Cause Someone To Do vs. Cause Someone Doing
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.
Use “cause someone to do something”; do not substitute “cause someone doing something” as the same complement pattern.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| make or bring about a person’s action | cause + person + to-infinitive | use the standard complement |
| proposed direct gerund complement after the person | cause + person + -ing | do not substitute it for the infinitive pattern |
Quick tests
Complement test
Is “cause” followed by a person who then performs the action?
If yes: Use “cause someone to do something.”
If no: If the -ing form is part of a different noun phrase or construction, analyze that structure separately.
Caveat: This page concerns the complement after “cause + person,” not every occurrence of an -ing word near “cause.”
Examples
The delay caused us to miss the connection.
“Us” is followed by the to-infinitive complement.
The warning caused employees to leave the building.
The action follows “cause + person + to-infinitive.”
The delay caused us missing the connection.
Better: The delay caused us to miss the connection.
For this complement pattern, use “caused us to miss.”
Further guidance
Boundary
An -ing form can appear elsewhere in sentences involving cause, including participial clauses, but that does not make cause + object + -ing the ordinary parallel complement.
Construction
Cambridge marks cause + object + to-infinitive for causing someone or something to act.
Decision
Use cause + object + to-infinitive when the object is the performer of the caused 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.
- cause — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Cause + object + to-infinitive as the standard verb-complement pattern for making someone or something act