Meaning & use
negative infinitive
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrasetechnical
The form 'not' followed by 'to' and a verb, used to say that an action should not or does not happen.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase in grammar study; the pattern is 'not to + base verb'.
Patterns
- not to do something
- try not to do something
- decide not to do something
In 'I decided not to go,' the phrase 'not to go' is a negative infinitive.
She promised not to tell anyone, using a negative infinitive after the verb.
The teacher explained that a negative infinitive always puts 'not' before 'to'.
Common combinations
- form a negative infinitive
- You form a negative infinitive by placing 'not' before 'to'.
- use a negative infinitive after 'decide'
- After 'decide', you can use a negative infinitive: 'She decided not to wait.'
- split negative infinitive
- Some writers avoid splitting a negative infinitive, as in 'to not go', but it is common in speech.
Commonly confused: negative infinitive or negative gerund?
negative infinitive vs negative gerund
A negative gerund uses 'not + -ing' (e.g., 'not going'), while a negative infinitive uses 'not + to + verb'.
Practice
Which sentence contains a negative infinitive?
Choose one answer.
A negative infinitive is 'not + to + verb', as in 'not to work'. Option A has a negative gerund ('not working'), option C is a negative present continuous, and option D is a negative gerund used as a subject.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “negative infinitive”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.