Cambridge distinguishes dare as an ordinary verb and as a semi-modal. These patterns use a to-infinitive or bare infinitive depending on structure; the challenge construction takes an object + to-infinitive.
ReviewedEvidence2 sourcesSectionEnglish Usage
Quick answer
For the ordinary lexical verb, use “dare to do” (and in some structures bare “dare do”). “Dare doing” is not the standard direct complement pattern; the challenge sense uses “dare someone to do.”
Key details
Confusion Familygrammar-and-usage distinction
Rule Familyverb complement pattern
TermsDare Doing, Dare To Do
Further guidance
Boundary
Do not invent a direct “dare doing” alternative. A nearby -ing form may belong to another phrase or clause, not to dare’s direct complement.
Use “dare to do” for the ordinary verb unless the sentence licenses the bare-infinitive semi-modal pattern; use “dare someone to do” for a challenge.
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.
Dare — Cambridge Grammar↗ (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Dare as ordinary verb with to-infinitive/bare infinitive and as semi-modal; dare + object + to-infinitive challenge pattern
Cambridge documents both admit + -ing and admit to + -ing for acknowledging something. Other passive patterns such as “be admitted to be” are separate constructions.
Both patterns are standard. “Advise waiting” recommends an action generally or in context, while “advise him to wait” names the person who is advised to perform it. A that-clause is another standard option.
When “afford” is followed directly by another verb, standard learner references use a to-infinitive: “afford to do.” An -ing form can appear elsewhere in a sentence, but it is not a like-for-like direct complement after “afford.”
“Agree to do” expresses consent to take an action. An -ing form normally follows a preposition in patterns such as “agree with doing,” which expresses approval rather than the direct promise-to-act construction.
Cambridge documents aim + to-infinitive for intention and aim at for directing effort toward an objective. Do not omit the preposition and present bare “aim doing” as equivalent to “aim to do.”
“Allow” can take an activity as its object, as in “allow smoking,” or a person/thing followed by a to-infinitive, as in “allow visitors to enter.” The patterns answer different structural questions: what is allowed versus who is allowed to do what.
