The correct position of "not".

Question

I read from a news item on NPR and I'm confused by the position of the word "not". Here are two sentences that I excerpt from the news: ...try to not say too much about....;...that we tend to not think too much about...
However, I prefer to put the word "not" before the word "to". So instead of saying "try to not say..", I would say "try not to say..". Which one is correct?

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

(The following is current US usage.)

I'll try to not say too much about her daughter marrying that unemployed guy. (This is grammatical but sounds a little stilted. This pattern is used when the speaker is trying to sound sophisticated and intellectual, which is the general tone on NPR.)

I'll try not to say too much about her daughter marrying that unemployed guy. (This is more informal and what would most often be heard.)

It's often the case that we tend to not think too much about endangered species. (Again, rather stilted, but if you're trying to sound intellectual, this is the way to speak.)

It's often the case that we tend not to think too much about endangered species. (More informal and what you'd typically hear.

The correct position of "not".

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions