Choose Doing vs. Choose To Do
Oxford documents “choose to do” for deciding to perform an action and also “choose between” alternatives such as staying or going. The -ing form in the latter belongs to the between-construction, not to a direct gerund complement of “choose.”
Use “choose to do” when deciding to take an action. Use -ing forms after a structure such as “choose between staying and going”; bare “choose doing” is not the same complement pattern.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| decide to perform an action | choose + to-infinitive | Use “choose to do.” |
| compare activity alternatives | choose between + -ing alternatives | The -ing forms belong to the “between” construction, not a bare complement of “choose.” |
Quick tests
Complement test
Are you naming the action someone decided to take?
If yes: Use choose + to-infinitive.
If no: If you are comparing alternatives, use a structure such as choose between + alternatives.
Examples
Mira chose to wait for the later train.
The to-infinitive names the action she decided to take.
We had to choose between driving and taking the train.
The -ing forms are alternatives governed by “between.”
Choose the construction by syntax, not by treating “choose doing” as a direct parallel to “choose to do.”
This keeps the gerund pattern tied to the documented “between” construction.
Further guidance
Between Pattern
Gerunds are natural after “between” when the alternatives are activities, as in choosing between staying and going.
Decision
Use the construction that matches the syntax: choose to do for the selected action, or choose between + alternatives when comparing activities.
To Infinitive
Use choose + to-infinitive when someone decides to perform or not perform 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.
- choose — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries · Choose to do for selecting an action; choose between + alternatives including -ing forms
- Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb + -ing? (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Verb-complement patterns, including verbs taking -ing, to-infinitive, or both with meaning differences