Phrase Usage – How to Use the ‘To Do Not’ Phrase

phrase-usage

Is it possible that the phrase is correct?

"To do or to do not that is the question."

I know that the usual order would be:
"To do or not to do"

Best Answer

I see no reason why "to do not" would be ungrammatical. In fact, there's a novel by Hemingway with the title: To Have and Have Not. The negative adverb, here, is placed after the infinitive.

While this shows that the phrase to do not is grammatical, it does not show that the phrase is idiomatic. In fact, I would recommend against using to do not. First, it does not have much precedent, as this ngram search reveals. Second, it could easily be confused with the phrase to do naught. This play on words might be intentional in the phrase to have not, but not in your case.

Related Topic