Cambridge documents inspire + person + to-infinitive and separate direct-object senses such as inspiring confidence, loyalty, or ideas. If -ing material follows inspire, check whether it is functioning as a noun-like object or belongs to another clause rather than treating it as a direct alternative to object + to-infinitive.
ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionEnglish Usage
Quick answer
Use “inspire someone to do something” when the inspired person performs the action; do not assume a following -ing phrase is the same construction.
Key details
Confusion Familygrammar-and-usage distinction
Rule Familyverb-complement and object pattern
TermsInspire Someone To Do, Inspire Doing
Further guidance
Boundary
If -ing material follows inspire, check whether it is functioning as a noun-like object or belongs to another clause rather than treating it as a direct alternative to object + to-infinitive.
Construction
Cambridge documents inspire + person + to-infinitive and separate direct-object senses such as inspiring confidence, loyalty, or ideas.
Decision
Use “inspire someone to do something” when the inspired person performs the action; do not assume a following -ing phrase is the same construction.
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.
Oxford directly documents “argue somebody into doing something” for persuading somebody by giving reasons. The cited construction evidence directly supports into + -ing; it does not license “argue someone to do” as an equivalent complement pattern.
When ask means request an action from a person, Cambridge documents ask + person + to-infinitive. Bare “ask doing” is not the ordinary request complement for that meaning.
Cambridge directly documents both badger + object + into + -ing and badger + object + to-infinitive for repeated pressure or requests that push someone toward an action. The verb also covers repeated questioning, so context must show whether the sentence is about persistent persuasion or interrogation rather than assuming every use names a requested action.
Cambridge directly illustrates bamboozle + object + into + -ing for deceiving someone so that the person takes an action. The cited entry does not establish bamboozle + object + to-infinitive as an equally documented alternative, so this guide does not manufacture a two-way rule.
Cambridge explicitly documents beg + object + to-infinitive for an urgent request and also records beg for + noun and other request patterns. A following -ing form may appear elsewhere in a sentence, but it is not the ordinary replacement for the documented object + to-infinitive request construction.
Cambridge gives direct evidence for beguile someone into doing something in the literary persuade/attract/deceive sense. The cited entry supports the into + -ing construction; it does not establish beguile + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent pattern for this meaning.
