English UsageComparison guide

Beg Someone To Do vs. Beg Doing

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.

Reviewed2026-09-26Evidence1 sourceSectionEnglish Usage

Quick answer

Use “beg someone to do something” when the requested action has a person as its addressee; do not treat “beg doing” as the parallel direct-complement form.

Key details

Confusion Familygrammar-and-usage distinction

Rule Familyverb-complement and object pattern

TermsBeg Someone To Do, Beg Doing

Choose the right form

Decision table for Beg Someone To Do vs. Beg Doing
Meaning / situation	Construction	Decision
an urgent request directed to a person	beg + person + to-infinitive	use the person-plus-infinitive pattern
a bare gerund proposed as the direct complement	beg + -ing	do not treat it as the parallel request construction

Quick tests

Addressee test

Are you begging a person to take an action?

If yes: Use “beg + person + to + verb.”

If no: Do not substitute a bare “beg + -ing” complement for that pattern.

Caveat: “Beg” has other documented constructions, including uses without an explicit person; this comparison concerns the person-directed request pattern versus a bare gerund complement.

Examples

Example

They begged the manager to reconsider the decision.

The person receiving the request appears before the infinitive.

Example

I begged her to wait five more minutes.

The construction clearly identifies the addressee and requested action.

Incorrect

They begged reconsidering the decision.

Better: They begged the manager to reconsider the decision.

A bare gerund is not the parallel complement for this request meaning.

Further guidance

Boundary

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.

Construction

Cambridge explicitly documents beg + object + to-infinitive for an urgent request and also records beg for + noun and other request patterns.

Decision

Use “beg someone to do something” when the requested action has a person as its addressee; do not treat “beg doing” as the parallel direct-complement form.

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.

beg — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Beg + object + to-infinitive for urgent requests

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