Strive Doing vs. Strive To Do
Cambridge documents strive + to-infinitive for trying very hard to do something and strive for + noun for pursuing a goal. A bare “strive doing” construction should not be presented as an equivalent alternative.
Use “strive to do” for trying very hard to achieve an action or result. Cambridge documents strive + to-infinitive and strive for + noun; bare “strive doing” is not the parallel complement pattern.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / structure | Use | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| try very hard to perform an action or reach a result | strive + to-infinitive | Use the documented action complement. |
| try very hard for a goal named by a noun | strive for + noun | Use the documented noun pattern. |
| bare gerund as a parallel action complement | strive doing | Do not treat this as the documented counterpart to “strive to do.” |
Quick tests
Complement test
Does the complement name the action you are trying very hard to perform?
If yes: Use “strive to + base verb.”
If no: If the goal is a noun, “strive for + noun” may fit; do not substitute bare “strive + -ing” as the parallel action pattern.
Caveat: The reviewed sources document “strive + to-infinitive” and “strive for + noun”; this guide does not claim that every imaginable gerund sequence after “strive” is impossible in all contexts.
Examples
We strive to improve the service each year.
The to-infinitive names the action being pursued.
They strive for greater accuracy.
A noun goal follows “for.”
For the action complement, write “strive to reduce delays” rather than using bare “strive reducing delays.”
The documented action pattern uses the to-infinitive.
Further guidance
Boundary
An -ing form may occur elsewhere in a clause, but bare “strive doing” is not the reviewed direct complement alternative.
Construction
Cambridge gives strive + to-infinitive and strive for + noun patterns.
Decision
Use “strive to do” for an intended action; use “strive for” before a noun goal where appropriate.
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.
- strive — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Strive + to-infinitive and strive for + noun patterns
- Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb + -ing? (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Verb-complement patterns, including verbs taking -ing, to-infinitive, or both with meaning differences