Thank Someone For Doing vs. Thank Someone To Do
Cambridge gives “thank someone for something” and the example “He thanked me for taking him home,” directly supporting for + -ing after thank.
Use “thank someone for doing something” when naming what you are grateful for. “Thank someone to do” is not the parallel complement construction.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning | Pattern | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| name the person receiving thanks and the action being appreciated | thank + person + for + -ing | Use the documented complement. |
| name a thing/reason rather than an action | thank + person + for + noun | Use the same “for” relation. |
| use object + to-infinitive to name the appreciated act | thank someone to do | Do not treat this as the parallel complement construction. |
Quick tests
Reason-for-thanks test
Does the following action state what you are grateful to the person for?
If yes: Use “thank + person + for + -ing.”
If no: Use a different structure if the infinitive expresses some separate purpose or relation.
Caveat: A to-infinitive can appear elsewhere in a sentence, but “thank” does not normally select person + to-infinitive to name the act being appreciated.
Examples
I thanked Maya for checking the figures.
“For + -ing” names the action being appreciated.
We thanked the volunteers for staying late.
The person is thanked for a completed action.
She thanked him for the quick reply.
A noun phrase can also follow “for” when it names the reason for thanks.
Further guidance
Boundary
A to-infinitive may appear elsewhere to express purpose or another relation, but thank does not normally select someone + to-infinitive to name the act being appreciated.
Construction
The conventional complement is thank + person + for + noun/-ing clause when the following action is the reason, conduct, or circumstance being referred to.
Decision
Use “thank someone for doing something” when naming what you are grateful for. “Thank someone to do” is not the parallel complement construction.
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.
- thank — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Current dictionary construction showing thank someone for something, including for + -ing.