Shame Someone Into Doing vs. Shame Someone To Do
Cambridge directly documents shame + object + into/out of + -ing for causing a person to act or refrain from acting by making them feel ashamed. The same dictionary entry also documents shame someone out of doing something for preventing an action, so the preposition changes the direction of the pressure.
Use “shame someone into doing something” for the directly documented positive-action pattern; do not infer a parallel “shame someone to do” construction from this source.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| pressure someone by shame so that the person takes an action | shame + person + into + -ing | Use the directly documented causative pattern. |
| pressure someone by shame so that the person refrains from an action | shame + person + out of + -ing | Use the documented opposite-direction pattern. |
| treat “shame + person + to-infinitive” as an equivalent causative pattern | not established by the reviewed source | Do not infer equal support from the documented “into/out of + -ing” construction. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Does shame cause the person to take the action?
If yes: Use “shame someone into” + -ing.
If no: If shame prevents the action, the reviewed source also documents “shame someone out of” + -ing; do not invent a parallel to-infinitive rule.
Caveat: This guidance is deliberately bounded to the constructions directly documented by the reviewed dictionary source.
Examples
They tried to shame him into apologizing.
The shame is presented as pressure causing the apology.
She would not let anyone shame her into changing the answer.
“Into changing” expresses the action that the pressure is meant to cause.
The campaign shamed some residents out of littering.
The documented “out of + -ing” pattern expresses pressure against an action.
Further guidance
Boundary
The same dictionary entry also documents shame someone out of doing something for preventing an action, so the preposition changes the direction of the pressure.
Construction
Cambridge directly documents shame + object + into/out of + -ing for causing a person to act or refrain from acting by making them feel ashamed.
Decision
Use “shame someone into doing something” for the directly documented positive-action pattern; do not infer a parallel “shame someone to do” construction from this source.
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.
- shame — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Shame + object + into/out of + -ing construction