Postpone Doing vs. Postpone To Do
Oxford documents postpone + -ing for delaying an action until a later time. Use the -ing form for the postponed action; a direct “postpone to do” construction is not supported as the equivalent complement pattern.
Use “postpone doing,” not a direct “postpone to do,” when the postponed item is an action expressed by another verb.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| action directly postponed | postpone + -ing | Use the -ing complement. |
| noun/event directly postponed | postpone + noun | A noun phrase may be the object instead. |
| later to-infinitive belongs to another purpose/structure | not a direct alternative complement | Do not treat “postpone to do” as the parallel pattern. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Does another verb directly name the action being postponed?
If yes: Use “postpone doing.”
If no: If the object is a noun/event, use that noun phrase; a later to-infinitive may belong to a different construction.
Examples
They postponed signing the agreement.
The postponed action appears as an -ing complement.
We postponed the meeting.
A noun phrase can be the direct object of “postpone.”
They postponed leaving until Friday.
The action directly after “postponed” remains an -ing form.
Further guidance
Boundary
A later to-infinitive may express purpose or belong to another structure, but it is not a direct alternative complement after postpone.
Construction
Oxford lists “postpone doing something” as the complement pattern for an action.
Decision
Choose “postpone doing” when another verb directly follows postpone as its complement.
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.
- postpone — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries · Postpone + -ing complement pattern
- Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb + -ing? (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Verb-complement patterns, including verbs taking -ing, to-infinitive, or both with meaning differences