Press-gang Someone Into Doing vs. Press-gang Someone To Do
Oxford directly documents “press-gang somebody into something/into doing something” for forcing somebody to do something unwanted. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish “press-gang someone to do” as an equivalent complement.
Use “press-gang someone into doing” for the directly documented coercive construction; do not infer “press-gang someone to do.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| coerce a person into an action | press-gang + person + into + -ing | Use the directly documented construction. |
| historical literal recruitment sense | press-gang + person | The verb can occur without an action complement when the recruited person is the object. |
| person + to-infinitive as a parallel coercive complement | not established by the reviewed source | Do not substitute “press-gang someone to do” as if equally documented. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you expressing the action that someone was coerced into performing?
If yes: Use “press-gang someone into doing something.”
If no: If no action complement is needed, use the verb according to its documented object pattern; do not infer a parallel “to do” construction.
Examples
They were press-ganged into joining the project.
“Into” plus -ing expresses the action imposed by coercion.
He said he had been press-ganged into helping.
The documented coercive complement is “into” + -ing.
The account describes sailors who were press-ganged.
The verb can stand without an action complement when the people affected are already the object.
Further guidance
Boundary
The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish “press-gang someone to do” as an equivalent complement.
Construction
Oxford directly documents “press-gang somebody into something/into doing something” for forcing somebody to do something unwanted.
Decision
Use “press-gang someone into doing” for the directly documented coercive construction; do not infer “press-gang someone 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.
- press-gang verb — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries · Oxford learner-dictionary evidence directly documenting the press-gang someone into doing construction