adjective + NOT TO + infinitive (be careful not to disturb them) – English Grammar Profiler

Here’s a student example in a speaking test of ‘BE + adjective + not + to-infinitive‘ to give emphasis:

TLC male Sri Lanka B1

*We can also write this sentence: You should be careful that you do not disturb them…

*Any verb before this structure would mark more complexity than ‘BE’, and the difference between an adjective and a past participle is very small in corpora tagging, so we do two searches:

_V _JJ not _TO * (verb adjective not to-infinitive)

1 BE CAREFUL NOT TO GET 1994 2 BE CAREFUL NOT TO LET 1096 3 BE SURE NOT TO MISS 1037 4 BE CAREFUL NOT TO USE 952 5 BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN 750 6 BE CAREFUL NOT TO DAMAGE 693 7 BE CAREFUL NOT TO MAKE 667 8 BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERDO 603 9 BE CAREFUL NOT TO CUT 538 10 BE CAREFUL NOT TO GO 459 11 BE CAREFUL NOT TO TAKE 393 12 BE CAREFUL NOT TO TOUCH 371 13 BE CAREFUL NOT TO LOSE 367 14 BE CAREFUL NOT TO PUT 366 15 BE REMISS NOT TO MENTION 365 16 BE CAREFUL NOT TO FALL 364 17 BE CAREFUL NOT TO BREAK 358

18 BE CAREFUL NOT TO CONFUSE 354

19 MAKE SURE NOT TO MISS 353

You must make sure not to miss out on anything.

volunteeringsolutions.com

20 BE SURE NOT TO USE 331 21 BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERCOOK 329 22 BE CAREFUL NOT TO ADD 297 23 MAKE SURE NOT TO USE 282 24 MAKE SURE NOT TO GET 270 25 BEING CAREFUL NOT TO CUT 261 26 BEING CAREFUL NOT TO GET 261 27 IS IMPORTANT NOT TO CONFUSE 257 28 BEING CAREFUL NOT TO LET 248 29 BE CAREFUL NOT TO SCRATCH 247 30 BE CAREFUL NOT TO ALLOW 246 31 BEING CAREFUL NOT TO BURN 241 32 BE CAREFUL NOT TO LEAVE 235 33 BE CAREFUL NOT TO PUSH 231 34 BE CAREFUL NOT TO DROP 227 35 BE CAREFUL NOT TO PULL 225 36 BE CAREFUL NOT TO APPLY 223 37 ‘S IMPORTANT NOT TO GET 223 38 IS BEST NOT TO USE 218 39 BE SURE NOT TO GET 215 40 BEING CAREFUL NOT TO BREAK 194 41 BEING CAREFUL NOT TO DAMAGE 189 42 ‘S BEST NOT TO USE 181 43 IS IMPORTANT NOT TO LET 179 44 BE CAREFUL NOT TO HIT 177 45 BEING CAREFUL NOT TO TOUCH 175 46 IS IMPORTANT NOT TO FORGET 168 47 BE SURE NOT TO LET 165 48 ‘S IMPORTANT NOT TO FORGET 163 49 IS IMPORTANT NOT TO GET 163 50 ‘S IMPORTANT NOT TO LET 157 51 IS IMPORTANT NOT TO USE 148 52 BE CAREFUL NOT TO BEND 142 53 BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERHEAT 141 54 BE CAREFUL NOT TO GIVE 141 55 BE SURE NOT TO LEAVE 141 56 ‘S IMPORTANT NOT TO LOSE 136 57 IS IMPORTANT NOT TO LOSE 134 58 BEING CAREFUL NOT TO DISTURB 133 59 BE CAREFUL NOT TO CREATE 132 60 BE CAREFUL NOT TO MIX 131 61 BE CAREFUL NOT TO PRESS 131 62 BE CAREFUL NOT TO PLACE 130 63 ‘S IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO FEEL 128 64 BE CAREFUL NOT TO REMOVE 127 65 BE CAREFUL NOT TO MOVE 115 66 WAS SURPRISED NOT TO SEE 109 67 IS IMPORTANT NOT TO TAKE 106 68 BE CAREFUL NOT TO RUB 105 69 BE CAREFUL NOT TO BECOME 104 70 BEING CAREFUL NOT TO TEAR 104 71 ‘S BEST NOT TO GET 103 72 IS IMPORTANT NOT TO MAKE 103 73 BE CAREFUL NOT TO DISTURB 101 74 BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERLOAD 101 75 IS IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO FEEL 101 76 BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERFILL 100 77 MAKING SURE NOT TO CUT 99 78 IS BETTER NOT TO USE 98 79 BE CAREFUL NOT TO ASSUME 92 80 BE CAREFUL NOT TO MISS 90 81 ‘S IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO GET 88 82 MAKING SURE NOT TO GET 88 83 BE CAREFUL NOT TO TURN 86 84 BE CAREFUL NOT TO RUN 83 85 BEING CAREFUL NOT TO TWIST 83 86 BE CAREFUL NOT TO STEP 82 87 ‘S IMPORTANT NOT TO CONFUSE 82 88 ‘S DIFFICULT NOT TO FEEL 82 89 IS IMPORTANT NOT TO OVERLOOK 81 90 MAKE SURE NOT TO LEAVE 80 91 BE BLIND NOT TO SEE 79 92 ‘S BEST NOT TO TAKE 78 93 BE SURE NOT TO FORGET 77 94 BE CAREFUL NOT TO EXCEED 76 95 MAKE SURE NOT TO GO 76 96 BE CRAZY NOT TO TAKE 74 97 BE REMISS NOT TO INCLUDE 74 98 IS SURE NOT TO DISAPPOINT 74 99 BE CAREFUL NOT TO SET 73

100 IS BEST NOT TO TAKE 73

_VVN

1 ARE CAUTIONED NOT TO PLACE 730 2 WAS DETERMINED NOT TO LET 241 3 WAS TOLD NOT TO WORRY 192 4 BE ASKED NOT TO EAT 173 5 ARE ADVISED NOT TO USE 148 6 IS DETERMINED NOT TO LET 141 7 HAVE DECIDED NOT TO GO 121 8 BE TAKEN NOT TO DAMAGE 111 9 HAVE DECIDED NOT TO USE 104 10 IS RECOMMENDED NOT TO USE 103 11 HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO USE 99 12 WERE DETERMINED NOT TO LET 97 13 ARE CAUTIONED NOT TO ASSUME 97 14 ARE ADVISED NOT TO TAKE 94 15 WAS TOLD NOT TO USE 92 16 HAVE DECIDED NOT TO TAKE 91 17 HAVE AGREED NOT TO DISCLOSE 83 18 HAS DECIDED NOT TO RENEW 81 19 ARE CAUTIONED NOT TO PUT 79 20 BEEN TOLD NOT TO USE 77 21 HAS CHOSEN NOT TO NAME 75 22 HAVE DECIDED NOT TO PURSUE 69 23 HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO PARTICIPATE 68 24 HAS DECIDED NOT TO TAKE 68 25 HAS DECIDED NOT TO PURSUE 66 26 HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO TAKE 65 27 ARE ADVISED NOT TO DRINK 65 28 ARE DETERMINED NOT TO LET 64 29 HAS DECIDED NOT TO GO 62 30 WAS TOLD NOT TO GO 59 31 BE ADVISED NOT TO TAKE 59 32 BE CONCEIVED NOT TO EXIST 59 33 HAS DECIDED NOT TO PROCEED 58 34 ARE ADVISED NOT TO EAT 57 35 BE TOLD NOT TO EAT 56 36 ARE ADVISED NOT TO CONSUME 55 37 BE ADVISED NOT TO DRIVE 54 38 HAVE DECIDED NOT TO RENEW 53 39 HAS DECIDED NOT TO SEEK 53 40 HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO INCLUDE 52 41 IS ADVISED NOT TO USE 52 42 ARE ADVISED NOT TO DRIVE 51 43 HAVE DECIDED NOT TO MAKE 51 44 WERE TOLD NOT TO WORRY 48

45 HAVE DECIDED NOT TO PROCEED 48

C1 verbs: exceed, overdo, proceed, pursue, twist

C2:

cautioned, conceived, disclose, overload

If we expand the C1 verbs without adjectives in iWeb:

1 NOT TO OVERDO IT . 602 2 NOT TO PROCEED WITH THE 509 3 NOT TO PROCEED WITH A 209 4 NOT TO OVERDO IT , 167 5 NOT TO PROCEED . 97 6 NOT TO OVERDO IT WITH 87 7 NOT TO PURSUE IT . 83 8 NOT TO PURSUE A CAREER 78 9 NOT TO OVERDO IT AND 74 10 NOT TO PURSUE THE MATTER 66 11 NOT TO OVERDO IT ON 49 12 NOT TO PURSUE THE CASE 49 13 NOT TO PROCEED WITH AN 44 14 NOT TO PURSUE CRIMINAL CHARGES 42 15 NOT TO OVERDO IT THOUGH 40 16 NOT TO PROCEED WITH THIS 40 17 NOT TO PURSUE CHARGES AGAINST 39 18 NOT TO OVERDO IT ! 37 19 NOT TO PROCEED WITH YOUR 31

20 NOT TO PROCEED WITH ANY 30