Is it okay to say, ‘She was discouraged to go to the park’? (SV Jayanthi, Chennai)
The word ‘encouraged’ can be followed by ‘to’. For example, we can say, ‘The children were encouraged to go to the park’ and ‘Sheba’s parents encouraged her to go abroad to do her PhD’. ‘Discouraged’, on the other hand, is not followed by ‘to’. When the word is used to mean to prevent someone from doing something or dissuade someone, it is usually followed by ‘from’. One is always ‘discouraged from doing something’ – and not ‘discouraged to do something’.
His wife discouraged Ram from going out with his friends.
The children were discouraged from playing cricket in the park.
Appeared in the Hindu on 10-5-21. https://www.thehindu.com/education/play-up-or-play-down-know-your-english-column/article34513191.ece
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