Resign Yourself To Doing vs. Resign Yourself To Do
Oxford documents resign yourself to doing something for accepting an unpleasant situation that cannot be changed. The to in resign yourself to is prepositional in this pattern, so an -ing form can follow it; do not infer a matching resign yourself to + bare infinitive pattern.
Use resign yourself to + -ing for the documented construction.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| accept an unwelcome situation or activity as unavoidable | resign yourself to + noun/-ing | Here “to” is a preposition, so an -ing activity can follow it. |
| accept a noun-like situation | resign yourself to + noun | The same preposition can introduce a noun phrase. |
| use direct “resign yourself to do” as the parallel complement | not the documented equivalent | Do not reinterpret prepositional “to” as an infinitive marker in this construction. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you expressing reluctant acceptance after “resign yourself to”?
If yes: Use a noun or -ing form after the preposition “to.”
If no: If you mean a different sense of “resign,” choose that construction; direct “resign yourself to do” is not the parallel complement.
Examples
She resigned herself to waiting another hour.
The -ing clause follows prepositional “to.”
He resigned himself to the delay.
A noun phrase follows the same preposition.
They resigned themselves to changing the schedule.
The activity being accepted is expressed with -ing.
Further guidance
Boundary
The to in resign yourself to is prepositional in this pattern, so an -ing form can follow it; do not infer a matching resign yourself to + bare infinitive pattern.
Construction
Oxford documents resign yourself to doing something for accepting an unpleasant situation that cannot be changed.
Decision
Use resign yourself to + -ing for the documented construction.
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.
- resign yourself to (opens in a new tab)Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries · Preferred lexical authority directly documenting resign yourself to doing something.