Reconcile Yourself To Doing vs. Reconcile Yourself To Do
Cambridge directly illustrates reconcile yourself to followed by an -ing clause when accepting an unwelcome situation. Here to is the preposition in reconcile yourself to something; the evidence does not license a parallel reconcile yourself to + bare infinitive pattern.
Use reconcile yourself to + -ing when the complement names the situation or activity being accepted.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| accept an unpleasant situation or activity | reconcile yourself to + noun/-ing | Here “to” is a preposition and can introduce a noun-like -ing form. |
| use a direct to-infinitive as the same complement | not the documented parallel pattern | Do not replace prepositional “to + -ing” with direct “to do.” |
| describe reconciling two people/things rather than accepting a situation | use the construction for that separate sense | Keep this page bounded to “reconcile yourself to.” |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you expressing acceptance of a situation or activity after “reconcile yourself to”?
If yes: Use “reconcile yourself to” plus a noun or -ing form.
If no: If the intended sense is different, choose the construction for that sense; direct “reconcile yourself to do” is not the parallel complement.
Examples
She reconciled herself to working longer hours.
The preposition “to” is followed by the -ing activity.
He reconciled himself to the delay.
A noun phrase can follow the same preposition.
They eventually reconciled themselves to changing the schedule.
The -ing phrase names the situation being accepted.
Further guidance
Boundary
Here to is the preposition in reconcile yourself to something; the evidence does not license a parallel reconcile yourself to + bare infinitive pattern.
Construction
Cambridge directly illustrates reconcile yourself to followed by an -ing clause when accepting an unwelcome situation.
Decision
Use reconcile yourself to + -ing when the complement names the situation or activity being accepted.
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.
- reconcile yourself to sth — Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Preferred lexical authority directly documenting reconcile yourself to + -ing in an example.