in order not to: ✓ in order not to + INFINITIVE, so as not to + INFINITIVE ✗ not to + INFINITIVE

By | February 2, 2017
in order not to + INFINITIVE, so as not to + INFINITIVE
not to + INFINITIVE
I don’t like these cold, precise, perfect people, who, in order not to speak wrong, never speak at all, and in order not to do wrong, never do anything.
Non mi piacciono quelle persone fredde, precise e perfette che, per non sbagliare a parlare, non parlano affatto, e per non sbagliare, non fanno mai nulla.
– Henry Ward Beecher
✓ I got everything ready the night before in order not to forget anything the next morning.
✗ I got everything ready the night before *to not/not to forget* anything the next morning.
Ho preparato tutto la sera prima per non dimenticare niente la mattina dopo.
In affirmative sentences, the expression in order to is optional. For example, we can say:
✓ I’m not competitive. I just play in order to relax. OR I’m not competitive. I just play to relax.
Non sono competitiva. Gioco solamante per rilassarmi.
However, in negative sentences, we must use in order not to or so as not to. For example:
✓ He’s a celebrity but he tries to lead an ordinary lifestyle in order/so as not to attract attention to himself.
✗ He’s a celebrity but he tries to lead an ordinary lifestyle *not to* attract attention to himself.
E’ un VIP ma cerca di condurre uno stile di vita normale per non attirare l’attenzione su se stesso.

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