English UsageComparison guide

Order Someone To Do vs. Order Doing

When order means give an authoritative instruction, Cambridge documents order + person + to-infinitive and passive order + to-infinitive. Bare order + -ing is not the ordinary person-command equivalent and may instead belong to another sense or require a different structure.

Reviewed2026-09-28Evidence1 sourceSectionEnglish Usage

Quick answer

Use “order someone to do something” for a direct authoritative command. Do not use bare “order doing” as a direct substitute for that person + to-infinitive pattern.

Key details

Confusion Familygrammar-and-usage distinction

Rule Familyverb-complement and object pattern

TermsOrder Someone To Do, Order Doing

Choose the right form

Decision table for Order Someone To Do vs. Order Doing
Meaning / situation	Form / construction	Decision
give a direct authoritative command to a person	order + person + to-infinitive	Use the object + to-infinitive pattern.
officially require or authorize a thing/event	order + noun phrase / that-clause, as context requires	Use the construction that names what is ordered.
bare gerund used as a substitute for a commanded person + action	order doing …	Do not use this as the ordinary direct-command pattern.

Quick tests

Meaning / construction test

Are you naming the person who receives an authoritative command and the action they must perform?

If yes: Use “order someone to do …”.

If no: If no commanded person is named, use the noun or clause pattern that fits the intended sense rather than substituting bare “order doing.”

Caveat: “Order” has several transitive patterns. This page contrasts the direct person + to-infinitive command with bare “order doing,” not every possible construction of the verb.

Examples

Example

The officer ordered the driver to stop.

The person receiving the command is followed by a to-infinitive.

Example

The judge ordered a new hearing.

Here “order” takes a noun phrase naming what is required.

Example

The manager ordered the team to leave the building.

The object + to-infinitive structure expresses the direct command.

Further guidance

Boundary

Sentences about ordering goods, arranging items, or ordering something to be done have different structures and should not be collapsed into one complement rule.

Construction

Cambridge documents “order someone to do something” for authoritative instructions and also records separate commercial and arrangement senses of order.

Decision

For a command addressed to a person, use person + to-infinitive; analyze other senses separately.

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.

order — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Order + person + to-infinitive for authoritative instructions and distinct order senses

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