English.me

“To not to” or “not to”: which is correct?

The short answer

Not to is the correct structure for expressing the negative form of an infinitive phrase in English.

Grammatical error

Why people get it wrong

People often mistakenly use to not to by confusing the placement of not within an infinitive phrase; it’s an attempt to negate an action improperly.

Examples with not to

  • I told him not to go.
  • She asked us not to make noise.
  • They decided not to attend the meeting.

Quick check

I told him   go.

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