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English UsageComparison guide

Scare Someone Into Doing vs. Scare Someone To Do

Cambridge directly documents scare + object + into + -ing for causing or persuading someone to act by frightening them. Scare has other constructions for producing fear, including scare + object and phrasal uses such as scare away/off; those meanings should not be collapsed into the complement comparison.

ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionEnglish Usage
Quick answer

Use “scare someone into doing something” for the directly documented action pattern; this evidence does not establish “scare someone to do” as the parallel complement.

Key details

Confusion Familygrammar-and-usage distinction
Rule Familyverb-complement and object pattern
TermsScare Someone Into Doing, Scare Someone To Do

Choose the right form

Decision table for Scare Someone Into Doing vs. Scare Someone To Do
Meaning / situationForm / constructionDecision
frighten someone so that the fear causes or pressures an actionscare + person + into + -ingUse the directly documented action pattern.
simply make someone afraidscare + personThis is a separate construction and does not require an action complement.
drive or cause someone/something to leavescare away / scare offThese phrasal uses are separate from the “into + -ing” comparison.

Quick tests

Meaning / construction test

Are you naming an action someone took because they were frightened or pressured by fear?

If yes: Use “scare someone into doing.”

If no: Use the construction for the intended fear sense; the reviewed evidence does not establish “scare someone to do” as the parallel complement.

Caveat: This guide compares the directly documented action complement. Other ordinary constructions such as “scare someone” and “scare away/off” remain separate.

Examples

Example

The warning scared them into leaving early.

“Into + -ing” names the action caused by fear.

Example

The noise scared the birds away.

This is the separate phrasal construction “scare away.”

Example

The sudden bang scared me.

Here “scare” directly takes the person affected, with no action complement.

Further guidance

Boundary

Scare has other constructions for producing fear, including scare + object and phrasal uses such as scare away/off; those meanings should not be collapsed into the complement comparison.

Construction

Cambridge directly documents scare + object + into + -ing for causing or persuading someone to act by frightening them.

Decision

Use “scare someone into doing something” for the directly documented action pattern; this evidence does not establish “scare someone to do” as the parallel complement.

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.

  1. scare someone into doing something — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Scare + object + into + -ing construction

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