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.”
ReviewedEvidence2 sourcesSectionEnglish Usage
Quick answer
For the ordinary verb-complement pattern, use “afford to do,” not direct “afford doing.”
Key details
Confusion Familygrammar-and-usage distinction
Rule Familyverb complement pattern
TermsAfford Doing, Afford To Do
Further guidance
Decision
If “afford” directly controls the following action verb, choose the to-infinitive.
Ing Boundary
Do not present direct afford + -ing as an interchangeable alternative to afford + to-infinitive; distinguish any -ing form that belongs to a different surrounding construction.
Standard Pattern
Use afford + to-infinitive when the meaning is having enough money, time or other resources to do an action.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
Cambridge documents both admit + -ing and admit to + -ing for acknowledging something. Other passive patterns such as “be admitted to be” are separate constructions.
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.
“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.
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.”
“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.
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.”
