Wheedle Someone Into Doing vs. Wheedle Someone To Do
Cambridge directly illustrates wheedle + object + into + -ing for persuading by praise or deliberate charm. The cited dictionary does not establish wheedle + object + to-infinitive as an equally documented alternative, so this guide does not infer symmetry between the two forms.
Use “wheedle someone into doing something” for the directly documented action pattern; do not assume “wheedle someone to do” has the same support from this evidence.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Context | Use | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| persuade someone by charm or praise into an action | wheedle someone into doing | Use the directly documented “into + -ing” construction. |
| trying to treat a to-infinitive as an equal parallel complement | do not assume equivalence | The reviewed source does not establish the to-infinitive pattern as equally supported. |
| different syntax around “wheedle” | check the specific construction | Keep the recommendation bounded to the documented object + into + -ing pattern. |
Quick tests
Decision test
Are you expressing the action someone is persuaded into performing?
If yes: Use “wheedle + object + into + -ing.”
If no: Do not infer that “wheedle + object + to-infinitive” is an equivalent standard pattern from this evidence.
Caveat: The evidence establishes the “into + -ing” construction; this page does not claim every other syntactic use of “wheedle” is impossible.
Examples
They wheedled him into staying for another hour.
The documented construction is object + into + -ing.
She wheedled the committee into reconsidering the proposal.
The persuaded action follows “into” as an -ing form.
The child wheedled his parents into buying the toy.
The action being persuaded follows the evidenced pattern.
Further guidance
Boundary
The cited dictionary does not establish wheedle + object + to-infinitive as an equally documented alternative, so this guide does not infer symmetry between the two forms.
Construction
Cambridge directly illustrates wheedle + object + into + -ing for persuading by praise or deliberate charm.
Decision
Use “wheedle someone into doing something” for the directly documented action pattern; do not assume “wheedle someone to do” has the same support from this evidence.
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.
- wheedle — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Wheedle + object + into + -ing construction and persuasive sense