It Is No Good Doing vs. It Is No Good To Do
Cambridge grammar directly lists it’s no good + -ing and illustrates the construction with an activity complement. The cited idiom licenses the -ing form; do not infer it is no good to + infinitive as an interchangeable form of the same construction from meaning alone.
Use it is/it’s no good + -ing in this idiomatic construction.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| idiomatic judgment that an action will not help or is not worthwhile | it is/it’s no good + -ing | Use the -ing construction. |
| mechanical substitution of a to-infinitive | it is no good to do | Do not treat this as the equivalent idiomatic pattern in this guide. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you using the idiom “it is no good” to say an action will not help or is not worthwhile?
If yes: Follow it with an -ing form.
If no: Recast if you need a different meaning rather than substituting a to-infinitive mechanically.
Caveat: This is an idiomatic complement pattern; “good” has many other constructions outside this expression.
Examples
It is no good arguing about the old schedule now.
The idiom is followed by an -ing form.
It’s no good waiting for a reply that will not arrive today.
“Waiting” supplies the action judged unhelpful.
It was no good trying the same password again.
The past-tense frame still takes the -ing complement.
Further guidance
Boundary
The cited idiom licenses the -ing form; do not infer it is no good to + infinitive as an interchangeable form of the same construction from meaning alone.
Construction
Cambridge grammar directly lists it’s no good + -ing and illustrates the construction with an activity complement.
Decision
Use it is/it’s no good + -ing in this idiomatic 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.
- English Grammar in Use, Unit 63: Expressions + -ing (excerpt) (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Cambridge grammar reference directly documenting have trouble doing, spend/waste time doing, and it is no good doing.