Persist In Doing vs. Persist To Do
Cambridge records persist in + -ing for continuing an action despite difficulty or opposition. The preposition in governs the following -ing form in this construction, so “persist to do” should not be substituted as its direct parallel.
Use “persist in doing” when you mean continue doing something despite difficulty or opposition. “Persist to do” is not the parallel complement pattern.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| continue an action despite difficulty or opposition | persist in + -ing | Use “persist in doing.” |
| bare complement “persist to do” | persist to do | Do not use this as the parallel complement pattern. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you expressing continued action after “persist”?
If yes: Use “persist in + -ing.”
If no: Do not substitute bare “to do” for the documented “in + -ing” complement.
Examples
She persisted in asking for a written answer.
“Persist in + -ing” expresses continuing the action.
They persisted in trying despite the setbacks.
The same construction works with another continued action.
Further guidance
Boundary
This guide compares the action-complement pattern only. A to-infinitive elsewhere in a larger sentence can have another role and is not automatically governed by persist.
Construction
The established action complement is persist in + -ing; persist can also appear without that complement when the continued action is supplied by context.
Decision
Use “persist in doing” when you mean continue doing something despite difficulty or opposition. “Persist to do” is not the parallel complement pattern.
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.
- persist — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Current dictionary construction showing persist in + -ing for continuing an action.