Pretend Doing vs. Pretend To Do
Oxford documents “pretend to do” and “pretend that …” for behaving as if something is true. A gerund can occur elsewhere in a sentence, but it should not be presented as an interchangeable direct complement after “pretend.”
Use “pretend to do” or a “pretend that …” clause for the ordinary false-appearance meaning. Bare “pretend doing” is not the documented parallel complement.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| make a false appearance of performing an action | pretend + to-infinitive | Use the ordinary documented action complement. |
| state a proposition that is being feigned | pretend + that-clause | Also a documented pattern. |
| bare -ing as the direct parallel complement | not the documented equivalent | Do not substitute bare “pretend doing” for “pretend to do.” |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you naming the action someone falsely appears or claims to perform?
If yes: Use “pretend to do.”
If no: If you are expressing a full proposition, a “pretend that …” clause may fit instead.
Examples
He pretended to understand the instructions.
The to-infinitive expresses the action he falsely appeared to perform.
She pretended that she had not heard the question.
A that-clause can express the proposition being feigned.
The children pretended to be explorers.
The ordinary action/state complement after “pretend” uses “to.”
Further guidance
Clause Boundary
“Pretend that …” is a normal alternative when the content is best expressed as a full clause.
Decision
When “pretend” directly introduces the feigned action or state, use the to-infinitive rather than a bare gerund.
To Infinitive
Use pretend + to-infinitive for a feigned action or state, including negative forms such as pretend not to notice.
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.
- pretend — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries · Pretend to do and pretend that-clause patterns
- 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