"need do" or "need to do"

'Need' can be followed directly by a bare infinitive only after a negative introduction: I don't think we need go.

I was also going to suggest examples like "You hardly/seldom/scarcely need ask", but these may be intended to come in the "negative introduction" category.

Another possible case is with "only", e.g. "You only need ask" (though "You need only ask" is probably more common).

healer When do we say "need do" and "need to do"?

In assertive contexts, you have to use "need to do"; in non-assertive contexts (interrogation, negation), you can use either one.

See

CJ

Thanks! It helps. By the way, all your examples are in passive voice and in neuter gender. Do we say "We need not correct." and "Need we correct?" While modal "need" is an alternative with the negative and interrogative context, when do people use them instead of the others? There must be some subtle difference in term of usage.

Thanks! Are you saying with "only" and "hardly/seldom/scarcely", it is alright to say "need" without a following "to"?

Thanks!

healerWhile modal "need" is an alternative with the negative and interrogative context, when do people use them instead of the others?

For me, there is a tendency (with certain exceptions) for the forms without "to" to sound formal or even old-fashioned. In ordinary conversational English, "to" is most often included. Personally I would never use the "to"-less

healerDo we say "We need not correct." and "Need we correct?"

Yes, those are fine.

healerWhile modal "need" is an alternative with the negative and interrogative context, when do people use them instead of the others? There must be some subtle difference in term of usage.

As already mentioned above, modal "need" is hardly ev

GPYFor me, there is a tendency (with certain exceptions) for the forms without "to" to sound formal or even old-fashioned. In ordinary conversational English, "to" is most often included. Personally I would never use the "to"-less version in an ordinary negative or interrogative. For example, I would never say "You don't need go" / "Do you need go?", always "You don't nee

GPYThe pattern "subject + needn't + verb" is quite common in my everyday language.

That's got to be a British custom, right? I don't hear it here but rarely.

CJ