Succeed In Doing vs. Succeed To Do
Cambridge states that succeed is usually followed by the preposition in and that a following verb normally appears in the -ing form. Do not drop “in” or replace it with infinitival “to” when you mean manage to accomplish an action.
Use “succeed in doing.” Standard references normally use succeed + in + noun/-ing; “succeed to do” is not the corresponding verb-complement pattern.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / structure | Use | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| achieve an intended result in an activity | succeed in + noun / -ing | Use the documented complement pattern. |
| a following verb names the action that was successfully accomplished | succeed in + -ing | Use “succeed in doing,” not direct “succeed to do.” |
| succession to a role, title, or position | succeed + person / succeed to + office or title in its separate lexical sense | Keep the inheritance/succession sense separate from the “manage to do” question. |
Quick tests
Complement test
Does the following verb name the action in which someone achieved the intended result?
If yes: Use “succeed in + -ing.”
If no: If “succeed” means follow someone in a position or inherit a title, use the construction required by that separate sense.
Caveat: The reviewed grammar evidence establishes “succeed in doing” for the achievement complement; it does not erase other dictionary senses of “succeed.”
Examples
She succeeded in finding the missing receipt.
The -ing clause names the action in which she achieved the intended result.
The team succeeded in reducing the error rate.
“In + -ing” is the documented verb-complement pattern.
We finally succeeded in opening the damaged file.
The successful action follows “in” as an -ing form.
Further guidance
Boundary
Do not drop “in” or replace it with infinitival “to” when you mean manage to accomplish an action.
Construction
Cambridge states that succeed is usually followed by the preposition in and that a following verb normally appears in the -ing form.
Decision
Use “succeed in doing.” Standard references normally use succeed + in + noun/-ing; “succeed to do” is not the corresponding verb-complement pattern.
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.
- Word patterns: succeed — Cambridge Grammar (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Succeed is normally followed by in; with a following verb the documented pattern is succeed in doing, not succeed to do or succeed doing