Bother Doing vs. Bother To Do
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.
Both “bother doing” and “bother to do” are standard in the effort sense, especially in negatives and questions.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| spend time or effort on an action | bother + -ing | standard |
| spend time or effort on an action | bother + to-infinitive | also standard |
Quick tests
Equivalence test
Are you using “bother” in the effort sense, especially in a negative or question?
If yes: Either documented complement can be grammatical; choose naturally for the sentence.
If no: If “bother” has a different meaning, this comparison does not decide the construction.
Caveat: Do not invent a strict meaning split where the reviewed evidence documents both patterns.
Examples
Don’t bother calling again tonight.
The -ing complement is standard in the effort sense.
Don’t bother to call again tonight.
The to-infinitive is also standard here.
Did she bother checking the figures?
Questions commonly use the same effort sense.
Further guidance
Context
Negative and interrogative uses are especially common, as in “Why bother asking?” or “He didn’t bother to reply.”
Meaning Boundary
Do not teach that the to-infinitive is inherently criticism while -ing is inherently advice; both patterns occur across contexts.
Shared Pattern
Use bother + -ing or bother + to-infinitive when the meaning is spending time or effort on the 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.
- bother — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries · Bother with both to-infinitive and -ing complement patterns