Keep Doing vs. Keep To Do
Cambridge documents keep + -ing for continuing or repeatedly doing something. “Keep to” exists in separate prepositional/phrasal uses such as staying with a rule, route, or subject; that to is not an infinitive marker and does not make “keep to do” an equivalent complement.
Use “keep doing” when you mean continue or repeatedly do an activity; do not substitute direct “keep to do.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| continue or repeatedly perform an activity | keep + -ing | Use “keep doing.” |
| attempted direct infinitive for the same continuation meaning | keep + to-infinitive | Do not substitute this pattern for “keep doing.” |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Do you mean continue or repeatedly perform the activity?
If yes: Use “keep + -ing.”
If no: Use a different construction if you need an infinitive for another meaning.
Caveat: “Keep” has other constructions such as “keep to the path”; this guide is about the continuation complement.
Examples
Keep checking the status page until the notice disappears.
The repeated activity follows “keep” as an -ing form.
She kept asking the same question.
The action continued over time.
We kept working until midnight.
The -ing form expresses continuation.
Further guidance
Boundary
“Keep to” exists in separate prepositional/phrasal uses such as staying with a rule, route, or subject; that to is not an infinitive marker and does not make “keep to do” an equivalent complement.
Construction
Cambridge documents keep + -ing for continuing or repeatedly doing something.
Decision
Use “keep doing” when you mean continue or repeatedly do an activity; do not substitute direct “keep to do.”
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.
- keep — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Keep + -ing for continuing or repeatedly doing an activity