Undertake Doing vs. Undertake To Do
Cambridge documents undertake + to-infinitive in the formal commitment sense and also uses undertake transitively with a task or responsibility. Do not treat bare “undertake doing” as the default equivalent of “undertake to do”; choose the documented infinitive or noun construction for the intended meaning.
Use “undertake to do” for a formal promise or commitment to act; use undertake + noun for taking responsibility for a task or project. Do not treat bare “undertake doing” as the default equivalent of “undertake to do”; choose the documented infinitive or noun construction for the intended meaning.
Key details
Further guidance
Boundary
Do not treat bare “undertake doing” as the default equivalent of “undertake to do”; choose the documented infinitive or noun construction for the intended meaning.
Construction
Cambridge documents undertake + to-infinitive in the formal commitment sense and also uses undertake transitively with a task or responsibility.
Decision
Use “undertake to do” for a formal promise or commitment to act; use undertake + noun for taking responsibility for a task or project.
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.
- undertake — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Undertake + to-infinitive for formal commitment and undertake + noun
- 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