encourage to

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "encourage to" is not correct in English as it is incomplete and requires an object to follow it.
You can use it when you want to express support for someone to take a specific action, but it needs to be followed by a verb or a noun. Example: "I encourage you to pursue your dreams."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

What policies would you encourage to stimulate growth?

The New York Times

"Who do you encourage to do this important public service if its just a holding operation?

The Guardian

He has not helped himself by publicly ridiculing professionals, such as university lecturers, whom he is trying to encourage to accept reform.

The Economist

Some you need to encourage to be a bit more forward; others start very quickly, so you help them to calm down and loosen up.

The Guardian

League tables are powerful drivers of school behaviour, and we need the behaviour they encourage to be aligned with the outcomes we want to see.

The Guardian - Opinion

The new challenger banks –which the chancellor is keen to encourage to boost competition – including Virgin Money will also take the hit.

The Guardian - Business

It could lead to domestic tension in Lebanon that Syria would highlight, and even encourage, to reaffirm its indispensability to civil peace.

The New York Times

I am now trying to understand what has happened to Lee for my students, who I want to encourage to be curious, courageous journalists.

The Guardian

Therefore, these conditions encourage to enhance evaporating with natural ventilation and save energy.

International Journal of Energy and Environmental Engineering

Can use some features of appropriate body language encourage to and display interest.

Language Testing in Asia

It's not just for cloud, we encourage to deploy to cloud, but we support ftp servers….

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When you want to express that you are giving support to someone to do something, always follow "encourage" with a direct object (the person being encouraged) and then the word "to" followed by the action. For example, "I encourage her to apply" is correct.

Common error

A frequent error is to omit the direct object when using "encourage". It is grammatically incorrect to say "I encourage to apply". You must specify who you are encouraging: "I encourage you to apply."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "encourage to" is grammatically incomplete as it requires a direct object to specify who is being encouraged. As pointed out by Ludwig AI, a correct usage would involve adding a direct object, such as "encourage someone to".

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

0%

News & Media

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Formal & Business

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "encourage to" is grammatically incorrect because it lacks a direct object, failing to specify who is being encouraged. As Ludwig AI confirms, a corrected sentence must include this object, such as in the phrase "encourage someone to". Due to this error, the phrase's intended purpose of motivation or persuasion is not effectively communicated. Therefore, it is best to use alternative phrasing like "urge someone to", "motivate someone to", or "inspire someone to", always ensuring the inclusion of the necessary direct object. No examples exist. Consequently, it's best to avoid the phrase "encourage to" in formal and informal writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

urge someone to

Replaces "encourage" with "urge" and adds the direct object "someone" for grammatical correctness.

motivate someone to

Substitutes "encourage" with "motivate", including the object "someone" for a complete structure.

inspire someone to

Changes "encourage" to "inspire" while adding "someone" to clarify who is being encouraged.

prompt someone to

Replaces "encourage" with "prompt" and ensures grammatical correctness by including "someone".

persuade someone to

Uses "persuade" in place of "encourage", adding "someone" to make the phrase grammatically sound.

advise someone to

Replaces "encourage" with "advise", adding "someone" for clarity and grammatical correctness.

recommend someone to

Switches "encourage" for "recommend", adding "someone" to fix the grammatical structure.

support someone in

Uses the verb 'support' in place of 'encourage', adding "someone" and changing the preposition to 'in' to make the phrase grammatically correct.

incentivize someone to

Replaces "encourage" with "incentivize", ensuring grammatical correctness with the addition of "someone".

invite someone to

Substitutes "encourage" with "invite", adding "someone" to complete the phrase grammatically.

FAQs

How do I properly use the word "encourage"?

The verb "encourage" requires a direct object (the person or thing being encouraged). A correct sentence structure would be: "I encourage you to try again".

What are some common mistakes when using "encourage"?

A common mistake is omitting the direct object, resulting in incorrect phrases like "encourage to apply". Always specify who or what you are encouraging.

What can I say instead of "encourage to"?

Consider using phrases like "urge someone to", "motivate someone to", or "inspire someone to" depending on the specific meaning you want to convey. Ensure that you add the direct object in the correct sentence structure.

Which is correct: "encourage to apply" or "encourage someone to apply"?

"Encourage someone to apply" is correct. The phrase "encourage to apply" is missing the direct object (the person being encouraged) and is grammatically incorrect.