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Old 01-Apr-2006, 03:51
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Default "need" and "dare" -- as main verbs or modals?

Is it more common to use "need" and "dare" as main verbs or modals?

Which ones are more common?

"You don't/do not need to come."
"You need not come."

"I dare not ask."
"I don't/do not dare to ask."

Now, for the ones that are of opposite meaning:
"You need to not go", which means similar to "You must not go."
"I dare to not listen to you.", which sounds like that someone is challenging someone else, and is the opposite meaning of "dare not". I know that "need to not" and "dare to not" are wrong, because there's a split infinitive (to not), but does any native speaker use them?
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Old 01-Apr-2006, 11:57
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Default Re: "need" and "dare" -- as main verbs or modals?

According to the British National Corpus:
1 N'T NEED 2500
2 NOT NEED 1165
1 NEED NOT 1770
2 NEED N'T 492
Soruce http://view.byu.edu
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Old 03-Apr-2006, 08:49
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Default Re: "need" and "dare" -- as main verbs or modals?

Quote:
Originally Posted by dihen
Now, for the ones that are of opposite meaning:
"You need to not go", which means similar to "You must not go."
"I dare to not listen to you.", which sounds like that someone is challenging someone else, and is the opposite meaning of "dare not". I know that "need to not" and "dare to not" are wrong, because there's a split infinitive (to not), but does any native speaker use them?
Please answer this.
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Old 03-Apr-2006, 09:51
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Default Re: "need" and "dare" -- as main verbs or modals?

"You need to not go."
"I dare to not listen to you."
=> I don't use those structures, but I have heard them.
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