Be Skilled At Doing vs. Skilled To Do
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.
Use be skilled at + -ing (or the documented in + -ing pattern) when naming the activity in which someone is skilled.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| developed ability in an activity | skilled at/in + -ing | use the documented prepositional construction |
| a proposed parallel infinitive complement | skilled + to-infinitive | do not infer it merely because other adjectives take infinitives |
Quick tests
Ability-pattern test
Are you naming the activity in which someone has developed skill?
If yes: Use “skilled at + -ing” or the reviewed “skilled in + -ing” pattern.
If no: If you have “skilled to + verb,” recast to an attested construction unless another source establishes a different use.
Caveat: This is an evidence-bounded complement recommendation, not a claim that the word “skilled” can never appear before an infinitive elsewhere in a larger sentence.
Examples
Ravi is skilled at diagnosing configuration errors.
“At + -ing” names the activity in which he has skill.
The technicians are skilled in restoring damaged files.
The reviewed “in + -ing” variant serves the same basic relation.
Use an attested prepositional pattern instead of manufacturing “skilled to diagnose” as a parallel complement.
The recommendation follows the documented construction.
Further guidance
Boundary
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.
Construction
Cambridge directly documents be skilled at/in doing something for having developed ability in an activity.
Decision
Use be skilled at + -ing (or the documented in + -ing pattern) when naming the activity in which someone is skilled.
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.
- skilled (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press & Assessment · Preferred lexical authority directly documenting skilled at/in doing something.