Terrify Someone Into Doing vs. Terrify Someone To Do
Oxford directly documents “terrify somebody into (doing) something” for fear causing an action. The cited construction directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish terrify + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement pattern.
Use “terrify someone into doing” for the directly documented pattern; do not infer equal support for “terrify someone to do.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning | Pattern | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| fear causes or pressures someone into an action | terrify + person + into + -ing | Use the directly documented construction. |
| name the resulting action after into | into + -ing | Keep the gerund after the preposition. |
| use object + to-infinitive as an assumed equivalent | terrify someone to do | Do not infer this parallel from the reviewed evidence. |
Quick tests
Fear-caused-action test
Do you mean that fear caused or pressured the person into performing the following action?
If yes: Use “terrify someone into doing.”
If no: Use a different construction that matches the intended meaning.
Caveat: The reviewed Oxford entry directly supports “into + -ing”; it does not establish “terrify + object + to-infinitive” as an equivalent complement pattern.
Examples
The sudden losses terrified investors into selling too quickly.
Fear is presented as causing the action through the documented “into + -ing” pattern.
The threats terrified the witness into leaving town.
The action follows “into” as an -ing form.
The alarm terrified the dog into hiding under the table.
The construction links fear to the resulting action.
Further guidance
Boundary
The cited construction directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish terrify + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement pattern.
Construction
Oxford directly documents “terrify somebody into (doing) something” for fear causing an action.
Decision
Use “terrify someone into doing” for the directly documented pattern; do not infer equal support for “terrify someone to do.”
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.
- terrify verb — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries · Oxford learner-dictionary evidence directly documenting terrify + object + into + -ing