + person + to-infinitive is the standard pattern for asking or formally requesting someone to act. Invite also takes ordinary noun objects in other senses, including things whose occurrence is encouraged; those object uses are not interchangeable with the person + to-infinitive request pattern.
Cambridge documents involve + -ing, such as an operation involving an action, and also involve someone in doing something. The pattern “involve someone in doing” uses the preposition in; it does not create a direct involve + to-infinitive alternative.
Involved In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Irrelevant To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge grammar directly lists it’s no good + -ing and illustrates the construction with an activity complement. The cited idiom licenses the -ing form; do not infer it is no good to + infinitive as an interchangeable form of the same construction from meaning alone.
Cambridge directly documents it is no use (doing something), also there is no use (doing something), for an attempt or action that will not succeed or help. The cited idiom licenses the -ing form inside this expression; do not infer an interchangeable it is no use to + infinitive pattern from general infinitive usage elsewhere.
“Its” is the possessive determiner meaning “belonging to it.” “It’s” is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.” The possessive form does not take an apostrophe, even though many possessive nouns do.
Jealous Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge documents jockey + object + into + -ing for persuading or manoeuvring someone into an action, often through clever pressure. This is a specific into-construction; the cited evidence does not establish jockey + object + to-infinitive as a symmetric alternative.
Cambridge directly documents jolly someone into doing something for gently persuading someone by putting them in a good mood, labeling the verb mainly UK informal or US old-fashioned. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; its definition paraphrases the meaning with “encourage someone to do” but does not thereby establish jolly + object + to-infinitive as the same construction.
Junior To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge documents keep + -ing for continuing or repeatedly doing something. “Keep to” exists in separate prepositional/phrasal uses such as staying with a rule, route, or subject; that to is not an infinitive marker and does not make “keep to do” an equivalent complement.
Keep + person + -ing describes causing or allowing an activity to continue. Keep + person + to-infinitive is not the corresponding ordinary continuation pattern.
Cambridge documents keep + person/thing + from + -ing for prevention. “Keep someone to do” is not the parallel prevention pattern and needs a different structure or meaning.
“Kickback” is a one-word noun, most commonly an illegal payment made in exchange for help or business. “Kick back” is a two-word phrasal verb with separate verb senses, including relaxing and paying part of a fee or payment illegally.
“Kick off” is the phrasal verb meaning to begin, including the start of a game or activity. “Kickoff” is a noun for that beginning, and Cambridge also documents “kick-off” as a noun spelling. The noun spelling can therefore vary by region or style.
Kind To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Knew” and “known” are different forms of the irregular verb “know.” “Knew” is the simple past, while “known” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
“Knockout” is a closed noun for a boxing result, elimination format, or striking person or thing, and it can also be an adjective. “Knock out” is the phrasal verb for making someone unconscious, eliminating a competitor, disabling equipment, or producing something quickly.
Laden With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Late For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Later” primarily concerns time: something happens afterward or at a more advanced time. “Latter” commonly refers to the second of two things already mentioned and can also describe something nearer the end of a period or sequence.
“Lay” normally means to put something down and takes an object; “lie” means to be or place yourself in a horizontal position and does not take an object. The confusing overlap is that the past tense of this sense of “lie” is “lay.”
“Layoff” is the standard closed noun in Cambridge, with “lay-off” also documented as a noun variant. “Lay off” is the two-word phrasal verb, including the employment sense.
“Layout” is a noun for the way something is arranged or designed. “Lay out” is a phrasal verb with senses including arranging items, planning a design, explaining something clearly, or spending money. Use word class to choose the spacing.
“Layover” is the closed US noun for a short stop during a longer trip. Oxford records “lay over” as a North American phrasal verb for staying somewhere briefly during a journey; British English more often uses “stopover” for the noun.
Lead is the base/present form of the verb meaning guide or be in front, pronounced /liːd/ in that use. Led is its past tense and past participle, pronounced /led/. The spelling lead is also a noun for the metal pronounced /led/, which creates a separate homograph trap.
Oxford distinguishes learning a skill or action with a to-infinitive from learning through experience with “learn from doing.” The two constructions answer different questions and should not be collapsed into a direct gerund-versus-infinitive swap.
Leave + object + -ing and leave + object + to-infinitive are both documented patterns, but they package different relationships between leave, the person, and the following action.
“Leftover” is the closed adjective/noun, as in “leftover food” or “the leftovers.” “Left over” is the two-word predicate, as in “some money was left over after the purchase.”
The traditional edited-English distinction uses “fewer” with plural countable nouns and “less” with uncountable nouns. Current English also uses “less” in several countable contexts, especially measurements, time, money, distances, and informal speech, so the rule is not absolute.
For permission or causation with let, standard English uses let + person + bare infinitive. Cambridge explicitly contrasts this with the nonstandard pattern let + person + to-infinitive.
The direct comparison clears utility because the same surface pattern hides a real meaning choice: permission versus causation/force. It also prevents a common false generalization by showing the different passive behavior of let and make. The older specific pages still own the narrower “do vs. to do” syntax questions.
“Letdown” is a closed noun meaning a disappointment. “Let down” is the two-word phrasal verb, including the common sense of disappointing someone by failing to do what was expected.
Liable To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
After “like,” both -ing and to-infinitive constructions are standard and often close in meaning. The usual distinction is one of emphasis, not a strict one-form-only grammar rule.
“Like” and “as” have several uses, but a practical core distinction is that “like + noun phrase” expresses similarity, while “as + noun phrase” expresses a role or function. “As” also works as a conjunction in other structures.
Limited To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Littered With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Little and a little both quantify uncountable nouns, but they differ in viewpoint. Little often means not much or almost none, whereas a little means some, usually enough to present a small amount positively or neutrally.
Loaded With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Loath” is a formal adjective meaning unwilling or reluctant, usually in the pattern “be loath to …”. “Loathe” is a transitive verb meaning to hate or strongly dislike. Cambridge also gives a stable pronunciation contrast in mainstream UK/US forms: loath ends in /θ/, while loathe ends in /ð/.
“Lockout” is the closed noun, while “lock out” is the two-word phrasal verb. The distinction applies both to workplace exclusion and to ordinary access contexts such as rooms, accounts, networks, and devices.
“Log in” is the phrasal verb for connecting to a computer system. “Login” is a noun for the credentials, act, or access point, and Cambridge also documents “log-in” as a noun spelling. The verb remains two words.
“Log out” is the phrasal verb for ending a connection to a computer system. “Logout” is the noun for that act or process, and Cambridge also documents “log-out” as a noun variant. The word boundary follows grammatical role.
Cambridge explicitly identifies the “to” in look forward to as a preposition and documents noun or -ing complements. The sequence “to do” is not the normal complement of look forward to because the construction does not contain infinitival to.
“Lookout” is a noun for a person who watches for danger or a place used for watching. “Look out” is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to watch carefully or be careful, and it is also used as a warning.
“Lose” is a verb meaning to no longer have, fail to keep, or be unable to find something; its past tense and past participle are “lost.” “Loose” is most commonly an adjective meaning not tight or not firmly attached, though Cambridge also records verb uses. Their mainstream UK/US pronunciations differ in the final sound: lose /luːz/, loose /luːs/.
“Love” accepts both -ing and to-infinitive complements. Cambridge describes only a small meaning difference and notes that the -ing form is more common after love in the general pattern it discusses.
Loyal To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Oxford directly documents “lull somebody into doing something” for causing someone to feel safe enough to stop being careful. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish lull + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement pattern.
Cambridge directly documents lure + object + into + noun/-ing for persuading someone toward an action by offering something attractive. Cambridge separately documents lure + object + to + place/thing for destination or attraction, so a following “to” does not by itself establish a to-infinitive construction.
Cambridge directly documents make a point of doing something for deliberately ensuring that an action is done. The cited construction uses the preposition of before the -ing form; do not infer make a point to + infinitive as a parallel complement merely from meaning. Other point/to-infinitive structures can have different syntax.
In the active causative pattern meaning force or cause, make takes an object plus the bare infinitive. The to-infinitive appears in the corresponding passive: someone is made to do something.
With noun phrases, “do” often focuses on carrying out an activity or task, while “make” often focuses on creating or producing an outcome. Many combinations are fixed collocations and must be learned as such.
“Make” and “makes” are present-tense forms of the same verb. In ordinary present-simple clauses, “makes” agrees with third-person singular subjects, while “make” is used with other persons/numbers and after auxiliaries that select the base form.
“Makeover” is a closed noun for a transformation or improvement. “Make over” is a two-word phrasal verb; Cambridge also records a separate legal-transfer sense, so context still matters.
“Makeup” and “make-up” are documented noun spellings, with Cambridge marking “makeup” mainly US and “make-up” the usual UK form. “Make up” is the two-word phrasal verb for actions such as inventing, composing, completing, or reconciling.
In the success sense, “manage” takes a to-infinitive: “manage to do.” The verb also has a different transitive sense meaning to control, organize or cope with something, which should not be confused with a gerund alternative.
Cambridge directly documents maneuver someone into doing something for US-spelling construction for skillfully or indirectly causing someone to act. “Maneuver” is the US spelling; the construction should not be generalized into a separate complement rule for the UK spelling without checking its entry. The cited entry directly supports the into + -ing construction; it does not establish maneuver + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern for this meaning.
Oxford directly documents manipulate + object + into + -ing for controlling or influencing someone, often dishonestly, so that they take an action. Manipulate has other senses, including handling objects or data, and it can take an object without an into-complement; those uses should not be folded into this action-pattern comparison.
Marbled With: Standard Pattern records a directly evidenced English construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the attested complement rather than turning one documented pattern into a universal preposition rule.
“Markup” is a noun for an increase added to a price. “Mark up” is the two-word phrasal verb used for increasing a price and, in some contexts, adding notes or marks to something.
Married To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Matériel” (often typed without the accent as “materiel”) is a specialized military word for equipment and supplies. “Material” is the much broader word for substances, information, cloth, or supplies. The words overlap around supplies but are not interchangeable in every context.
May and might both express possibility and often overlap. Might can sound more tentative in many contexts, but a rigid certainty percentage is unreliable; tense, reported speech and speaker stance can also affect the choice.
“Maybe” is a one-word adverb meaning “perhaps,” while “may be” is the modal verb “may” followed by “be.” They can express similar uncertainty, but they occupy different grammatical positions, making substitution tests especially useful.
With “mean + -ing,” the -ing action is a consequence or implication. With “mean + to-infinitive,” “mean” expresses intention.
“Meetup” is a noun for an arranged gathering, and Cambridge also records the hyphenated noun “meet-up.” “Meet up” is the two-word phrasal verb for meeting another person by arrangement.
Cambridge documents mention + -ing and mention + that-clause among its ordinary complementation patterns. “Mention something to someone” contains prepositional to before a recipient; that separate pattern should not be confused with a to-infinitive complement.
Cambridge says mind is usually followed by a verb in the -ing form and explicitly contrasts this with “mind to do.” Infinitives may appear elsewhere in the sentence for another grammatical role, but they are not the direct complement pattern after mind.
Mindful Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge documents miss + -ing in senses such as regretting an absent activity and narrowly avoiding something happening. Do not confuse this complement pattern with miss + noun (“miss the bus”) or with an infinitive elsewhere expressing purpose or result.
Use “mistook” for the simple past of the verb “mistake” and “mistaken” as its past participle, especially after have/has/had. The guide preserves documented regional or alternate forms rather than treating the pair as an absolute binary.
Cambridge distinguishes the two-word phrasal verb “mix up” from the hyphenated noun “mix-up.” The candidate spelling “mixup” is therefore normalized to the dictionary-backed noun form rather than treated as the default closed noun.
“Mock-up” is a hyphenated noun for a model or preliminary layout, with closed “mockup” also documented. “Mock up” is the two-word phrasal verb for making such a model.
Cambridge documents motivate + person + to-infinitive for making someone eager to act; it also documents other transitive and passive motivation patterns rather than a parallel bare -ing complement. A gerund phrase can behave as a noun in broader syntax, but that does not create the same participant structure as motivate + person + to-infinitive.
Mottled With: Standard Pattern records a directly evidenced English construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the attested complement rather than turning one documented pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Oxford directly documents formal “move somebody to do something” for causing someone to act or feel strongly enough to act. The cited causative sense directly supports object + to-infinitive; it does not establish move + object + into + -ing as an equivalent complement pattern.
Much and many both express quantity, but they select different noun types. Much normally modifies singular uncountable nouns, while many modifies plural countable nouns; register also affects how often much appears in affirmative clauses.
Must and have to can both express obligation, but their typical sources and negative forms differ. Must often presents an obligation from the speaker or rule; have to commonly points to external necessity, while mustn’t means prohibition and don’t have to means lack of necessity.
Cambridge directly documents nag + object + to-infinitive for repeatedly criticizing or urging someone in order to make them do something. Cambridge separately documents nag someone about something/doing something, which names the subject of repeated criticism rather than the same complement structure as object + to-infinitive.
Necessary For Something vs. Necessary To Do Something separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
“Needs doing” and “needs to be done” can both say that an action is necessary for the subject. The second makes the passive form explicit.
Need + to-infinitive normally identifies an action the subject is required to perform. Need + -ing can instead give the thing needing attention a passive interpretation, so the two constructions are not interchangeable.
Oxford documents “neglect to do” for failing or forgetting an expected action and separately uses “neglect” transitively with noun objects. That supports one-sided complement guidance rather than a manufactured gerund contrast.
Nice To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“No comment” is the established fixed response used when someone declines to answer or express an opinion. “No comments” is an ordinary plural noun phrase and works when the literal meaning is that there are zero comments, remarks, or responses rather than when giving the conventional refusal.
“Nobody” is a lexical pronoun. “No body” is not an alternative spelling of that pronoun; it is the ordinary determiner “no” plus a separate noun “body,” as in a context where a physical body or other independent sense of body is being negated.
Notable For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Noted For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
After notice + object, both the bare infinitive and the -ing form are standard. The bare infinitive usually presents the perceived event as a whole or completed, while -ing usually presents it as in progress, incomplete, or repeated.
Notorious For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Collins directly documents both nudge someone into doing something for gentle persuasion and object + to-infinitive use such as nudging clients to travel farther. Both constructions are attested in the cited entry; into + -ing foregrounds persuasion into an action, while the to-infinitive pattern can present the encouraged action directly.
Obedient To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge records object to someone/something as the opposition construction, and its preposition guidance allows an -ing clause as the complement of a preposition. Do not treat “object to do” as the infinitive alternative to this meaning. A separate noun such as “object” can occur before a to-infinitive in unrelated structures, but that is not the verb object-to construction.
Oblivious To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Observe can take object + bare infinitive or object + -ing in perception/reporting contexts. The contrast commonly tracks whole-event versus ongoing-event perspective, while passive syntax can introduce a to-infinitive.
Obsessed With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
For the sense “volunteer to perform an action,” Oxford documents offer + to-infinitive. The verb also accepts ordinary objects, so an -ing form can be noun-like in some contexts without creating a balanced gerund-versus-infinitive choice.
“On time” is about punctuality to a schedule. “In time” is about having enough time before an event or deadline, often followed by “for” plus a noun or “to” plus an infinitive.
“On-site” is widely documented as an adjective/adverb, while Cambridge Business English also records “onsite.” Open “on site” remains an ordinary prepositional phrase, as in materials being on site.
Open To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge defines be opposed to something and includes an -ing example in the disagreement sense. Do not treat “opposed to do” as the infinitive alternative to be opposed to doing; other uses of oppose have different syntax.
Opposite To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Optimistic About: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
When order means give an authoritative instruction, Cambridge documents order + person + to-infinitive and passive order + to-infinitive. Bare order + -ing is not the ordinary person-command equivalent and may instead belong to another sense or require a different structure.
Use “overcame” for the simple past of “overcome” and “overcome” as the past participle, especially after have/has/had. The guide distinguishes the finite past form from the participle in standard verb constructions.
Overflowing With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Overhear belongs to the perception-verb group that can take object + bare infinitive or object + -ing. The two forms differ mainly in event viewpoint, not in basic grammatical acceptability.
Oxford documents own up to something/to doing something for admitting responsibility or admitting that one did something. The to in own up to introduces the admitted matter and supports an -ing complement; it is not evidence for a parallel to-infinitive pattern.
Packed With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Oxford directly documents “panic somebody into doing something,” usually in the passive, for causing somebody to act too quickly because of fear. The cited entry supports into + -ing and marks the construction as usually passive; it does not establish “panic someone to do” as an equivalent pattern.
Partial To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge uses participate in for the activity or event joined, and Cambridge grammar treats a verb after a preposition as an -ing form. Together these support participate in + -ing when the activity itself is verbal.
Passed is the past tense and past participle of the verb pass. Past is usually a preposition, adverb, adjective, or noun referring to an earlier time or a position beyond a point. The forms overlap in sound for many speakers but have different grammatical jobs.
The past simple commonly presents a past event as completed or bounded, while the past continuous presents an event or temporary situation as in progress around a past time. The difference is often one of viewpoint, and the two forms frequently work together in the same narrative.
“Arise” is irregular: arise → arose → arisen. Use “arose” as the finite simple-past form and “arisen” after auxiliaries such as have, has, or had, or in other participial constructions. Keep this intransitive verb distinct from the separate verbs “rise” and “raise.”
“Be” has an unusually irregular past system rather than one interchangeable past form. In ordinary past-indicative clauses, “was” goes with I/he/she/it and “were” goes with you/we/they. The past participle is “been.” Separately, “were” is used in subjunctive constructions such as hypothetical “if I were …,” so that use should not be confused with ordinary subject-number agreement.
“Bend” follows the pattern bend → bent → bent. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Noun uses such as “a bend” and adjective uses of “bent” are separate from the verb-form decision.
For the verb “bet,” Cambridge records bet → bet → bet. Merriam-Webster also records “betted” as an alternative inflected form. Treat “betted” as documented rather than universally wrong, and do not invent a frequency, dialect, or register ranking that the reviewed sources do not establish.
“Bleed” follows the pattern bleed → bled → bled. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The verb uses the same irregular form across literal blood-loss and other established verb senses; noun uses are separate.
“Breed” is irregular: breed → bred → bred. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; grammar and surrounding auxiliaries identify the role. The same irregular form applies across reproductive, cultivation, and figurative produce/engender senses, even though those senses remain semantically distinct.
“Bring” follows the pattern bring → brought → brought. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The reviewed standard paradigm is bring → brought → brought; avoid unsupported claims about every dialectal or nonstandard form.
“Build” follows the pattern build → built → built. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The ordinary irregular paradigm is build → built → built; do not infer an unreviewed regular past form.
For “burst,” Cambridge gives the zero-change pattern burst → burst → burst. Merriam-Webster additionally records bursted. Lead with the form directly shared by the reviewed authorities while recognizing “bursted” as documented rather than universally wrong.
The simple past of “buy” is “bought,” and the past participle is also “bought.” The standard principal forms are buy, bought, bought.
The principal forms are cast, cast, cast: the verb keeps the same form in the present base, simple past, and past participle.
“Catch” follows the pattern catch → caught → caught. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. For ordinary standard uses of the verb, do not regularize the past as “catched”; the reviewed authorities give “caught” for both past roles.
“Cling” follows the pattern cling → clung → clung. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Keep the ordinary adhere/hold paradigm separate from noun uses; do not invent a regular “clinged” form for the reviewed ordinary verb senses.
“Creep” follows the pattern creep → crept → crept. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The reviewed authorities support “crept” for both simple past and past participle; do not invent an unsupported alternative-form rule. Noun uses of “creep” are separate.
“Cut” is an invariant irregular verb: the base form, past simple, and past participle are all “cut.”
“Deal” follows the pattern deal → dealt → dealt. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The reviewed authorities record dealt for both past roles; do not invent a general “dealed” alternative without separate sense-specific authority.
“Dig” follows the pattern dig → dug → dug. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. For ordinary modern use in the reviewed evidence, the paradigm is dig → dug → dug; do not invent “digged” without separate sense-specific evidence.
“Feed” is an irregular verb. Its simple past and past participle are both “fed,” so the same form works in “I fed them yesterday” and “I have fed them already.”
“Feel” is irregular: feel → felt → felt. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; grammar and surrounding auxiliaries identify the role. The same conjugation applies across ordinary sensation, emotion, touch, and opinion senses of the verb.
“Fight” is irregular: fight → fought → fought. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; grammar and surrounding auxiliaries identify the role. The same form applies to physical combat and figurative struggle; the sense changes, but the conjugation does not.
“Find” follows the pattern find → found → found. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Keep the inflection of “find” separate from the independent verb “found” meaning establish or create; that verb has the regular past “founded.”
“Flee” follows the pattern flee → fled → fled. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Do not regularize the verb as “fleed”; the reviewed authorities give “fled” for both past roles.
“Fling” follows the pattern fling → flung → flung. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Keep the verb-form task distinct from the noun “fling” and from sense-specific usage questions; the reviewed verb inflection is flung.
“Forbid” follows the irregular pattern forbid → forbade (also older “forbad”) → forbidden. Use “forbade” for ordinary current simple-past writing and “forbidden” where a past participle is required; preserve “forbad” as a recorded older form rather than presenting it as the default.
For the ordinary verb “grind,” the standard simple past and past participle are both “ground.” The principal forms are grind, ground, ground.
“Have” follows have → had → had. “Had” is also used as the auxiliary that forms the past perfect when followed by another verb’s past participle. The past form does not vary by person or number.
“Hear” is irregular: hear → heard → heard. Forms such as “heared” are not the standard simple past or past participle.
“Hit” is a zero-change irregular verb: hit → hit → hit. The present participle is “hitting,” so doubling the final consonant belongs to the -ing form, not to the past form.
“Hold” is irregular: hold → held → held. Its many ordinary and phrasal meanings do not create a different conjugation; the surrounding construction changes meaning, not the past form.
“Hurt” has a zero-change verb pattern: hurt → hurt → hurt. The same spelling can also function as a noun or adjective, so first confirm that the word is acting as a verb before applying the conjugation rule.
“Keep” is an irregular verb: the simple past is “kept,” and the past participle is also “kept.” Use the same form in ordinary past clauses and after auxiliaries where a participle is required; “keeped” is not the standard inflected form.
For the verb “lean,” Cambridge records leaned for both past roles and also marks leant as a UK form. Preserve that regional boundary rather than treating one documented form as universally wrong.
“Leave” follows the pattern leave → left → left. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. This guide covers the ordinary verb “leave.” Merriam-Webster separately records “leaved” for a distinct rare verb meaning to put forth leaves; do not use that separate sense to alter the ordinary leave → left → left paradigm.
“Lend” follows the pattern lend → lent → lent. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Keep this inflection task separate from lend/borrow and lend/loan word-choice questions. Capitalized “Lent” is also a separate noun/proper term.
For the ordinary allow/permit verb, “let” follows the zero-change pattern let → let → let. Merriam-Webster separately records an archaic verb “let” meaning hinder or prevent with the forms “letted” and “letted or let”; that separate historical sense should not be used to manufacture “letted” as the ordinary past of allow/permit.
English has two different verbs spelled “lie.” The intransitive position/recline verb follows lie → lay → lain, while the falsehood verb follows lie → lied → lied. Keep both paradigms separate, and also keep the transitive verb “lay” (“put/place”) distinct from the recline verb “lie.”
“Lose” follows the pattern lose → lost → lost. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Keep this conjugation task distinct from the existing spelling-confusion guide “lose vs. loose”; the spelling guide does not substitute for a direct verb-form answer.
The past tense of “make” is “made,” and “made” is also its past participle. Use it for both simple-past and perfect constructions.
“Mean” is irregular: mean → meant → meant. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; grammar and surrounding auxiliaries identify the role. This conjugation applies to the verb “mean”; noun and adjective senses of “mean” are different grammatical roles.
“Meet” follows the pattern meet → met → met. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. This guide concerns the verb “meet.” Noun uses such as a sports meet, and capitalized abbreviations or proper-name uses of “Met,” are separate.
“Overdo” follows the irregular pattern overdo → overdid → overdone. Use “overdid” for a finite simple-past clause and “overdone” after an auxiliary such as have, has, or had, or in a passive/adjectival participle construction.
“Overtake” is irregular: overtake → overtook → overtaken. Use “overtook” as the finite simple-past form and “overtaken” after auxiliaries such as have, has, or had, or in other participial constructions. Do not use “overtaken” as an unassisted simple-past form.
“Overthrow” is irregular: overthrow → overthrew → overthrown. Use “overthrew” as the finite simple-past form and “overthrown” after auxiliaries such as have, has, or had, or in other participial constructions. The same irregular forms apply to the verb’s established senses, including removing from power and throwing past a target; noun “overthrow” is a separate grammatical role.
“Put” follows the pattern put → put → put. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The verb is zero-change across base form, simple past, and past participle; the present participle is “putting.” Noun, adjective, and phrasal-verb usage questions are separate.
“Read” is unusual because its written form does not change between present and past, while pronunciation does. Present/base “read” is /riːd/; simple-past and past-participle “read” are /red/. Sentence grammar and time reference therefore matter when the spelling alone is ambiguous.
Cambridge records “rid” as both the past tense and past participle of the verb “rid.” Merriam-Webster records “rid” and also “ridded.” This guide therefore leads with the cross-source form “rid” while preserving “ridded” as a documented variant without inventing an unsupported dialect or frequency ranking.
For the cutting verb, use saw → sawed → sawn/sawed. This is a different verb from “saw” as the simple past of “see.” In participial constructions, both “sawn” and “sawed” are documented, with Cambridge marking participial “sawed” as mainly US.
“Say” follows the pattern say → said → said. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Keep this conjugation task distinct from the existing “say vs. tell” usage comparison; the reviewed verb paradigm is say → said → said.
“Seek” follows the pattern seek → sought → sought. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Keep this verb-form task separate from complement-pattern questions such as “seek to do” and from adjective uses of “sought,” as in “sought-after.”
“Sell” is irregular: sell → sold → sold. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; grammar and surrounding auxiliaries identify the role. This guide concerns the verb paradigm; noun or adjectival expressions built around “sell” or “sold” are separate constructions.
“Send” is irregular: send → sent → sent. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; grammar and surrounding auxiliaries identify the role. Ordinary and phrasal uses keep the same irregular form; adding a particle does not create a different past tense.
“Set” follows the pattern set → set → set. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The verb is zero-change across base form, simple past, and past participle; the present participle is “setting.” Noun and adjective senses of “set” are separate.
The reviewed authorities give sew → sewed → sewn/sewed. Use “sewed” as the simple-past form. In participial constructions, both “sewn” and “sewed” are documented; this guide does not invent a regional or frequency ranking between them.
“Shear” has a clear role split: use “sheared” for the ordinary simple past, while dictionaries record “sheared” and “shorn” as past-participle forms. Keeping those grammatical roles separate prevents “shorn” from being taught as the ordinary simple past.
For the common verb senses, use shed → shed → shed, with present participle “shedding.” Do not transfer that rule blindly to Merriam-Webster’s separate verb sense “to put or house in a shed,” which is recorded with “shedded.” The noun “shed” meaning a small building is also separate.
“Shoot” follows the pattern shoot → shot → shot. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Keep this verb-form task separate from the noun “shot” and from specialized shooting terminology; the reviewed verb paradigm is shoot → shot → shot.
“Shut” follows the pattern shut → shut → shut. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The verb is zero-change across base form, simple past, and past participle; the present participle is “shutting.” Keep this inflection task separate from noun/adjective roles and from shutdown/shut down spelling questions.
“Sit” follows the pattern sit → sat → sat. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Keep this verb-form task separate from the sit/set usage distinction. Written abbreviations such as “Sat.” for Saturday are unrelated.
“Sleep” follows the pattern sleep → slept → slept. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Keep conjugation separate from the noun “sleep,” sleep-related idioms, and phrasal constructions unless they materially change the verb-form question.
“Slide” follows the pattern slide → slid → slid. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. This guide concerns the verb. Noun senses such as a playground slide, presentation slide, or photographic slide are separate.
“Sling” is irregular: sling → slung → slung. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; grammar and surrounding auxiliaries identify the role. This verb rule applies across ordinary throwing, hanging, and carrying senses; noun senses of “sling” are separate.
Cambridge gives “slunk” as both the simple past and past participle of “slink.” Merriam-Webster also records “slinked.” This guide therefore leads with the cross-dictionary form “slunk” while preserving “slinked” as a documented variant instead of inventing a dialect or frequency rule the reviewed sources do not establish.
“Slit” follows the pattern slit → slit → slit. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The verb is zero-change across base form, simple past, and past participle; the present participle is “slitting.” The noun “slit” is a separate grammatical role.
Current authoritative evidence supports both sneaked and snuck. Cambridge presents “sneaked” and labels “snuck” as US also; Merriam-Webster records both inflections. Preserve that source-specific regional note instead of inventing a universal right/wrong, formality, or frequency ranking.
The past tense of “spend” is “spent,” and “spent” is also its past participle. The same irregular form is used for money, time, effort, and related senses.
“Split” is a zero-change irregular verb: split → split → split. Its present participle is “splitting,” with a doubled final consonant.
“Spread” follows the pattern spread → spread → spread. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The verb is zero-change across base form, simple past, and past participle. Noun senses such as “a spread” are separate.
The past tense of “stand” is “stood,” and “stood” is also the past participle. This irregular form applies across the ordinary verb senses of being upright or being in a position or state.
The past tense of “stick” is “stuck,” and the past participle is also “stuck.” The verb is irregular, so standard usage does not form the past as “sticked.”
“Sting” follows the pattern sting → stung → stung. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Keep the verb-form task distinct from the noun “sting” and from sense-specific meaning questions; the reviewed verb inflection is the same across ordinary senses.
“Stride” is irregular: stride → strode → stridden. Use “strode” as the finite simple-past form and “stridden” after auxiliaries such as have, has, or had, or in other participial constructions. The reviewed authorities present “strode” as the simple past and “stridden” as the past participle; do not turn differences in dictionary display into an unsupported alternative-form rule.
“String” follows the pattern string → strung → strung. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. This guide concerns the verb “string”; the much more common noun “string” is a separate grammatical role.
“Sweep” follows the pattern sweep → swept → swept. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The same conjugation applies across ordinary cleaning and figurative movement or victory senses of the verb.
“Swing” follows the pattern swing → swung → swung. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. This guide concerns the verb; noun uses such as “a swing” are separate.
“Tell” is irregular: its simple past and past participle are both “told.” The standard principal forms are tell, told, told.
“Think” follows the pattern think → thought → thought. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Keep the verb form distinct from the noun “thought”; the reviewed verb paradigm is think → thought → thought.
“Thrive” has both regular-looking and irregular recorded forms. Cambridge gives thrived, with US also throve, for the simple past and thrived, with US also thriven, for the participle. Merriam-Webster likewise records thrived/throve and thrived/thriven. Preserve those documented alternatives without turning dictionary order into an unsupported universal preference.
“Thrust” follows the pattern thrust → thrust → thrust. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The verb is zero-change across base form, simple past, and past participle; the present participle is “thrusting.” Noun uses of “thrust” are separate.
“Understand” is irregular: understand → understood → understood. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; grammar and surrounding auxiliaries identify the role. Keep the grammatical role distinct even though the spelling is identical in the two past functions.
“Upset” has a zero-change verb pattern: upset → upset → upset, with “upsetting” as the -ing form. The same spelling also appears as a noun and adjective, so identify the verb role before applying the conjugation rule.
The verb “wed” has two documented past forms in the reviewed dictionaries: wed and wedded. Both can serve as simple past and past participle. Present them neutrally unless a source establishes a narrower contextual preference.
“Weep” follows the pattern weep → wept → wept. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Use “wept” for both past roles; do not invent a regular “weeped” alternative without evidence.
“Win” follows the pattern win → won → won. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The same conjugation applies whether “win” takes an object such as a prize or is used without one.
The past form depends on which verb “wind” you mean. The /waɪnd/ verb meaning turn, twist, or follow a curving course is irregular: wind → wound → wound. The /wɪnd/ verb meaning make someone short of breath uses “winded.”
“Withhold” is irregular: withhold → withheld → withheld. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; grammar and surrounding auxiliaries identify the role. The same conjugation applies when the object is information, permission, payment, judgment, or something else being held back.
“Withstand” follows the pattern withstand → withstood → withstood. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The reviewed dictionaries record withstood for both past roles; do not invent an additional regular variant.
“Wring” is irregular: wring → wrung → wrung. The same form works for literal twisting and established figurative or phrasal uses where the verb keeps the same conjugation.
Patient With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Payback” is the closed noun used for returns, advantages, repayment contexts, or retaliation. “Pay back” is the two-word phrasal verb for returning money owed or retaliating.
“Payoff” is a noun for a result, reward, or payment; Cambridge Business English also records hyphenated “pay-off.” “Pay off” is the two-word phrasal verb for succeeding, repaying a debt, or making a payment to someone.
“Payout” is a noun for an amount of money paid to someone; Cambridge Business English also records “pay-out.” “Pay out” is the two-word phrasal verb for paying money.
Peculiar To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge records “be penalized for” and penalize someone for something when the following act or condition is the reason for punishment or disadvantage.
Permeated With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge documents both “permit + -ing” and “permit + object + to-infinitive.” The first foregrounds the permitted activity; the second identifies the person or thing permitted to perform it.
Cambridge records persist in + -ing for continuing an action despite difficulty or opposition. The preposition in governs the following -ing form in this construction, so “persist to do” should not be substituted as its direct parallel.
Cambridge documents both persuade + person + to-infinitive and persuade + person + into + noun/-ing. Both can describe causing someone to act through persuasion, while the into construction often foregrounds being brought into a course of action.
Pertinent To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Pessimistic About: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Phase out” and “phaseout” differ by grammatical function. Merriam-Webster records “phaseout” as the noun and “phase out” as the corresponding verb, with forms such as “phased out” and “phasing out.”
“Pickup” is a noun and adjective for collection, a vehicle, an increase, or informal activities; Cambridge also records “pick-up.” “Pick up” is the two-word phrasal verb for actions such as collecting, improving, or lifting.
“Pinpoint” is a dictionary word used as a verb, noun, and attributive adjective. The two-word sequence “pin point” is appropriate only when “pin” and “point” keep their independent meanings, such as referring literally to the point of a pin.
For an intended action, “plan to do” is standard. “Plan on doing” is also documented, with the gerund licensed by the preposition “on,” so it should not be simplified into a bare plan-doing versus plan-to-do choice.
Plastered With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Playback” is the closed noun for replaying or hearing/watching recorded material again. “Play back” is the two-word phrasal verb used for the action.
Pleased With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Addendum” has two current dictionary-recorded plurals: “addenda” and “addendums.” Cambridge foregrounds “addenda,” while Merriam-Webster also records “addendums,” so a writer can use either accepted form unless a house style requires one.
“Agendum” has the documented plurals “agenda” and “agendums.” The history is unusual because “agenda,” originally a plural form, is now independently established as an ordinary singular noun in modern English and takes “agendas” as its plural.
“Aircraft” is an invariant count noun. Singular and plural use the same spelling, so number is shown by determiners, numerals, and verb agreement rather than by adding -s.
“Analysis” forms the irregular plural “analyses.” The spelling can be confused with the singular because only the ending changes, so learn the pair directly: one analysis, several analyses.
The plural of “antenna” depends on sense. Biological organs are “antennae”; broadcasting or radio structures are “antennas.” Cambridge also records both forms for the figurative sense of perceptiveness, so the safest editing test is to identify the meaning first.
“Apex” has two standard plural forms: the regular English “apexes” and the Latin-derived “apices.” Authoritative dictionaries recognize both, so the editorial task is choosing a form that fits the audience or field rather than declaring one universally correct.
“Apparatus” can be uncountable when it means equipment as a mass and countable when it means a particular device, system, or organization. For countable plural use, “apparatuses” is standard; Cambridge American treatment also records invariant plural “apparatus.”
“Appendix” has two current plurals with a clear sense preference. In anatomy, the ordinary plural is “appendixes.” In books and documents, “appendices” is the usual form, while “appendixes” remains accepted. The right editorial decision therefore starts with the meaning.
For the countable body-part and related ordinary senses, “arm” forms the regular plural “arms.” The same spelling “arms” also has a lexical plural meaning weapons and military equipment, as in “small arms” or “lay down arms.” Identify the sense before treating an occurrence as a simple body-part plural.
The spelling “ashes” belongs to more than one number/countability pattern. Burned or cremated remains are normally expressed with plural “ashes”; loose ash powder is often uncountable “ash”; and the tree noun “ash” is countable, with plural “ashes.” Meaning must be identified before deciding what the form represents.
“Auditorium” retains both a regular English plural, “auditoriums,” and a Latin-derived plural, “auditoria.” Current dictionary evidence recognizes both, so the main editing task is consistent choice rather than declaring one universally correct.
“Axis” has the irregular plural “axes.” Because the plural spelling is short and familiar, it is easy to overlook that it belongs to an -is → -es pattern. Use the surrounding number and agreement to keep the singular and plural clear.
“Bacterium” is the singular form and “bacteria” is its standard plural. Use “a bacterium” for one organism and “bacteria” for more than one. In ordinary scientific English, do not form the plural by adding -s to make “bacteriums” or by treating “bacteria” as the regular singular for this grammar task.
The housing noun “barracks” is invariant in form. Because the spelling does not reveal number, determiners, quantities, and verb agreement do the work. Cambridge also records singular/plural verb behavior, especially where a barracks can be understood as a building or as a group/unit.
“Basis” forms the irregular plural “bases.” The spelling can be confusing because “bases” is also the written plural of “base,” but the plural of “basis” has its own pronunciation. In grammar, use “basis” for one underlying foundation or method and “bases” for more than one.
The noun “bellows” is plural in form. Cambridge treats it as a plural noun and uses “a pair of bellows”; Merriam-Webster explicitly allows singular or plural construction. Therefore, do not force one universal agreement rule. Use pair-of counting when that makes the number clear, and follow established construction in the sentence.
The possessions noun is conventionally used in the plural as “belongings.” This makes it different from the verb “belong” and from other -ing forms. In sentences about personal possessions, use plural agreement and count individual objects with another noun when necessary.
The instrument noun “binoculars” is plural-only and takes plural agreement. Count one physical instrument as “a pair of binoculars” and several instruments as “pairs of binoculars.” This grammar is separate from the adjective “binocular” and the noun “monocular.”
“Bison” is invariant in ordinary number marking. One animal is “a bison,” and more than one are “bison.” Number is shown by determiners, quantities, context, and agreement rather than by adding -s.
Cambridge treats “bowel” as a countable noun that is usually plural for the intestinal sense. English still uses singular “bowel” in phrases such as “bowel disease,” “bowel movement,” or a specific anatomical reference, so the choice is contextual rather than a ban on the singular.
“Brain” forms the regular plural “brains” when several organs or several people are being counted. But “brains” also appears in lexicalized senses: intelligence (“has brains”), highly intelligent people (“the best brains”), and “the brains” for the person who plans or directs something. These uses should not be reduced to a purely mechanical plural rule.
“Brother” has the regular plural “brothers” and the specialized/register-marked plural “brethren.” Use “brothers” for ordinary literal or general reference; reserve “brethren” for contexts where its older organizational or religious sense is intended.
Current dictionary evidence records more than one plural of “buffalo.” Cambridge gives “buffaloes” or unchanged “buffalo”; Merriam-Webster additionally records “buffalos.” Use an accepted form consistently and avoid inventing regional or formality rules that the cited sources do not establish.
“Cactus” has two accepted plurals in current dictionary treatment: the Latin-derived “cacti” and the regular English “cactuses.” Neither needs to be rejected as automatically incorrect; consistency and house style can guide the choice.
“Candelabrum” sits in a genuine modern variation pattern. The Latin-derived plural “candelabra” remains standard, but “candelabrums” is also recorded. In addition, “candelabra” has developed a singular English use whose plural is “candelabras,” so context matters when editing the form.
“Chassis” has the same written form in singular and plural. Number is shown by context, determiners, quantities, agreement, and—when spoken—a plural pronunciation ending in a /z/ sound. Do not create a written plural “chassises.”
“Child” has the irregular plural “children.” Use “child” for one and “children” for more than one across ordinary person, son/daughter, descendant, and related standard noun senses. Do not form the ordinary plural as “childs.”
Use “cod” for both singular and plural when referring to the fish or its meat in ordinary usage. The invariant plural makes “cod” a non-trivial number-form case rather than an ordinary add-s plural.
In the familiar expression offered after someone’s success or good news, English normally uses plural “congratulations.” Cambridge labels that expression plural and separately records uncountable “congratulation” for the act of congratulating. Merriam-Webster likewise notes that the congratulatory-expression sense is usually plural.
The noun “consortium” has two accepted plural forms: the regular English “consortiums” and the Latin-derived “consortia.” Choice can follow field or house-style preference.
“Corps” has an invariant written plural: one corps, two corps. In American dictionary treatment, the plural can also be distinguished in pronunciation. The spelling itself does not change.
“Corpus” retains both a Latin-derived plural, “corpora,” and an English plural, “corpuses.” Authoritative dictionaries recognize both. In technical corpus-linguistics contexts, “corpora” is especially familiar, but the grammar does not make “corpuses” incorrect.
For the female animal sense, one cow becomes two or more cows. “Cattle” names a broader group that can include cows and bulls, so it should not be taught as though it were merely an irregular plural spelling of “cow.”
For qualifications, abilities, experience, or proof that someone is authorized or suitable, English commonly uses plural “credentials.” Singular “credential” exists, especially for an individual authentication item or certain technical/document uses, but it is not an automatic one-for-one singular for every qualifications expression.
“Crisis” forms the irregular plural “crises,” and the pronunciation changes along with the spelling. Learn the pair directly: one crisis, several crises.
“Criterion” and “criteria” form a singular-plural pair: one criterion, several criteria. Because “criteria” is sometimes used as a singular in speech, edited standard English benefits from keeping the number distinction explicit.
“Crossroads” is a countable noun whose singular and plural have the same written form. Cambridge lists the plural as “crossroads,” so number is signaled by surrounding grammar rather than by changing the headword to a different plural spelling.
The noun “curriculum” has two accepted plural forms in current dictionaries: “curricula” and “curriculums.” “Curricula” preserves the traditional Latin plural, while “curriculums” is also recorded as an English plural.
The noun “custom” can be countable when it means a tradition or habitual practice, so its regular plural is “customs.” The same spelling “customs” is also lexicalized in border, government, and import-duty senses. Choose the meaning first rather than treating every occurrence as a simple plural of “custom.”
Do not treat “damages” as simply the plural of uncountable “damage.” Ordinary harm is generally expressed with uncountable “damage.” In legal contexts, “damages” means money awarded or claimed as compensation for injury or loss and behaves as a plural noun. This is a lexical meaning distinction, not legal advice.
“Datum” is a specialized singular noun meaning one item or piece of data, and its traditional plural is “data.” Modern usage has also developed “data” as a mass/uncount noun, so agreement with “data” varies by context and editorial convention.
“Deer” is an invariant or zero-plural noun: one deer and several deer use the same spelling. Number is shown by determiners, quantities, context, and agreement rather than by adding -s.
“Diagnosis” forms the irregular plural “diagnoses.” The spelling change is easy to miss because “diagnoses” is also visually close to a verb form from “diagnose.” In noun use, context and agreement identify the plural: one diagnosis, several diagnoses.
“Die” has a sense-dependent plural. A small marked gaming cube normally has the plural “dice.” A die used for cutting, shaping, stamping, molding, threading, or related technical purposes has the plural “dies.” The two plurals are not interchangeable spellings for the same sense.
“Dogmas” is the ordinary English plural of “dogma,” while the classical plural “dogmata” is also recorded. The choice is therefore a genuine competing-plural question rather than a simple spelling variant.
Although singular “dreg” exists, the common sediment, unwanted-remnant, and last-remaining-part senses are usually expressed as plural “dregs.” Treat “dregs” as the established plural expression rather than trying to pluralize it again.
In ordinary financial and employment contexts, “earnings” is grammatically plural in form and refers to money earned or profit. “Earning” exists in other grammatical or lexical uses, but it is not normally the simple singular counterpart for a person’s wages or a company’s reported earnings.
“Ellipsis” forms the irregular plural “ellipses.” This applies when counting more than one omission, ellipsis construction, punctuation ellipsis, or other countable use of the noun. The number question is separate from how an ellipsis mark should be spaced or formatted in a particular style.
“Entrails” is already a plural-form noun in its ordinary anatomical and figurative inner-parts senses. It normally refers collectively to internal organs rather than to one organ called an “entrail.” Keep the established plural form instead of inventing a routine singular counterpart.
The animal noun “fish” has two recorded plural forms, “fish” and “fishes.” The reviewed dictionaries record both without establishing a universal rule that one must always mean multiple species. Separately, “fish” can be uncountable when it means fish as food. Choose the construction from the actual sense and any controlling specialist/style convention.
Both “foci” and “focuses” are accepted plurals of “focus.” Do not assume the Latin-derived “foci” makes “focuses” incorrect; dictionaries record both forms.
For the body part and many ordinary countable senses, “foot” forms the irregular plural “feet.” Measurement has additional grammar: Merriam-Webster records “foot” between a number and a following noun (“a 10-foot pole”) and “feet” or “foot” in some number-plus-adjective constructions. Keep body-part number and measurement syntax separate.
Both “formulas” and “formulae” are accepted plurals of “formula.” Do not present “formulae” as the only correct plural or treat “formulas” as an error: both are dictionary-recorded forms.
“Forum” has two dictionary-recorded plurals: “forums” and “fora.” The regular plural is common in general use, while the Latin-derived plural survives especially in more formal or specialized contexts.
Cambridge records both “fungi” and “funguses” as plurals of “fungus.” The classical plural is therefore not the only accepted English plural.
“Furnishings” is an established plural noun for the contents and decorative fittings of a room or building. “Furniture” is normally uncountable, while singular “furnishing” belongs to narrower or different uses and is not a drop-in singular counterpart for every collective “furnishings” use.
“Gallows” ends in -s but can be singular, and its plural has exactly the same form. Number is therefore shown by context: “a gallows was” versus “two gallows were.”
“Genus” has two recorded plurals, “genera” and “genuses.” Merriam-Webster lists both; Cambridge foregrounds “genera” in biological classification. In taxonomy or another controlled discipline, follow the field’s established style rather than treating a general dictionary alternative as automatically interchangeable in every context.
Eyewear “glasses” behaves as a plural-only paired-object noun. Use plural agreement with “glasses,” and use “a pair of glasses” when you need to count one physical item. This is separate from singular “glass” and countable drinking-glass senses.
In commercial and possessions contexts, “goods” is grammatically plural. English normally names one item more specifically—“an item,” “a product,” “a piece of property”—rather than treating “good” as a direct one-item singular in every context.
For the bird and ordinary person/fool senses, “goose” has the irregular plural “geese.” Merriam-Webster separately records “gooses” for specialized nouns such as a tailor’s smoothing iron and another specialized sense. Treat “gooses” as sense-specific, not as a general alternative to “geese.”
The word “guts” is lexicalized as a plural expression in both the bodily-organs sense and the informal “courage” sense. Singular “gut” is still standard in other uses, so number choice depends on meaning rather than simply deleting or adding -s.
Unlike fish names with only one established plural pattern, “halibut” permits both an unchanged plural and an -s plural. The correct choice can therefore depend on context and local usage rather than a strict right/wrong distinction.
“Headquarters” is invariant in form. A single main office or command center can be “a headquarters,” and multiple such centers are also “headquarters.” Cambridge additionally records singular or plural verb treatment in relevant usage, so noun form and verb agreement should be considered separately rather than inventing “headquarter” as the routine singular noun.
“Hypothesis” changes to “hypotheses” in the plural. The spelling changes from -sis to -ses, and the plural has a corresponding pronunciation change. This page covers the noun form only, not how to design or write a research hypothesis.
“Index” has two accepted plurals. In ordinary list/catalogue and many business uses, “indexes” is common; “indices” is widely used in mathematical, statistical, and technical contexts. The choice is therefore partly sense- and register-dependent rather than a simple right/wrong contrast.
The clothing noun “jeans” is grammatically plural even when it refers to one garment. English normally counts individual garments with “pair”: a pair of jeans, two pairs of jeans.
“Knickers” is a plural noun in its clothing senses and normally takes plural agreement. Count one garment as “a pair of knickers.” In UK English it commonly means women’s or girls’ underpants; in US English it can mean short loose trousers fastened below the knee. The pair/number grammar is separate from that regional sense difference.
“Larva” normally forms the Latin-derived plural “larvae.” Current Collins material also records “larvas” in an American-English dictionary treatment. For general edited English, “larvae” is the safest cross-variety choice, while “larvas” should be treated as a bounded recorded variant rather than as nonexistent.
“Latex” has two recorded plural forms, “latices” and “latexes.” Because material nouns are often uncountable, a plural is mainly relevant when distinct kinds, samples, or instances are being counted.
“Locus” forms the irregular plural “loci.” The pair applies across ordinary formal uses and specialist uses such as mathematics or genetics, while this guide stays focused on number and form rather than subject-matter instruction.
The accommodation noun has a countability split. “Lodging” can be uncountable for temporary accommodation, while “lodgings” is a plural noun for rented rooms or a place to live. The difference is lexical, not just a mechanical singular-plus-s rule.
The standalone noun “man” has the irregular plural “men.” Use “man” for one and “men” for more than one in the ordinary person/adult-male and related countable senses. Compounds ending in -man can have their own lexical plural conventions and should not be generalized mechanically from this entry.
“Matrix” has two dictionary-recorded plurals: “matrices” and “matrixes.” This applies across general English, though a particular mathematical, technical, medical, or house style may prefer one. Follow the controlling style when there is one; otherwise do not mark either dictionary-recorded plural as universally wrong.
When “maximum” is a countable noun, both “maximums” and “maxima” are accepted plurals. The adjective “maximum” does not need a plural ending, so first decide whether the word is functioning as a noun.
For the noun meaning a method or way, “means” has the same spelling in the singular and plural. Context and determiners show the number: “a means” can be singular, while “other means” can be plural.
The final -s in “measles” can look plural, but standard dictionaries and grammar references treat the disease noun as uncountable/singular in grammar. There is no ordinary singular form “measle” for one case; count cases with a phrase such as “a case of measles.”
“Medium” has sense-dependent plurals. “Media” is usual for communication forms and is required or preferred in several specialized scientific culture/substance senses. “Mediums” is the plural for people claimed to communicate with spirits. Artistic materials or means of expression can use “media” or “mediums.” Some size/category uses also take regular “mediums.”
“Memorandum” has two current dictionary-recorded plurals: the Latin-derived “memoranda” and regular English “memorandums.” Both appear in business and formal contexts, so the grammar does not require “memoranda” merely because the document is legal or professional.
“Millennium” has two current plural forms: “millennia” and “millenniums.” Neither form needs to be treated as an error. The practical editing decision is to choose a form that fits the document and then keep that choice consistent.
English allows both “minimums” and “minima.” For ordinary prose, “minimums” is the straightforward plural. “Minima” is a specialized alternative and is common in technical contexts. The distinction is register-based, not a claim that one form is grammatically superior.
“Moose” has the same standard form in singular and plural. Number is shown by determiners, quantities, context, and agreement rather than by changing the noun ending.
The ordinary plural of the animal “mouse” is “mice.” Cambridge also records “mouses” or “mice” for the computer-device sense, so the technical plural can vary.
“Mumps” is an uncount disease noun and is conventionally used in that form rather than as the plural of a regular singular noun.
“Nebula” has two accepted plurals: “nebulae” and “nebulas.” Both are dictionary-recorded, including in the astronomical sense.
Although “news” ends in -s, standard grammar treats it as an uncountable singular-form noun. To count individual reports, use a unit such as “a piece of news” or “two items of news” rather than inventing “new” or ordinary “newses.”
The noun “nucleus” has the established plural “nuclei,” and Cambridge also records “nucleuses.” The traditional “nuclei” form is especially familiar in scientific contexts.
“Oasis” has the irregular plural “oases.” The spelling changes from -is to -es, and the plural also has a different ending pronunciation. Use “oases” for more than one literal desert oasis and for plural figurative refuge/relief uses.
For ordinary cereal and grain reference, “oats” is commonly a plural noun. “Oat” remains a noun for the plant or seed in singular reference, and Merriam-Webster notes that crop/seed uses are usually plural but can be singular or plural in construction. Agreement therefore depends on the exact construction.
Cambridge and Oxford treat “odds” as plural in the familiar likelihood and betting senses, and Oxford also uses the plural for obstacles or disadvantages. Use plural agreement such as “the odds are.” The word “odd” has other adjective and noun uses, but it is not normally the singular of probability/betting “odds.”
“Offspring” is invariant in form. One young animal or child can be “an offspring,” while several are also “offspring.” Number is shown by determiners, quantities, context, and agreement rather than by adding -s. Do not use “offsprings” as the ordinary plural in this target grammar task.
“Optimum” can be a noun or an adjective. As a noun it has two dictionary-recorded plurals, “optima” and “optimums.” As an adjective before a noun—such as “optimum conditions”—it does not pluralize at all.
“Opus” can pluralize as “opuses,” while “opera” is also recorded as a specialized or classical plural. In modern English, “opera” is independently a noun for a musical drama, so use the specialized plural only where the intended context makes that meaning clear.
The ordinary place noun is lexicalized in the plural: “the outskirts.” It commonly appears in constructions such as “on the outskirts of the city” and takes plural treatment when agreement is visible. A routine singular “outskirt” is not the normal counterpart for this meaning.
For ordinary modern use, more than one ox is usually “oxen.” Current Merriam-Webster treatment also records “ox” as a plural variant, so it is too absolute to say that “oxen” is the only dictionary-recorded plural. Use “oxen” as the clear default unless a source or established context supports invariant “ox.”
In its clothing senses, “pants” is a plural noun and normally takes plural agreement. Count one garment as “a pair of pants” and several as “pairs of pants.” The clothing meaning differs regionally—US pants corresponds broadly to UK trousers, while UK pants can mean underpants—but the plural-number pattern remains distinct from that vocabulary difference.
“Parenthesis” has the irregular plural “parentheses,” with a corresponding pronunciation change. The plural applies both to inserted parenthetical material and to references to the curved punctuation marks. Use singular “parenthesis” for one and plural “parentheses” for more than one or for the paired marks when the construction calls for the plural.
In the details/information sense, “particulars” is lexicalized as a plural expression, especially for recorded or case-specific details. Although “particular” exists as a singular noun in other constructions, it is not a simple one-for-one singular replacement for every use of “particulars.”
The correct plural of “penny” depends on sense. In present-day UK money, “pence” is used when stating an amount or number of penny units, while “pennies” refers to individual penny coins. In the US and Canada, the one-cent coin has plural “pennies.” Both forms are real plurals, but they are not freely interchangeable in every currency context.
Use “people” for ordinary groups of human beings; reserve “persons” for contexts where formal/legal wording calls for it. This is not a simple one-form plural: register and sense determine whether people, persons, or peoples is appropriate.
“Phenomenon” has a sense-dependent plural. “Phenomena” is the standard plural for observable facts/events and scientific or experiential meanings. Merriam-Webster and Cambridge American treatment also record “phenomenons” for exceptional, unusual, impressive, or highly successful people or things.
“Pike” has a sense-dependent plural. The fish sense is invariant, so one pike and several pike use the same noun form. Other count senses regularly form “pikes.” A correct plural therefore starts by identifying what “pike” means in the sentence.
The tool name is lexicalized as plural “pincers.” The singular “pincer” belongs especially to the animal-part sense, where one claw can be a pincer and the pair is commonly “pincers.” Keep the tool and animal senses separate.
For the fish, “plaice” has an invariant plural: one plaice, several plaice. The noun can also be used uncountably for the fish as food. The practical decision is to separate number from countability instead of adding a new plural ending.
“Pliers” behaves like other two-part tool nouns: the lexical noun is plural, even when it names one physical tool. To count individual tools, count “pairs” rather than trying to create a singular “plier” for the ordinary tool meaning.
The spelling “premises” serves two related-looking but grammatically different jobs. It is the regular plural of countable “premise” when you mean assumptions or propositions. It is also an established plural-form noun meaning land and buildings used or owned by a person or organization. In the property sense, do not invent a routine singular “premise” counterpart.
In the financial meaning, “proceeds” is already plural in form and normally takes plural agreement. It refers to money received from a sale, event, or activity. Do not invent a singular noun “proceed” for one sum of money; “proceed” is primarily a separate verb.
In the ordinary sleepwear sense, “pyjamas” is a plural noun and normally takes plural agreement. Count one set as “a pair of pyjamas” and more than one as “pairs of pyjamas.” The spelling “pajamas” is standard in US English; this guide addresses number and agreement rather than the regional spelling choice.
“Quarter” forms the regular plural “quarters” when you mean several fourth-parts, periods, coins, districts, or other countable quarter senses. Separately, “quarters” is an established plural expression for living accommodation or business premises. In that accommodation sense, do not assume every use has a routine singular counterpart formed simply as “a quarter.”
“Radius” has two accepted plural forms: “radii” and “radiuses.” Cambridge gives “radii” as the plural, while Merriam-Webster records “radii” and also “radiuses.” Use either only where your style or field permits it; do not invent a universal technical-versus-general rule that the dictionaries themselves do not establish.
Cambridge records two plurals of “referendum”: regular “referendums” and formal “referenda.” The page keeps both forms valid and treats register/style as the choice factor.
The familiar greetings noun is lexicalized in the plural as “regards.” That does not mean every use of “regard” must be plural: singular “regard” remains standard in constructions such as “with regard to” or “high regard.”
When “remains” means surviving parts, ruins, or a dead person’s body/body parts, it is a plural noun. English normally uses another noun for a singular item rather than a singular noun *remain* in these senses.
“Riches” is a lexical plural noun for wealth or valuable resources. It is not the routine plural of a countable noun “rich,” and the separate expression “the rich” means wealthy people. Keep those meanings distinct rather than forcing a simple singular/plural pair.
For the fish noun, “salmon” has the same standard form in singular and plural. In food contexts, “salmon” can be uncountable, so context—not spelling alone—shows whether the word is one fish, several fish, or food.
English retains two current plurals for “sanatorium”: the regular English “sanatoriums” and the Latin-derived “sanatoria.” Neither is universally required. The useful choice is consistency and fit with the register of the surrounding prose.
When it means money accumulated and kept, especially in a bank or similar institution, “savings” is plural in form. It normally behaves as the lexical money noun “savings,” not as the routine plural of a singular money noun “saving.” Separately, countable “saving” can mean a reduction or economy, and its regular plural “savings” can occur in that different sense.
“Schema” has two dictionary-recorded plurals: “schemata” and “schemas.” Cambridge and Merriam-Webster both record both forms. Present them as accepted alternatives unless a field, house style, or software/documentation convention requires one. This general lexical task is separate from formatting rules for XML schema elements or other specialist markup.
The ordinary tool noun “scissors” is plural-only in standard everyday use. It takes plural agreement, while a single physical tool is counted with “a pair of scissors.” Specialized uses of singular “scissor” are outside this ordinary grammar task.
“Series” is an invariant count noun: singular and plural have the same spelling. The useful grammar decision is therefore not which ending to add, but how to signal number in the sentence. Write “this series is” for one and “these series are” for more than one; do not create “serieses.”
Modern “shambles” is a lexical noun meaning a state or scene of disorder, destruction, or confusion. Merriam-Webster labels it plural in form but singular or plural in construction. That is why forms such as “a shambles,” “the room was a shambles,” and “the system is in shambles” are all possible. Treat it as a lexical construction rather than trying to derive a routine singular by removing -s.
“Sheep” is an invariant noun: one animal is “a sheep,” and more than one are “sheep.” Number is shown by determiners, quantities, context, and verb agreement rather than by changing the noun to “sheeps.” Do not generalize this zero-plural pattern to animal nouns generally.
“Shenanigans” is lexicalized as a plural noun, especially in informal use. The ordinary modern expression does not require you to derive a productive singular “shenanigan” whenever one act is involved; often the natural wording is still plural or a different count noun.
The clothing noun “shorts” is plural-only and takes plural agreement. Count one garment as “a pair of shorts” and several garments as “pairs of shorts.” Keep this grammar separate from stock-market “shorts” and the adjective “short.”
For the crustacean noun, dictionaries record both “shrimp” and “shrimps” as plural forms. Cambridge also distinguishes an informal person sense that uses “shrimps.” Do not invent a universal species-versus-individual rule for the animal plurals; follow the actual sense and any controlling specialist or house convention.
The clothing noun “slacks” is plural in form and normally takes plural agreement. One garment is “a pair of slacks,” and several are “pairs of slacks.” Cambridge marks this clothing term as US or old-fashioned in UK treatment, which is a regional/register note rather than a ban on the word.
“Species” is invariant in form. One biological species is “a species,” and more than one are “species.” Number is shown by determiners, quantities, context, and agreement rather than by changing the spelling. “Specie” is a different word and is not the biological singular of “species.”
In the eyewear sense, “spectacles” is a plural-form expression and normally takes plural agreement. Count one set as “a pair of spectacles” and more than one as “pairs of spectacles.” This is distinct from singular “spectacle” meaning an unusual or impressive display/event.
For ordinary countable senses, the singular is “spirit” and the plural is “spirits.” Separately, “spirits” is an established plural expression for a person’s mood or morale and is also used for strong alcoholic drinks. Those lexical meanings should not be collapsed into one mechanical plural rule.
Current dictionaries record two plural forms for the countable animal noun: unchanged “squid” and regular “squids.” They also allow “squid” as an uncountable food noun. The useful decision is therefore to separate plural number from the mass-food use instead of forcing a single form in every context.
Cambridge records both regular “stadiums” and classical “stadia” as plural forms of “stadium.” Neither should be treated as universally incorrect.
“Stair” is the singular count noun and “stairs” is its plural. In everyday English, “stairs” also commonly names the full set of steps, so “a flight of stairs” can be clearer when counting complete sets.
“Stigma” has competing plurals with real sense preferences. The broad modern social meaning normally pluralizes as “stigmas.” “Stigmata” has specialized religious and medical uses, while dictionary treatment also records other sense-specific preferences. Choose by meaning rather than assuming the Latin-derived form is the default everywhere.
“Stimulus” forms the irregular plural “stimuli.” The ending changes rather than taking ordinary -s, so the safest pattern is to learn the pair directly: one stimulus, two or more stimuli.
For a layer, level, social group, statistical subpopulation, or other ordinary sense of “stratum,” the plural is “strata.” Merriam-Webster notes occasional singular “strata” usage, but that does not make “stratas” the ordinary plural of “stratum.” A separate culinary noun “strata” has its own number pattern and should not be confused with this one.
In the ordinary soap or froth sense, “suds” is a plural noun, so plural agreement is standard. A single visible unit is normally called a bubble rather than a “sud.” Oxford also records a separate old-fashioned North American beer sense as uncountable, so number depends on sense rather than the spelling alone.
When it means the place, environment, or conditions around a person or thing, “surroundings” is plural in form and normally takes plural agreement. Do not create a routine singular “surrounding” for this lexical sense. Singular “surrounding” exists in other grammatical or lexical uses, but it is not the ordinary one-item counterpart to “surroundings” meaning environment.
“Syllabus” has two current plurals: regular English “syllabuses” and Latin-derived “syllabi.” General dictionary evidence recognizes both. In edited work, consistency and any institutional house style are the practical deciding factors.
“Symposium” has two accepted plural forms: “symposia” and “symposiums.” The main editing task is not to reject one as automatically wrong, but to choose a form that suits the document and use it consistently.
“Synopsis” forms the irregular plural “synopses.” Use “synopsis” for one summary and “synopses” for more than one. This lexical grammar question is separate from any specialist document rule about what a particular synopsis section must contain.
“Terminus” has two accepted plural forms: “terminuses” and the Latin-derived “termini.” Because both are established, this is a genuine competing-plural case rather than a simple add-s rule.
The gratitude noun “thanks” belongs to the group of nouns used only in the plural in ordinary modern English. For a single expression, English normally uses wording such as “a word of thanks,” “a thank-you,” or “an expression of thanks” rather than treating “thank” as the regular singular noun.
“Thesis” forms the irregular plural “theses.” The spelling and pronunciation both change, so the safest pattern is to learn the pair directly: one thesis, two theses.
“Tidings” survives chiefly as an old-fashioned plural noun meaning news, especially in fixed or literary expressions. Modern ordinary prose usually uses “news” rather than trying to build a regular singular/plural pair around “tiding.”
The clothing noun “tights” is plural in form and normally takes plural agreement. To count one garment, use “a pair of tights”; to count several garments, use “pairs of tights.” This grammar task is separate from the clothing-type comparison between tights and pantyhose.
Like several names for two-part tools, “tongs” is grammatically plural even when it refers to one physical tool. English commonly counts the tool with “pair”: one pair of tongs, two pairs of tongs.
The plural of “tooth” is “teeth.” It is an irregular plural, so ordinary countable uses do not form the plural by adding -s.
For the mathematical and other dictionary senses covered here, “torus” forms the plural “tori.” The ending changes rather than simply adding -s, so write one torus and several tori.
Merriam-Webster labels “trivia” plural in form but singular or plural in construction and treats the quiz-game sense as singular in construction. Cambridge labels the word plural for unimportant or little-known information. In modern English, do not mechanically derive a routine singular “trivium” for an individual quiz fact; instead choose wording such as “a piece of trivia” when you need to count one item.
Do not add another plural ending to “tropics”; distinguish singular “tropic” from plural “tropics.”
“Trousers” is grammatically plural in the standard clothing sense, even when it refers to one garment. English normally counts individual garments with “a pair of trousers” and multiple garments with “pairs of trousers.”
For the fish noun, dictionaries record both “trout” and “trouts” as plural forms. “Trout” can also be uncountable when it means the food, and Cambridge separately records informal person-use “trouts.” Choose the form from the actual sense and any controlling house or specialist convention rather than inventing a universal rule for when each fish plural must be used.
“Tweezers” is a plural-form pair noun. It commonly takes plural agreement, while “a pair of tweezers” provides a singular counting construction; singular “tweezer” is additionally documented in American English.
“Ultimatum” has two documented plural forms: “ultimatums” and “ultimata.” Merriam-Webster records both, so the choice is not a simple correct-versus-incorrect split; use the form that fits the expected register or governing style.
The anatomical noun “vertebra” has two recorded plural forms: “vertebrae” and “vertebras.” Merriam-Webster records both, while Cambridge foregrounds “vertebrae.” Present both as accepted general-English forms unless a medical, anatomical, or house style explicitly requires one.
Use either dictionary-recorded plural, while following the convention of your field or house style.
In anatomical usage, singular “viscus” has the classical plural “viscera.” The irregular number change makes this a substantive plural-form guide rather than a routine spelling transformation.
“Vortex” has two accepted plurals: the regular English “vortexes” and the Latin-derived “vortices.” Current dictionary evidence supports both, so use context or house style rather than treating one form as universally correct.
Use singular “wage” when one pay rate or amount is being treated as a single countable figure, and plural “wages” when referring to multiple rates or to employee pay in the common plural expression. The form depends on the construction rather than a rule that all pay must be “wages.”
The noun “whereabouts” means the place or general locality where someone or something is. Its final -s is not an ordinary plural ending, so number cannot be solved by stripping the letter away. Merriam-Webster records singular or plural construction and notes that plural agreement has become the regular choice; Cambridge also recognizes agreement variation.
Cambridge labels “winnings” as a plural noun meaning money that has been won. The money sense therefore normally appears as “winnings,” while singular “winning” belongs to different senses and should not be treated as the simple singular counterpart in the same construction.
In expressions such as “keep your wits about you” or “live by your wits,” “wits” is grammatically plural and lexicalized in that form. The singular noun “wit” exists, but its senses do not make it a mechanical one-item singular of every plural “wits” expression.
“Woman” does not form its plural by adding -s. The established plural is “women,” and the pronunciation changes as well as the spelling. The practical rule is simply to treat “woman/women” as an irregular singular-plural pair.
The plural question for “work” depends on meaning and countability. General labor or activity is usually uncountable “work,” not “works.” Individual creations can be countable “works,” as in works of art or an author’s works. The form “works” also has lexical senses for factories, moving machine parts, engineering structures, and other established constructions.
Polite To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Poor In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Popular With vs. Popular Among records two Cambridge-supported group constructions without inventing a hard semantic boundary that the dictionary does not state.
Popular With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Oxford documents postpone + -ing for delaying an action until a later time. Use the -ing form for the postponed action; a direct “postpone to do” construction is not supported as the equivalent complement pattern.
“Practicable” is a relatively narrow formal word meaning feasible or able to be carried out. “Practical” is broader and can refer to feasibility, usefulness, suitability, real-world experience, or effective problem-solving, so the two are only partly interchangeable.
Cambridge documents practise + -ing for repeated training, while its general verb-pattern guidance places practise in the -ing-not-to-infinitive group. The separate Practice vs. Practise guide owns the regional spelling distinction; this page is only about the verb-complement pattern.
Cambridge records “praise someone for something/doing something,” supporting for + -ing when the following action is the achievement or conduct being praised.
Praised For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Precede” means to come before something in time or space. “Proceed” means to continue, carry on, or move forward. Their similar spelling hides a clear meaning difference.
Precious To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge directly documents preclude + person + from + -ing as the action-prevention construction. Preclude also occurs with noun phrases and possibility expressions, but the cited evidence does not support person + to-infinitive as an equivalent.
Predicated On: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Prefer” can take either an -ing form or a to-infinitive, and the difference is often small. Cambridge notes an emphasis tendency rather than an absolute rule, with the to-infinitive more common overall.
Prefer Something To vs. Prefer Something Over separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Preferable To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and does not overstate an unsupported preferable-over contrast.
Prejudicial To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Preoccupied With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Oxford documents prepare + to-infinitive for getting ready to act and prepare for + noun for getting ready for an event or situation. An -ing activity can follow the preposition “for,” which is a different construction from bare prepare + -ing.
Use the past simple for completed events located at a definite past time. Use the present perfect when a past event is connected to the present or the time period extends up to now. American English sometimes uses the past simple where British English prefers the present perfect.
Present perfect simple often emphasizes a completed result or achievement, while present perfect continuous often emphasizes an activity, its duration, or continuation up to the present. The contrast is not absolute: some situations permit both, and many state or single-point verbs are poor fits for the continuous form.
Use the present simple mainly for general facts, repeated situations, and relatively permanent states; use the present continuous for activity in progress around now and many temporary situations. Some state verbs normally resist continuous forms.
Cambridge directly documents press + object + to-infinitive when someone tries hard to persuade another person to act. The cited entry directly supports the to-infinitive construction; it does not establish press + object + into + -ing as an equally documented parallel in this sense.
Oxford directly documents “press-gang somebody into something/into doing something” for forcing somebody to do something unwanted. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish “press-gang someone to do” as an equivalent complement.
Oxford documents both pressure + object + into + -ing and pressure + object + to-infinitive for persuading someone strongly, often against their preference. The verb use is especially associated with North American English; British English also uses pressurize in this sense, and noun constructions such as “put pressure on someone to do…” are separate.
Oxford directly documents both “pressurize somebody into (doing) something” and “pressurize somebody to do something” for applying pressure to persuade. Both complements are directly documented in the cited British-English entry, so this guide can compare them without inventing symmetry.
Oxford documents “pretend to do” and “pretend that …” for behaving as if something is true. A gerund can occur elsewhere in a sentence, but it should not be presented as an interchangeable direct complement after “pretend.”
Prevalent In: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge grammar states that prevent is not followed by a to-infinitive in this pattern; the action is expressed with from + -ing, and Cambridge also records object + -ing without from in some usage. This guide is about the complement after prevent. It does not rule out a to-infinitive elsewhere in a larger sentence when that infinitive has a different grammatical role.
“Principal” can be an adjective meaning most important and a noun for the head of a school or similar institution; “principle” is a noun for a rule, theory, or moral standard. Because the words are pronounced alike in common English, meaning and word class are the safest diagnostics.
“Printout” is a noun for printed computer output or a paper copy. “Print out” is the two-word phrasal verb meaning to produce a printed copy of digital material.
Privy To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Prized For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge directly documents prod + object + into + -ing for repeatedly encouraging or reminding someone until the action happens. The cited entry does not establish prod + object + to-infinitive as an equally documented alternative, so this guide does not infer symmetry between the two forms.
Proficient In: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge records prohibit + person + from + -ing for preventing an action and also allows prohibit + noun/-ing when the prohibited activity itself is the object. The to-infinitive is not the parallel complement for this sense.
“Promise to do” is the standard pattern for committing to perform an action. The verb also occurs with noun objects and clauses, so those alternatives should be distinguished from a supposed direct gerund complement.
Cambridge documents prompt + person + to-infinitive for causing someone to decide to say or do something and also allows ordinary noun objects such as a response or speculation. A gerund phrase can sometimes function as a noun-like object, but its participant structure is not automatically equivalent to object + to-infinitive.
Prone To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction, including its noun and -ing complement behavior, without creating a thin comparison.
“Prophecy” is a noun, while “prophesy” is a verb. Use “a prophecy” for a prediction or prophetic statement and “to prophesy” for the act of predicting or declaring what will happen.
Proportional To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Oxford documents “propose doing” under the suggestion sense and “propose to do” under the formal intention sense, while also recording an -ing pattern in the intention entry. Use context to identify whether the speaker is putting forward a plan or stating an intended action.
Protective Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Oxford directly documents both “provoke somebody into (doing) something” and “provoke somebody to do something” in the reaction-causing sense. Both complements are directly documented, but that does not make every sentence interchangeable: into + -ing can foreground being driven into an action or reaction, while the to-infinitive can state the resulting action more directly.
“Pullout” is a closed noun for senses such as withdrawal or a removable newspaper section and is also adjectival. Cambridge Business English additionally records “pull-out” as a noun variant. “Pull out” is the two-word phrasal verb.
Oxford records “punish somebody for something” and “punish somebody for doing something,” directly supporting for + -ing when naming the offense or conduct that caused the punishment.
Cambridge directly documents both push + object + into + -ing and push + object + to-infinitive in the sense of forcefully persuading or directing someone to act. Push has many physical and figurative senses; this guide is limited to the persuasion or pressure sense, not ordinary movement or other phrasal-verb uses.
“Pushback” is a closed noun in Cambridge, labelled US, for a negative reaction to a change or new development. “Push back” is a two-word verb phrase; Cambridge directly documents the phrasal-verb sense of delaying something.
Cambridge documents put off + -ing for delaying an event or activity and also uses -ing after put someone off in the discourage sense. Put off has several phrasal-verb senses, but the particle off does not license a direct to-infinitive alternative for the postpone meaning.
“Quiet,” “quite,” and “quit” differ in spelling, pronunciation, grammar, and meaning. “Quiet” relates to little noise, “quite” modifies degree, and “quit” is a verb for stopping, leaving, or giving up.
Oxford directly documents the usually passive pattern “be railroaded into doing something” for forcing someone to act before they have had enough time to decide. The cited entry supports the into + -ing pattern, especially in the passive; it does not establish railroad + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement pattern.
“Raise” and “rise” both describe upward movement or increase, but their grammar differs. “Raise” is normally transitive and takes an object; “rise” is intransitive and describes the subject moving or increasing on its own.
“Ran” and “run” are different forms of the irregular verb “run.” “Ran” is the simple past, while “run” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
“Readout” is the closed noun for displayed or produced information, especially from equipment. “Read out” is the two-word phrasal verb meaning to say written words aloud.
Receptive To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Recommend + -ing” is a standard way to advise an action, and a that-clause is another. A bare direct “recommend to do” is not the same pattern, although Oxford also documents “recommend + object + to-infinitive,” so the distinction needs an object-pattern caveat.
Cambridge directly illustrates reconcile yourself to followed by an -ing clause when accepting an unwelcome situation. Here to is the preposition in reconcile yourself to something; the evidence does not license a parallel reconcile yourself to + bare infinitive pattern.
Redolent Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Refer To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge records refrain from + -ing for deliberately not doing an action. Because from is a preposition in this pattern, the following verb is expressed as an -ing form rather than as a to-infinitive.
When “refuse” means that someone will not perform an action, learner references use a to-infinitive. “Refuse” can also take noun objects in other uses, but that does not make a following gerund interchangeable with the infinitive pattern.
“Regardless” is the standard form meaning without regard to circumstances. “Irregardless” is an attested nonstandard form, especially associated with US usage; it has the same intended meaning, so an authority guide should label its register accurately rather than deny that the form is genuinely attested.
“Regret + -ing” normally expresses sorrow about an action or situation. Formal “regret + to-infinitive” is commonly used to introduce bad or unwelcome news.
Related To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented related-to construction and keeps other prepositions tied to their separately evidenced senses.
Relevant To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and avoids turning a usage pattern into an unsupported universal prohibition.
Reliant On: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge documents rely on/upon with -ing clauses and also “rely on someone/something to do something.” A sentence such as “rely on the team to deliver” is valid and is structurally different from bare “rely to deliver.”
With “remember + -ing,” the speaker recalls something that happened. With “remember + to-infinitive,” the speaker remembers an action that needs to be carried out.
“Remember” describes retaining or bringing something back to mind. “Remind” describes causing a person to remember, so it commonly includes the person who receives the reminder as an object.
Remembered For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
For prompting a person not to forget an action, standard English uses remind + person + to-infinitive. Bare “remind doing” is not the corresponding construction.
Reminiscent Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Renowned For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Replete With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Representative Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Repugnant To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Oxford documents require + -ing, require + object + to-infinitive, and passive be required + to-infinitive. The grammar changes with who or what is being required, so a bare require-to-do contrast is misleading.
“Resent” means to feel anger or displeasure about something, while “resend” means to send a message, email, or other item again. The words can look confusing in unaccented text, but they have different meanings and pronunciations.
Oxford documents resign yourself to doing something for accepting an unpleasant situation that cannot be changed. The to in resign yourself to is prepositional in this pattern, so an -ing form can follow it; do not infer a matching resign yourself to + bare infinitive pattern.
Resigned To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Oxford documents resist + -ing for an action someone tries not to do. Use “resist doing” for that direct complement; a direct “resist to do” construction is not the reviewed alternative pattern.
Resistant To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Oxford documents resort to doing something when someone turns to a course of action, often because other choices have failed. Here to is the preposition in resort to, not an infinitive marker; a different to-infinitive pattern is not licensed merely by analogy.
Respected For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
When restrain means hold back or prevent an action, the established pattern is restrain + person + from + -ing. “Restrain someone to do” is not the corresponding complement pattern.
Oxford directly documents restrict yourself to doing something for limiting yourself to a particular activity. This is a prepositional-to construction. Do not replace the gerund with a to-infinitive merely because both forms contain to.
Result In vs. Result From separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
In the common “return to a previous state” sense, “revert” already expresses going back, so “revert back” is usually unnecessary. “Revert to” is the standard construction for returning to an earlier state, practice, topic, or owner. Indian English also uses “revert” to mean reply, which is a separate regional use.
Cambridge records reward someone for something when the following conduct or achievement is the reason a reward is given.
Rich In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Riddled With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Rife With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Right About: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
As a verb, risk takes an -ing complement for an action that may lead to a bad result. Cambridge gives examples such as “risked losing,” so the reviewed direct pattern is “risk doing,” not “risk to do.”
“Rode” and “ridden” are different forms of the irregular verb “ride.” “Rode” is the simple past, while “ridden” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
“Rollback” is a closed noun for an act of reducing or reversing something and is also used adjectivally; Cambridge additionally records the hyphenated adjective “roll-back.” “Roll back” is the two-word phrasal verb.
“Rollout” is a noun for the introduction or first availability of a product, service, proposal, or information. “Roll out” is the two-word phrasal verb for carrying out that introduction.
“Rollover” is the closed noun for a carried-forward prize or financial continuation/transfer. “Roll over” is the two-word phrasal verb, including physical movement and financial extension or transfer.
Cambridge directly documents rope someone into something, including an action example with “into playing,” for persuading or tricking someone into participation. The cited entry does not establish rope + object + to-infinitive as an equally documented alternative, so this guide keeps the construction boundary explicit.
“Rose” and “risen” are different forms of the irregular verb “rise.” “Rose” is the simple past, while “risen” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
Rude To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge documents both “rundown” and “run-down” in noun/adjective contexts, while “run down” remains the phrasal verb. Because the closed and hyphenated variants coexist in documented usage, this page does not impose one universal noun spelling.
“Runoff” is a noun used for an additional election and for flowing water or liquid; Cambridge also records “run-off.” “Run off” is a separate two-word phrasal verb with senses including leaving suddenly and producing copies.
Cambridge directly defines rush + object + into + -ing as forcefully persuading someone without giving enough time to decide. That phrasal construction is narrower than ordinary transitive uses of rush; the cited entry does not establish rush + object + to-infinitive as the same complement pattern.
Safe From vs. Safe For separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
“Sang” is the simple past form of “sing”; “sung” is the past participle. That means “she sang yesterday” but “she has sung before” and “the song was sung live.” Auxiliary “have/has/had” and passive “be” constructions call for the participle “sung.”
“Sank” is the usual simple past of “sink,” while “sunk” is the past participle. Cambridge also records “sunk” as an alternative simple-past form in US English, so the page distinguishes the core tense pattern from that regional variation.
Satisfied With vs. Satisfied That distinguishes Cambridge’s “pleased with” construction from its clause-taking “believing something is true” construction.
Saturated With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Oxford records save + person + from + -ing in both protection and avoidance uses, and also records save + person + -ing in the sense of sparing someone trouble or an unpleasant task. The shorter pattern is especially associated with British usage in the cited entry.
“Saw” and “seen” are different forms of the irregular verb “see.” “Saw” is the simple past, while “seen” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
“Say” commonly focuses on words or speech and normally does not take a person as an indirect object without “to.” “Tell” commonly focuses on information or instructions and normally takes the person who receives the message.
Oxford directly documents “scam somebody into doing something” for cheating somebody so that they take an action. The cited entry supports scam + object + into + -ing; it does not establish scam + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement.
Cambridge directly documents scare + object + into + -ing for causing or persuading someone to act by frightening them. Scare has other constructions for producing fear, including scare + object and phrasal uses such as scare away/off; those meanings should not be collapsed into the complement comparison.
Cambridge defines scold as speaking angrily because of disapproved behavior and gives the pattern scold someone for the behavior or action.
Cambridge directly documents seduce someone into doing something for figurative persuasion or attraction that induces an action. This guide concerns the figurative persuade/attract sense, not the separate sexual sense of “seduce.” The cited entry directly supports the into + -ing construction; it does not establish seduce + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern for this meaning.
After see + object, both the bare infinitive and the -ing form are standard. The bare infinitive usually presents the perceived event as a whole or completed, while -ing usually presents it as in progress, incomplete, or repeated.
Cambridge documents seek + to-infinitive for trying to act and seek + noun for searching for or attempting to obtain something. Bare “seek doing” is not the direct alternative to the documented to-infinitive construction.
Cambridge treats seem as a linking verb and as a verb followed by a to-infinitive; the progressive can occur within “to be doing.” Do not mistake the -ing form inside “seem to be doing” for a direct gerund complement after seem.
Seething With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Sellout” is a closed noun and adjective in Cambridge’s main dictionary, while Business English also documents “sell-out” as a noun variant. “Sell out” is the two-word phrasal verb.
Send + object + -ing describes causing sudden movement or reaction, while send + person + to-infinitive dispatches the person to perform an action. Both are standard but semantically different.
“Send-off” is the hyphenated noun for a farewell occasion. “Send off” is the two-word phrasal verb, whose senses include dispatching something and saying goodbye to someone leaving.
Senior To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Sensitive To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Oxford directly documents both sentence somebody to do something and sentence somebody to something for officially imposing a court punishment. Both patterns are directly licensed, but they are structurally different; this evidence does not establish sentence somebody to doing as an interchangeable gerund pattern.
Serious About: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Both set + object + -ing and set + object + to-infinitive can occur, but they express different relationships: causing an activity/state to begin versus assigning someone a task.
“Setback” is a one-word noun for a problem or event that delays progress. “Set back” is a two-word phrasal verb used for delaying progress and, in another common sense, for costing someone an amount of money.
“Setup” is a noun and adjective for an arrangement, configuration, preparation process, or trick; Cambridge Business English also records “set-up.” “Set up” is the two-word phrasal verb meaning establish, arrange, or prepare.
“Shakedown” is a noun, including senses involving extortion, a thorough search, or a testing/settling period. “Shake down” is the corresponding phrasal verb for extorting, searching, or becoming established. The one-word/two-word choice tracks grammatical function.
Cambridge directly documents shame + object + into/out of + -ing for causing a person to act or refrain from acting by making them feel ashamed. The same dictionary entry also documents shame someone out of doing something for preventing an action, so the preposition changes the direction of the pressure.
Oxford directly documents shanghai somebody into doing something in an old-fashioned informal sense of tricking or forcing someone into an unwanted action. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing and marks the usage old-fashioned/informal; it does not establish shanghai + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern.
“Shaved” and “shaven” overlap in participial/adjectival contexts, but their grammatical distribution differs. Standard verb inflection uses “shaved” for the past tense and past participle; “shaven” is especially established as an adjective.
Cambridge directly documents “shock someone into doing something” for a shocking experience causing someone to act. The cited construction directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish shock + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent causative complement pattern.
“Shook” and “shaken” are different forms of the irregular verb “shake.” “Shook” is the simple past, while “shaken” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
Short Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Shot Through With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Should and ought to are close in meaning for advice, desirability and expectation. Ought to is generally more formal and less common, especially in questions and negatives, while should is the more usual choice in everyday English.
“Showed” and “shown” are different forms of the irregular verb “show.” “Showed” is the simple past, while “shown” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
Cambridge lists shrink, shrank, shrunk: shrank is the simple past and shrunk the past participle. The guide keeps tense, participle, regional, and sense boundaries explicit rather than reducing the pair to a blanket substitution rule.
Shrouded In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Shutdown” is a one-word noun for an occasion when a business, system, or machine stops operating. “Shut down” is the two-word phrasal verb for causing or undergoing that stop.
Sick Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Sign-in” is documented by Collins as a hyphenated noun in American English, while “sign in” is the two-word phrasal verb in Cambridge. Product-interface labels can follow house style, so the page keeps that regional/style boundary explicit.
“Sign-off” is the noun for an ending or approval/authorization, while “sign off” is the phrasal verb. Collins also records closed “signoff” as an American noun variant, so the guide preserves that variant rather than treating it as universally wrong.
“Sign-out” is documented by Collins as a hyphenated noun in American English, while “sign out” is the two-word phrasal verb used for leaving a place or account and in related sign-out actions.
“Sign up” is the two-word phrasal verb for enrolling or registering. “Sign-up” is a documented noun for the act or instance of registering, and Dictionary.com also records the closed noun spelling “signup.”
Similar To: Standard Pattern replaces an already-owned preliminary Opposed intent with a directly documented, distinct construction page rather than reviving the earlier unsupported Similar To/With contrast.
Since and for can both locate a situation in time, but they answer different questions. Since introduces the starting point from which a situation continues; for introduces a duration or period of time.
“Sit down” is the two-word phrasal verb for moving into a seated position. Cambridge separately records hyphenated “sit-down” as an adjective and noun, including uses such as a sit-down meal or a serious sit-down. The closed query spelling “sitdown” is therefore normalized to the hyphenated owner rather than treated as a standard competing form.
Skeptical Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Skilled In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
For the traditional irregular verb “slay” in its “kill” sense, “slew” is the simple past and “slain” is the past participle. This guide does not extend that historical paradigm mechanically to every newer informal use of “slay.”
“Slowdown” is a noun meaning a reduction in speed or activity. “Slow down” is the verb phrase meaning to reduce speed or become less active.
Smeared With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
For the perception sense, learner-dictionary evidence directly supports smell + object + -ing, as in smelling something burning. Bare smell + object + infinitive is not the ordinary parallel pattern in this evidence set.
For the literary verb “smite,” “smote” is the simple past and “smitten” is the past participle. The guide treats the forms as marked literary vocabulary rather than everyday default wording.
Smothered In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“So” and “such” can both intensify meaning, but their grammar differs. “So” normally modifies an adjective or adverb, while “such” introduces a noun phrase.
Soaked In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Both “someday” and “some day” are established. Someday is a one-word adverb referring to an unknown future time, while the open form also exists and can be the ordinary determiner-plus-noun construction “some day.”
Some, any, and a bare noun phrase form one useful decision system. Combining ranks 821 and 822 avoids a second thin page while preserving the important difference between polarity-driven some/any choice and the generic-reference contrast between some and zero determination.
“Someone” is the standard one-word pronoun for an unspecified person. The two-word sequence “some one” is possible when “one” remains a separate word and the construction singles out an individual member of a group, so the forms should not be treated as freely interchangeable.
Sorry For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Sowed” is the simple past of “sow.” For the past participle, Cambridge records both “sown” and “sowed,” so “sown” is participial only while “sowed” can serve either past role.
Spattered With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Speak” and “talk” both involve using words, but “speak” is often more formal and is the normal verb for languages and formal presentations. “Talk” is often more conversational and can emphasize interaction between people.
Cambridge directly documents spend time doing something for using a period of time on an activity. The cited time-use pattern licenses the -ing complement; do not infer spend time to + infinitive as a parallel complement pattern. A separate purpose infinitive can occur in other sentence structures.
Splashed With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Spoke” and “spoken” are different forms of the irregular verb “speak.” “Spoke” is the simple past, while “spoken” is the past participle used in perfect constructions and, where applicable, passive constructions.
Spot takes an object followed by -ing when you notice a person or thing engaged in an activity. Bare spot + object + infinitive is not the ordinary parallel construction documented by the learner dictionary.
“Sprang” and “sprung” are forms of the irregular verb “spring.” Oxford lists “sprang” as the standard past simple, “sprung” as the past participle, and also records “sprung” as a North American past-simple variant.
“Spin” has variable past-tense evidence but a stable past participle: “spun” works as past tense and past participle, while “span” is recorded as a UK past-tense variant. This makes tense and region both relevant.
Stained With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge directly documents transitive stampede someone/something into doing something for forcing an action and separately documents intransitive stampede to do something when people act in large numbers. The intransitive “investors stampeded to sell” pattern does not license a transitive object + to-infinitive pattern such as “stampede someone to do.”
Cambridge records “stand-alone” and “standalone” as adjective variants. The spaced “stand alone” is an ordinary verb-plus-adverb/predicative construction, so it is not interchangeable with the compound adjective in every sentence.
“Standby” is the usual closed noun/adjective in Cambridge, with “stand-by” documented as a Business English variant. “Stand by” is the two-word phrasal verb.
“Standout” is a one-word noun and can also be used before a noun as an adjective, especially in American English. “Stand out” is the two-word phrasal verb for being easy to notice or notably better than others.
“Stank” is the usual simple past of “stink”; “stunk” is the past participle and is also recorded as a simple-past variant in US and Australian English. The guide preserves documented regional or alternate forms rather than treating the pair as an absolute binary.
Oxford documents “start” with both -ing and to-infinitive complements. The forms are generally alternatives for beginning an action, not a dependable pair with separate meanings.
In the causative object pattern, start + person + -ing can mean cause that person to begin an activity. Object + to-infinitive is not the ordinary parallel causative construction.
Cambridge records “start-up” with “startup” as an alternative noun/adjective form for a newly started business or related context. “Start up” is the two-word phrasal verb for beginning operation or starting a business, organization, vehicle, or engine.
Oxford directly documents starve + person + into + -ing for coercing an action by deprivation. The cited entry does not license person + to-infinitive as the parallel complement, and ordinary senses of starve remain separate.
Cambridge directly documents steamroller/steamroll someone into doing something for informal pressure or force that overcomes resistance. The cited entry directly supports the into + -ing construction; it does not establish steamroll + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern for this meaning.
Steeped In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Stole” and “stolen” are different forms of the irregular verb “steal.” “Stole” is the simple past, while “stolen” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
With “stop + -ing,” the -ing activity ends. With “stop + to-infinitive,” another activity is paused so the infinitive action can be done.
For the prevention meaning, standard English uses stop + person + (from) + -ing. A following to-infinitive can instead express purpose after stopping someone, so “stop someone to do” is not the corresponding prevention complement.
Streaked With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Strewn With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Strict With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge documents strive + to-infinitive for trying very hard to do something and strive for + noun for pursuing a goal. A bare “strive doing” construction should not be presented as an equivalent alternative.
Strong In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Oxford directly documents strong-arm somebody into doing something for using threats or forceful pressure to make a person act. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish strong-arm + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern for this meaning.
“Strove” is a simple-past form of “strive”; “striven” is a past participle. “Strived” is also an accepted alternative for both forms. The guide preserves documented regional or alternate forms rather than treating the pair as an absolute binary.
“Struck” is the normal simple-past and past-participle form of “strike.” “Stricken” survives in a narrower participial/adjectival sense for someone or something severely affected by harm, illness, disaster, or a similar condition.
Studded With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Subject To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Subservient To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge states that succeed is usually followed by the preposition in and that a following verb normally appears in the -ing form. Do not drop “in” or replace it with infinitival “to” when you mean manage to accomplish an action.
Successful In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge documents US informal sucker + object + into + -ing for persuading someone to act by deceiving them. The entry explicitly marks the construction informal and US; it does not establish sucker + object + to-infinitive as a parallel standard pattern.
Suffused With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge’s verb-pattern guidance uses “suggest + -ing” rather than direct “suggest + to-infinitive.” A clause such as “suggest (that) we go” is another standard option.
Suitable For vs. Suitable To preserves both Cambridge-documented constructions and avoids turning a usage preference into an absolute grammar prohibition.
Suited To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Superior To: Standard Pattern keeps the page to the directly supported construction instead of treating an unverified “superior than” title as a balanced pair.
Sure Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Susceptible To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction while keeping distinct formal alternatives outside this page’s scope.
Cambridge records “suspect someone of something/doing something” when the person is believed to have committed a crime or done something wrong.
Suspicious Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Swam” and “swum” are different forms of the irregular verb “swim.” “Swam” is the simple past, while “swum” is the past participle used in perfect constructions and, where applicable, passive constructions.
Swarming With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Oxford separates the intransitive offensive-language sense from the promise pattern “swear to do.” The page keeps those senses distinct instead of treating “swear doing” as an alternate complement.
Oxford directly documents “sweet-talk somebody into something/into doing something” for persuading through praise and pleasing talk. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish a matching “sweet-talk someone to do” complement.
Use “swelled” for the simple past. In perfect or passive-style participial uses, both “swelled” and “swollen” are recorded, while “swollen” is especially familiar for an enlarged state. Do not use “swollen” as the ordinary simple-past form: the dictionary inflection distinguishes simple past “swelled” from the participial alternatives.
Use “swore” for the simple past of “swear” and “sworn” as the past participle, especially after have/has/had. The guide distinguishes the finite past form from the participle in standard verb constructions.
Sympathetic To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Synonymous With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Tailored To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Oxford documents take to doing something for beginning to do something as a habit or regular practice. This sense of take to uses prepositional to; do not confuse it with unrelated take + to-infinitive structures.
“Takeaway” is a closed noun or adjective for a key message, food bought to eat elsewhere, and several other established senses. “Take away” is the two-word phrasal verb meaning to remove or subtract.
“Takeoff” is a closed noun spelling, especially in American English, while Cambridge also records the hyphenated noun “take-off.” “Take off” is the two-word phrasal verb for leaving the ground, removing something, leaving suddenly, or becoming successful.
“Takeout” is the closed US noun for food bought from a restaurant or shop to eat elsewhere. “Take out” is the two-word phrasal verb with several senses, including removing, withdrawing, arranging, and the food-related action.
“Takeover” is a one-word noun, especially for a transfer of control such as a company takeover. “Take over” is the two-word phrasal verb used when someone or something assumes control, responsibility, or another person’s role.
Cambridge treats talk someone into something/doing something as a phrasal verb meaning persuade someone to act. A bare talk + person + to-infinitive sequence is not the matching causative pattern.
Cambridge directly documents talk + object + out of + -ing for persuading someone not to do something. Talk also has the contrasting construction talk someone into + -ing; the out of pattern reverses the direction of persuasion rather than supplying a simple negative to-infinitive complement.
Tantamount To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Teach + person + to-infinitive describes training someone to perform an action. Teach can also take a subject or skill as its direct object; when an -ing form names that subject/activity, it functions as what is taught rather than as the same person-action complement.
Teeming With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Tell + person + to-infinitive is a standard instruction pattern. Tell also supports information, clause, speech, and other complements, but bare tell + -ing is not the corresponding way to order a person to perform an action.
Cambridge documents both tempt + person + to-infinitive and tempt + person + into + -ing for causing someone to want or agree to an action. The two constructions can be close in meaning, but their grammar differs: one uses object + to-infinitive and the other uses into + gerund.
Cambridge marks tend + to-infinitive for things that usually happen or people who are likely to behave in a particular way. Keep the separate transitive sense of tend, meaning to care for or attend to something, distinct from the tendency construction.
Terrible At: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Oxford directly documents “terrify somebody into (doing) something” for fear causing an action. The cited construction directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish terrify + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement pattern.
Oxford directly documents “terrorize somebody into doing something” for frightening and threatening people until they act as directed. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish terrorize + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement pattern.
Cambridge gives “thank someone for something” and the example “He thanked me for taking him home,” directly supporting for + -ing after thank.
“Then” usually concerns time, sequence, addition, or result; “than” introduces comparison. Because the words are similar in sound and spelling, a meaning-based substitution test is more reliable than memorizing a single example.
Cambridge directly documents no point (in doing something) for saying that an action has no useful purpose. The cited purpose expression does not establish there is no point to + infinitive as a parallel complement. Other uses of point can take different structures, so keep this guide scoped to the no-point expression.
“There,” “their,” and “they’re” sound alike but serve different jobs: “there” commonly refers to place or existence, “their” is possessive, and “they’re” is the contraction of “they are.” A two-stage meaning and expansion test resolves most cases.
Thick With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge explicitly gives think of/about + -ing for plans or possible actions and rejects “think to do” in that construction. Think has other meanings and clause patterns, such as “I think that …”; this rule is specifically about considering a possible action.
Cambridge documents threaten + to-infinitive, while threaten also has object-based constructions such as threatening a person or thing. An -ing form may occur in a larger phrase, but it should not be presented as freely interchangeable with the to-infinitive after threaten.
“Threw” and “thrown” are different forms of the irregular verb “throw.” “Threw” is the simple past, while “thrown” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
“To” and “too” sound alike but have different grammatical jobs. “To” functions as a preposition and in the to-infinitive, while “too” is an adverb that can mean “also” or “more than enough.”
Tolerant Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Too” expresses excess, while “enough” expresses sufficiency. They also occupy different common positions: “too” normally comes before adjectives and adverbs, while “enough” follows them but comes before nouns.
“Took” and “taken” are different forms of the irregular verb “take.” “Took” is the simple past, while “taken” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
“Tore” and “torn” are different forms of the irregular verb “tear.” “Tore” is the simple past, while “torn” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
Oxford directly documents “torture somebody into doing something” for forcing an action through physical or mental harm. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish “torture someone to do” as an equivalent complement pattern.
“Touchdown” and “touch down” differ mainly by grammatical function. Cambridge records the closed form as a countable noun for landing and sports senses and the two-word form as a phrasal verb, including aircraft landing and rugby uses.
For the noun describing a compromise or balance between competing benefits, Cambridge documents both “tradeoff” and “trade-off.” The verb is written as separate words in constructions such as “trade one advantage off against another.”
Oxford directly documents “trap somebody into something/into doing something” for tricking someone into an action. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish trap + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement for this sense.
Cambridge explicitly documents trick + object + into + -ing for deceiving someone so that they perform an action. Trick has other transitive meanings and phrasal patterns, so the guidance here applies specifically when naming the action the deceived person is caused to perform.
“Trod” is a standard simple-past form of “tread,” while “trodden” is the usual past participle; Cambridge also records regional alternatives including participial “trod.” The guide preserves documented regional or alternate forms rather than treating the pair as an absolute binary.
“Try to do” presents an attempt to accomplish something. “Try doing” commonly presents an action as a possible method or experiment to see whether it helps.
The spaced form “turn on” functions as a phrasal verb. The noun meaning a person or thing that excites or attracts is commonly written “turn-on”; Collins additionally records a closed American-English noun “turnon,” so the page keeps that variation explicit.
“Turnaround” is the closed noun for a change or completion/return time and can also be adjectival. Cambridge documents UK “turnround” as a variant. “Turn around” is the two-word phrasal verb, with UK “turn round” also recorded.
“Turn off” is the two-word phrasal verb for switching something off, leaving a road, or causing loss of interest. The corresponding noun appears as closed “turnoff” in American usage and also as hyphenated “turn-off” in Cambridge.
“Turnout” is a closed noun, commonly for attendance or voter participation. “Turn out” is a two-word phrasal verb with several meanings, including resulting in a particular way, appearing, and producing.
“Turnover” is a noun with business, staffing, inventory, and other established senses. “Turn over” is a two-word phrasal verb used for actions such as rotating, transferring, or selling and replacing goods.
Typical Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Unaware Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge documents undertake + to-infinitive in the formal commitment sense and also uses undertake transitively with a task or responsibility. Do not treat bare “undertake doing” as the default equivalent of “undertake to do”; choose the documented infinitive or noun construction for the intended meaning.
Unfamiliar With: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Unfavorable To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Unfit For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Unfriendly To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Unhappy With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Unless” introduces an exception-style condition and often has a meaning close to “if … not.” The choice still depends on the conditional structure, so rewriting every “if not” clause with “unless” can change or break the sentence.
Unsuccessful In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Unsuitable For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge directly documents urge + object + to-infinitive and also gives an into + -ing example in which pressure leads someone into an action. The constructions differ in framing: the to-infinitive directly names what a person is urged to do, while into + -ing presents movement or pressure into the resulting action; this guide does not treat them as mechanically interchangeable.
Urge + person + to-infinitive is the ordinary pattern for strongly encouraging a named person. Direct action complements such as urge + -ing are possible in more compressed or formal uses, but they do not supply the same explicit person role.
“Used to + verb” describes a past habit or state that is no longer true. “Be used to + noun/-ing” means be accustomed to something.
Used to and would can both describe repeated past actions, but they are not interchangeable in every past-habit sentence. Used to can describe past states that are no longer true; habitual would normally describes repeated actions or events, not states.
Useful For Something vs. Useful To Someone separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
Useful In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Valuable To: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Veined With: Standard Pattern records a directly evidenced English construction and keeps the guidance bounded to the attested complement rather than turning one documented pattern into a universal preposition rule.
A structural reference is useful when it helps readers diagnose where the object belongs, which verbs license the pattern, and where superficially similar patterns differ. It therefore goes beyond a verb list by contrasting object + to-infinitive with plain to-infinitive, -ing complements, and the bare-infinitive patterns after let and make.
Cambridge documents volunteer + to-infinitive for offering to do something and volunteer for + noun for offering oneself for a role or task. Bare “volunteer doing” is not the parallel standard complement for the offer-to-act construction.
Vulnerable To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Walkout” is a closed noun in Cambridge, with hyphenated “walk-out” documented in Business English. “Walk out” is the two-word phrasal verb for leaving in protest, ending a relationship, or stopping work.
“Walkthrough” is commonly a noun for a rehearsal or step-by-step guide, while “walk through” is a phrasal verb used for rehearsing or guiding someone through a process. Cambridge also records hyphenated “walk-through” in noun use.
Oxford documents ordinary want + to-infinitive for desire and an informal “want doing” construction meaning that something needs an action. The page treats the difference as both construction and meaning, not free alternation.
Wanting In: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
“Warm up” is the phrasal verb. “Warm-up” is the established hyphenated noun for preparation before an activity, while Cambridge also records “warmup” as a noun variant.
Cambridge documents both warn + person + against/off + -ing and warn + object + to-infinitive. Against + -ing warns the person away from an action, while the to-infinitive states an action the warning tells or prompts the person to take, often in a negative form.
Cambridge grammar directly lists waste (time) + -ing and illustrates waste time doing an activity. The documented time-use pattern licenses the -ing complement; a separate to-infinitive can occur elsewhere for purpose, but it is not the parallel complement in this construction.
After watch + object, both the bare infinitive and the -ing form are standard. The bare infinitive usually presents the perceived event as a whole or completed, while -ing usually presents it as in progress, incomplete, or repeated.
Weak In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Well Known For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Went” and “gone” are different forms of the irregular verb “go.” “Went” is the simple past, while “gone” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
Cambridge directly illustrates wheedle + object + into + -ing for persuading by praise or deliberate charm. The cited dictionary does not establish wheedle + object + to-infinitive as an equally documented alternative, so this guide does not infer symmetry between the two forms.
The safest choice depends on clause type and style. “That” introduces defining/restrictive relative clauses; “which” can introduce defining clauses in general and British usage, and it is also the standard choice for non-defining clauses set off by commas. Many American editorial styles prefer “that” for restrictive clauses and “which” for nonrestrictive ones.
“While” can mark either time or contrast. “Whereas” marks contrast between facts or ideas, so it can overlap with contrastive “while” but not with temporal “while.”
As conjunctions meaning “during the time that” or expressing contrast, “while” and “whilst” are equivalent in meaning; the practical difference is mainly frequency and formality.
“Who” is used for subjects and is also common for objects in ordinary modern English; “whom” is the traditional object form and remains most common in formal writing, especially after a preposition.
“Whoever” is the subject form inside its clause; “whomever” is the formal object form. The key is the pronoun’s role inside the embedded clause, not simply whether a preposition appears before the entire clause. Informal English often uses “whoever” where formal writing may use “whomever.”
“Who’s” is a contraction of “who is” or “who has”; “whose” is the possessive wh-word used to ask or state who something belongs to. Because the forms are homophones in ordinary pronunciation, expansion and possession tests are more reliable than sound.
Both “will” and “be going to” can refer to the future, but the choice often reflects meaning and viewpoint. “Going to” commonly marks prior plans or predictions based on present evidence; “will” commonly covers predictions, immediate decisions, offers, promises, and other modal uses.
Wish and if only belong in one decision guide because the form changes with the time and attitude being expressed. Keeping present unreal wishes, past regret, and wish + would together helps readers choose the construction without creating separate tense-wrapper pages.
Oxford documents wish-clause patterns and formal/polite wish + to-infinitive. A bare gerund after “wish” is not a like-for-like alternative, so the guide separates infinitive use from clause use.
The words are often confused because they are pronounced alike in many varieties of modern English, but their grammar is different: “witch” is a noun; “which” selects or identifies among alternatives or introduces certain relative clauses.
Use “withdrew” for the simple past of “withdraw” and “withdrawn” as the past participle, especially after have/has/had. The guide distinguishes the finite past form from the participle in standard verb constructions.
The phrase supplies a maximum time window, but not its starting event by itself. This guide separates the time-boundary meaning of “within” from the context that identifies the trigger. It does not interpret contracts, statutes, medical instructions, SLAs, time zones, business-day rules, or other specialist timing regimes.
Witness can occur with an object followed by a bare infinitive or an -ing form in event-perception contexts. Use the contrast to express whole-event versus ongoing-event viewpoint rather than treating the forms as interchangeable in every sentence.
“Woke” and “woken” are common forms of the irregular verb “wake”: “woke” is simple past and “woken” is a past participle. Cambridge also records “waked” as an accepted alternative in both roles.
“Wore” and “worn” are different forms of the irregular verb “wear.” “Wore” is the simple past, while “worn” is the past participle used in perfect constructions.
“Workaround” is a common closed noun for a method that lets you proceed despite a problem. “Work around” is also a phrasal verb meaning to find a way around an obstacle. Cambridge Business English additionally records spaced “work around” as a noun variant, so context and word class matter.
“Workout” is a one-word noun for a period of physical exercise and can also have specialized financial meanings. “Work out” is the two-word phrasal verb for exercising, calculating, understanding, solving, or developing in a particular way.
Worried About: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Cambridge grammar identifies about as the most usual preposition after worry, and an action used as a prepositional complement takes an -ing form. Worry also occurs with noun phrases and that-clauses. This guide does not treat every later to-infinitive in a sentence as a complement of worry.
Worthy Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Use “wove” for the simple past of “weave” and “woven” as the past participle, especially after have/has/had. The guide distinguishes the finite past form from the participle in standard verb constructions.
“Wrap-up” is a hyphenated noun for a summary or concluding part. “Wrap up” is the two-word verb used for summarizing, finishing, or bringing something to a conclusion.
Wrapped In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Wreathed In: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
“Write-off” is a hyphenated noun used for losses, deductions, or things treated as no longer useful or repairable. “Write off” is the two-word phrasal verb for the corresponding actions.
“Write-up” is a hyphenated noun for a report or article. “Write up” is a two-word phrasal verb used for putting something into complete written form and for related reporting senses.
Wrong About vs. Wrong With separates directly documented constructions and keeps the distinction narrow rather than turning a context-sensitive pattern into a universal preposition rule.
“Wrote” and “written” are different forms of the irregular verb “write.” “Wrote” is the past simple, while “written” is the past participle used in perfect and passive constructions and can also function as an adjective.
“Your” is a possessive determiner used before a noun; “you’re” is the contraction of “you are.” The most reliable diagnostic is expansion: if “you are” fits the sentence, use “you’re”; if the word marks something belonging or relating to the person addressed, use “your.”
Institutions, meals, and transport are best handled together as conventional zero-article environments rather than three thin pages. The shared decision is whether the noun is functioning as part of a conventional activity/mode expression or as an ordinary specific noun phrase.
