Experience In Doing vs. Experience To Do
Oxford directly documents experience in doing something for practical knowledge or skill gained from doing an activity. A following to-infinitive can occur in other noun phrases with a different relationship; it is not evidence that experience to + infinitive is a parallel complement for the documented prior-experience meaning.
Use experience in + -ing when the complement names the activity in which practical experience was gained.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| practical knowledge or skill gained from an activity | experience in + -ing | Use the documented construction. |
| experience in a field or subject | experience in + noun | Also fits the same prior-experience relationship. |
| a to-infinitive has a different relationship in a larger noun phrase | experience + to + verb | Do not infer it is a parallel complement for prior practical experience. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Does the complement name the activity in which practical experience was gained?
If yes: Use “experience in doing.”
If no: Use a to-infinitive only if it belongs to a genuinely different structure and meaning.
Caveat: A to-infinitive may occur elsewhere near the noun “experience,” but the cited prior-experience complement is “in + noun/-ing.”
Examples
She has experience in managing remote teams.
The -ing phrase names the activity in which experience was gained.
Applicants need experience in working with large datasets.
“In + -ing” marks the activity area of prior practice.
He has extensive experience in customer support.
A noun can name the field of experience.
Further guidance
Boundary
A following to-infinitive can occur in other noun phrases with a different relationship; it is not evidence that experience to + infinitive is a parallel complement for the documented prior-experience meaning.
Construction
Oxford directly documents experience in doing something for practical knowledge or skill gained from doing an activity.
Decision
Use experience in + -ing when the complement names the activity in which practical experience was gained.
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.
- experience (opens in a new tab)Oxford University Press · Preferred lexical authority directly documenting experience in doing something.