Oxford documents “propose doing” under the suggestion sense and “propose to do” under the formal intention sense, while also recording an -ing pattern in the intention entry. Use context to identify whether the speaker is putting forward a plan or stating an intended action.
ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionEnglish Usage
Quick answer
“Propose doing” commonly presents an action as a suggestion; “propose to do” commonly states what someone intends to do. The boundary is useful but not absolute.
Key details
Confusion Familygrammar-and-usage distinction
Rule Familyverb complement pattern
TermsPropose Doing, Propose To Do
Further guidance
Boundary
Do not present the contrast as perfectly exclusive: Oxford also documents an -ing construction within the intention sense.
Intention Pattern
Use propose + to-infinitive naturally when “propose” means formally intend to perform the action.
Suggestion Pattern
Use propose + -ing naturally when putting an action forward as a plan or suggestion for consideration.
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.
Cambridge documents both admit + -ing and admit to + -ing for acknowledging something. Other passive patterns such as “be admitted to be” are separate constructions.
Both patterns are standard. “Advise waiting” recommends an action generally or in context, while “advise him to wait” names the person who is advised to perform it. A that-clause is another standard option.
When “afford” is followed directly by another verb, standard learner references use a to-infinitive: “afford to do.” An -ing form can appear elsewhere in a sentence, but it is not a like-for-like direct complement after “afford.”
“Agree to do” expresses consent to take an action. An -ing form normally follows a preposition in patterns such as “agree with doing,” which expresses approval rather than the direct promise-to-act construction.
Cambridge documents aim + to-infinitive for intention and aim at for directing effort toward an objective. Do not omit the preposition and present bare “aim doing” as equivalent to “aim to do.”
“Allow” can take an activity as its object, as in “allow smoking,” or a person/thing followed by a to-infinitive, as in “allow visitors to enter.” The patterns answer different structural questions: what is allowed versus who is allowed to do what.
