Commands & requests

What to watch out for

• Basic form: tell / ask sb to + infinitive – "Open the door." → She told me to open the door.
• With a person: tell and ask are followed by a person (tell me, ask him).
• Request vs. command: Polite requests often use ask, commands use tell.

Negation with "not to" – step by step

For a negative command (with don't), there is a fixed order. Build the sentence in three steps – using "Don't be late." as an example:

1. Reporting clause + person: He told me
2. Add not: He told me not
3. to + base form (infinitive): He told me not to be late.

Remember the order: person + not + to + verb
He told me · not · to · be late.

Important: the "don't" from direct speech disappears completely. And "not" always comes BEFORE "to".

• He told me not to be late.
• He told me to not be late. ("not" is in the wrong place after "to")
• He told me don't be late. ("don't" must not remain)

Special case "never": it stays and goes before "to" like "not": "Never give up." → She told me never to give up.