Negative gerund (not doing)
Negative gerund (not doing) means “Negative gerund: not goes directly before the -ing form”. To make a gerund negative, put not directly before the -ing form: He apologized for not calling. Formation: not + V-ing
Negative gerund: not goes directly before the -ing form
B2Formation
not + V-ing
Explanation
To make a gerund negative, put not directly before the -ing form: He apologized for not calling. The not stays with the gerund, not with the main verb, so I regret not going (I did not go, and I regret it) is different from I don't regret going. This pattern follows prepositions and gerund verbs: Thank you for not smoking.
Examples
Note
Do not confuse not V-ing with the negative infinitive not to do; each follows different verbs: forget not calling vs decide not to call.
FAQ
Negative gerund (not doing) — what does it mean and how is it used?
Negative gerund: not goes directly before the -ing form. To make a gerund negative, put not directly before the -ing form: He apologized for not calling. The not stays with the gerund, not with the main verb, so I regret not going (I did not go, and I regret it) is different from I don't regret going. This pattern follows prepositions and gerund verbs: Thank you for not smoking.
Negative gerund (not doing) — how do you form it?
not + V-ing
Negative gerund (not doing) — any usage notes?
Do not confuse not V-ing with the negative infinitive not to do; each follows different verbs: forget not calling vs decide not to call.