omitting ''to'' in certain sentences

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Jackson6612

#343996 Tue, 27 Mar 07 10:02 AM

Check the following sentences:

1: You need not to bother about this.

2: You need not bother about this.

I hope both of above sentences mean the same thing. Right?

In the sentence #2 to has been omitted but still sentence #2 mean the same thing as sentence #1. There are a lot of many other sentences of this kind where to can be omitted still conserving the meaning. According to what rule can to be omitted? As a foreigner to English language I don't like sentences in which to has been omitted because they don't feel natural to me.

Jackson6612

Joined on Wed, Dec 27 2006

Senior Member (3,159)

NOTE: When you reply to my post, please look for mistakes in grammar, syntax or punctuation, and let me know of any suggestions you have. Thank you.

Marius Hancu

#344062 Tue, 27 Mar 07 01:22 PM

need is modal here, 1st shouldn't be used. Search Google:

213 for "need not to bother"
131,000 for "need not bother"

Marius Hancu

Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006

Montreal, Canada

Veteran Member (11,673)

Modals

Yankee

#344090 Tue, 27 Mar 07 02:28 PM

I would use these:

- You need not bother about this.
- You do not need to bother about this.

You should not use "need not to bother about".

Yankee

Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006

Connecticut, USA

Senior Member (4,268)

Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain

Jackson6612

#350369 Fri, 13 Apr 07 11:40 AM

Yankee wrote:
I would use these:

- You need not bother about this.
- You do not need to bother about this.

You should not use "need not to bother about".

Why is the following sentence wrong to use:

You need not to bother about this?

Jackson6612

Marius Hancu

#350373 Fri, 13 Apr 07 11:47 AM

Not in current practice, not idiomatic.

Marius Hancu

Jackson6612

#350382 Fri, 13 Apr 07 11:55 AM

Marius Hancu wrote:
Not in current practice, not idiomatic.

I couldn't understand your answer. Please explain it.

Jackson6612

Marius Hancu

#350391 Fri, 13 Apr 07 12:04 PM

The majority of educated people don't speak that way: not idiomatic.

Marius Hancu

Anonymous

#350440 Fri, 13 Apr 07 02:22 PM

To me, the reason is not being (or not being) "idiomatic", but is about grammar.

As Yankee said, you could say either

1 You need not bother about this. or
2 You do not need to bother about this.

In sentence no. 1, need is a modal verb, so the pattern is the same as must, may, could, might, can etc (Modal + Not + Bare infinitive). For instance, you'd say "You must not bother", "You may not ask", "You might not believe" etc.

In sentence no. 2, need is not a modal verb, so it follows its regular pattern, either need+to+infinitive or need+gerund, as in :
[v -ing, v to inf] This shirt needs washing. --- This shirt needs to be washed. --- All you need to do is complete this form. ----- I didn’t need to go to the bank after all. Mary lent me the money. (these examples are from OALD)