Is there a difference between "way of doing something" and "way to do something"?
Is there a difference between "way of doing something" and "way to do something"?
It is on purpose that I did not write "a way of doing something" or "the way of doing something" and "a way to do something" or "the way to do something"… because I feel this is where the answer lies.
Michael Swan's Practical English Usage (third edition, page 607) reads:
After way (meaning 'method/manner') we can use an infinitive structure or of … ing. There is no important difference between the two structures. There is no way to prove / of proving that he was stealing.
I, on the other hand, think there must be a difference, however slight… !
Solution 1:
My impression is that 'the way of doing' tends to be descriptive - i.e., a description of the current state or practice of doing something, whereas 'the way to do something' is prescriptive; there tends to be an insinuation that the listener had better do it that way.
"This is the way to do it" == Do it this way!
"This is the way of doing it" == This is how we do it. You are welcome to try another!
Apart from that, the phrase 'of doing it' may be the only option when 'way' is qualified by a possessive(my/your) or by a demonstrative adjective(this/that).
Solution 2:
I agree that the Swan's "no important difference" seems to imply that there might be a minor difference. The Collins Cobuild English Usage (p765), on the other hand, is categorical:
You can talk about a way of doing something or a way to do it. There is no difference in meaning.
It continues:
Note that if you use a possessive with way, you must use 'of' and an 'ing' form after it. You do not use a 'to' infinitive: They are part of the author's way of telling his story.
Solution 3:
The "WAY" itself is a metaphor here, indicating aspects and concepts of continuity or progression. Basically, this shows that our conception of time is mostly derived from our conception of progression and thus, of space. Considering the two cases in point, I would like to suggest that this continuous aspect of information is emphasized when we use "WAY of DOING it". Therefore, this 'way of coding' information is more likely to occur in a descriptive or instructional context. It might also be experienced as less authoritarian and more cooperative than any "WAY to DO it".
"THE WAY to DO it" might as well be encountered in an instructional setting, but exudes more authority with respect to doing it the 'right' way, distinguishing that specific one from others more strongly than "THE WAY of DOING it", where the definite article will tend to draw readers' attention towards a process rather than towards a choice. An indefinite article would, conversely, in both cases suggest alternatives.
Any "WAY to DO" would, however, most likely not be descriptive while referring to aspects of progression or continuity, would it? Rather, it might refer to an isolated aspect of a process, if any process at all will be necessary, since these 'ways' are not conceptualized as metaphorical journeys, but as logical gateways. Thus, any "WAY to DO it" will tend to be result-oriented instead of process-oriented, won't it?
https://computer.howstuffworks.com/boolean.htm