'Insist to Do', 'Insist Doing', or 'Insist on Doing'? Which One Is Correct? | Mastering Grammar

(Last Updated: 12 January 2024)

Insist to Do, Insist Doing, or Insist on Doing: Which One Is Correct?

The verb insist is not followed by an infinitive (to + base verb) or a gerund (a noun formed by adding -ing to a verb). Instead, we use the pattern insist on doing something. This pattern is often used to convey the idea that someone keeps doing something, even if other people think that it is annoying or a bad idea: 

✅ Anna insisted on eating seafood at the party even though there was none.
❌ Anna insisted to eat seafood at the party even though there was none.
❌ Anna insisted eating seafood at the party even though there was none.

✅ Chris insisted on finishing all his homework before going to the hospital with us.
❌ Chris insisted to finish all his homework before going to the hospital with us.
❌ Chris insisted finishing all his homework before going to the hospital with us.

✅ Dad insisted on driving even though he was tired.
❌ Dad insisted to drive even though he was tired.
❌ Dad insisted driving even though he was tired.

✅ My neighbours insist on listening to loud music every night.
❌ My neighbours insist to listen to loud music every night.
❌ My neighbours insist listening to loud music every night.

The entry for the verb insist in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

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Examples from the Media

Veigas was diagnosed with terminal cancer halfway through her studies, but despite her illness, insisted on pursuing her lifelong dream of finishing her doctorate. —Toronto Star (2017)

However, if you listen to the NSW Productivity Commission, the Property Council and Business Sydney, we risk becoming a nation of dullards, devoid of innovation because we insist on working from home in preference to commuting for hours into central business districts every day. —The Sydney Morning Herald (2022)

When she gets into Downing Street and finally opens up the books, maybe Truss will simply recalibrate. But she's certainly stubborn enough to consider charging head-on at the Treasury, the Bank of England, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and the mainstream economists she scornfully accuses of practising stale "abacus economics", or insisting on making everything actually add up. —The Guardian (2022) 

It [independence] insists on sharing what we learn — fully and fairly — regardless of whom it may upset or what the political consequences might be. —The New York Times (2023)