Claim Doing vs. Claim To Do
Oxford documents claim + to-infinitive and claim + that-clause for assertions. “Claim” also has noun-object and entitlement senses, so an -ing form appearing as a noun-like object should not be confused with the reporting construction.
Use “claim to do/be/have” or “claim that …” when reporting what someone says is true. Bare “claim doing” is not the ordinary parallel complement for that reporting sense.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| report what someone says about their own action/state | claim + to-infinitive | Use “claim to do/be/have.” |
| report a full asserted proposition | claim + that-clause | Use “claim that …” when a clause states the claim. |
| other noun/object senses of claim | claim + object | Do not confuse an -ing noun-like object in another sense with the reporting complement. |
Quick tests
Reporting-sense test
Are you reporting that someone says an action, state, or possession is true?
If yes: Use claim + to-infinitive or claim + that-clause.
If no: If “claim” means demand, entitlement, or another object-taking sense, analyze that construction separately.
Examples
The applicant claims to meet the requirement.
The to-infinitive reports what the applicant says is true.
The applicant claims that the form was submitted on time.
A that-clause can state the asserted proposition directly.
For the reporting sense, prefer the documented “claim to …” or “claim that …” patterns rather than forcing a bare gerund complement.
This preserves the evidence-backed complement distinction.
Further guidance
Clause Boundary
Use claim that + clause when the asserted content is naturally expressed as a full proposition.
Decision
For the reporting sense, use claim to do/be/have or claim that; do not force a bare gerund as a parallel complement.
To Infinitive
Use claim + to-infinitive to report that someone says they perform, are, or have something.
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.
- claim — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries · Claim to be/do and claim that-clause reporting patterns
- 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