[Grammar] Using to infinitive as the subject.

[Sujing]

If I want to make the sentence with the subject of "To infinitive" to be negative:up: such as:
To drink is very harmful.
Not to drink in the evening is very safe.

Can we use "Not" before To?

 

[Tarheel]

In a grammatical sense, the sentence with "not" in it is negative. In any case, "Not to drink in the evening is very safe" comes across as rather odd to me.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'd use the present continuous in both.

Drinking [alcohol] is harmful [to the health].
Not drinking [alcohol] is safe/safer.

However, using "To drink" sounds OK in the first but not good in the second.

 

[GoesStation]

Can we use "Not" before To?

Yes. For example, Not to act would be unthinkable. However, this construction is rare. You should find other ways to express your idea.

 

[Tarheel]

""To drink is very harmful" is certainly a grammatical sentence. Whether it is a true statement or not depends on what you drink.

 

[Tarheel]

Sujing, say:

Can we use "not" before "to"?

 

[emsr2d2]

 

[tzfujimino]

The sentence would be better with the 'dummy subject' in it: It is very safe not to drink in the evening.
I need some explanation to fully understand what it says, though.

 

[Sujing]

I would like to know, How do I make the opposite of the sentence which begin with To+ V1?

 

[Tarheel]

I would like to know, How do I make the opposite of the sentence which beginS with To+ V1?

Somebody will perhaps be able to answer that question, but it won't be me.:-|

 

[tzfujimino]

What do you mean by "the opposite of the sentence which begins with To + V1"?
If you are asking how to make the toｰinfinitive negative, then "not to ..." is correct.

(Please read GoesStation's post #4 again.)

 

[tedmc]

To begin the sentence with "not to" is odd to me.
You could say: To abstain from drinking...

 

[Sujing]

What do you mean by "the opposite of the sentence which begins with To + V1"?
If you are asking how to make the toｰinfinitive negative, then "not to ..." is correct.

(Please read GoesStation's post #4 again.)

Yes, I mean like that.

 

[GoesStation]

Yes, I mean like that.

Sujing, "V1" is not a term most of us know.

 

[Skrej]

As Goes mentioned in post #4, you can add 'not' to an infinitive used as subject.

However, as has also been mentioned, it's rare to use an infinitive as a subject. It's more common and natural sounding to use a gerund as the subject.

Using an infinitive as a subject sounds oddly formal or abstract.

As an example, consider this beginning excerpt from Hamlet's soliloquy in Act III Scene 1. It not only begins with an infinitive and negated infinitive, but makes extensive (or should I say existential? :lol use of the infinitive throughout it to create a more abstract sense.

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end...

 

[J&K Tutoring]

I'd be interested to get some opinions on two slightly different constructions with the same basic meaning:

1. not to ____

2. to not ____

By my interpretation, the use of infinitives implies agency- a purposeful will to do something. Not to do something simply means a thing did not happen (cause does not enter into it), while to not do something seems more as if the person actively chose to not do.

By that understanding, Shakespeare should have written it as: To be, or to not be: that is the question: Hamlet is deciding what he will choose to do.

Of course, that construction is not so poetic!

To drink is very harmful.
To not drink in the evening is a healthier choice.

 

[Sujing]

By that understanding, Shakespeare should have written it as: To be, or to not be: that is the question: Hamlet is deciding what he will choose to do.

Of course, that construction is not so poetic!

To drink is very harmful.
To not drink in the evening is a healthier choice.

How about these:

Telling the truth...- Not telling the truth...

To tell the truth...- To not tell the truth and Not to tell the truth...

all of not, mean telling the inaccuracy.

 

[Tarheel]

Try:

Telling the truth is a habit of mine.

And:

Not telling the truth can get you in trouble.

Hm.

 

[emsr2d2]

I still find "to + infinitive" and "not to + infinitive" somewhat less likely. Like Tarheel, I'd use the gerund.

Not drinking [alcohol] is a good way to help you lose weight.
Eating three cakes a day isn't good for you.
Telling the truth is usually a good idea.
Lying isn't a great idea.
Not telling the truth is a bad habit.
Reading to your children every night can help them fall asleep.
Photographing birds in flight is really difficult if you don't know what you're doing.