I must be careful not to lose vs I must be careful to not lose

Both phrases are correct, but the more common structure is 'I must be careful not to lose.' The placement of 'not' before 'to lose' is the standard form in English.

Last updated: March 31, 2024 • 3936 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"I must be careful not to lose "

This phrase is used to express the need to be cautious in order to avoid losing something.

Examples:

I must be careful not to lose my keys again.
She must be careful not to lose her temper during the meeting.
You must be careful not to lose focus on your goals.
He must be careful not to lose sight of his values.
They must be careful not to lose track of time.

Show examples from the web [+]

Earlier, I heard one speaker say that we must be careful not to lose our citizens.
We have to be careful not to lose the emotion.
I have to be careful not to lose my footing.
Be careful not to lose your soul.
Be careful not to lose your 10000 francs...
Be careful not to lose his job.
You just got to be careful not to lose your separate selves along the way.
From now on, we must all be careful not to lose the King's love, or everything is lost.
We must therefore be careful not to lose sight of our responsibilities to Central Asia simply because we wish to strengthen relations with countries adjacent to the EU to its immediate east.
Careful not to lose it on the way, Sticky Fingers. It's been counted.
The Americans are no angels when it comes to WTO negotiations and we have to be very careful not to lose out in those negotiations.
But in front of the others, I must be careful not to reveal myself.
[Enid] I must be careful not to make the same mistake.
Into the woods without delay But careful not to lose the way
Be careful, don't lose my tapes.
Be careful, you could lose your fingerprints.
We must be careful not to warn him.
We must be careful not to give him an excuse.
In developing a standard, the Union must be careful not to stifle innovation.
Young girls must be careful not to be bothered by bad men.

Alternatives:

I must be careful to not lose
I must be careful so as not to lose
I must be careful in order not to lose
I must be careful to avoid losing
I must be careful to prevent losing

This phrase is correct but less common in English.

"I must be careful to not lose "

This phrase is also used to convey the idea of being cautious to prevent losing something, but the placement of 'to not lose' is less typical.

Examples:

I must be careful to not lose my train of thought.
She must be careful to not lose her balance on the tightrope.
You must be careful to not lose your way in the forest.
He must be careful to not lose his patience with the children.
They must be careful to not lose their luggage at the airport.

Show examples from the web [+]

Earlier, I heard one speaker say that we must be careful not to lose our citizens.
We have to be careful not to lose the emotion.
I have to be careful not to lose my footing.
Be careful not to lose your soul.
Be careful not to lose your 10000 francs...
Be careful not to lose his job.
Be careful, don't lose my tapes.
Be careful, you could lose your fingerprints.
Third, we need to increase the use of combined heat and power, and we must be careful that this option does not lose out because of the liberalisation of the internal energy market.
You just got to be careful not to lose your separate selves along the way.
From now on, we must all be careful not to lose the King's love, or everything is lost.
One must be careful to has the advantage in such situations.
In addition we must be careful to avoid tripping up here.
However, we must be careful to ensure that the information is properly calculated and presented.
We must be careful to avoid contradiction here.
Nevertheless, we must be careful to consider which combination of instruments will be particularly effective.
Better. But I must be careful.
She warned me that I must be careful.
Of course, I must be careful...
I must be careful what I say.

Alternatives:

I must be careful not to lose
I must be careful so as not to lose
I must be careful in order not to lose
I must be careful to avoid losing
I must be careful to prevent losing

How TextRanch works

Fast and reliable proofreading, editing, and language advice tailored to your needs.

1. Choose Your Service

Quick Text Editing

Emails and short texts
Proofreading & editing
Ready in 5-10 minutes

SUBMIT YOUR TEXT NOW

Document Editing

Documents of any type (*.docx)
Advanced & Premium editing
Ready in as little as 4 hours

UPLOAD YOUR DOCUMENT

Ask an Editor

Personalized answers to your language questions
Expert guidance on grammar, style, and usage
Ready in 24 hours

ASK YOUR QUESTION

Upload your document or paste your text directly into our platform. Your text is reviewed and refined by our expert editors (real people, not machines) who understand the nuances of English. Expect corrections, improvements, and insightful suggestions that enhance the clarity, tone, and professionalism of your writing.

3. Receive Your Polished Text

In just a few minutes (or hours for longer documents), you'll receive your corrected text. Review the changes, make any final adjustments, and confidently share your polished English with the world.
You can count on a personalized, friendly service every time you use TextRanch. We're committed to helping you make a great impression with every word you write.

We proofread and edit these types of texts and documents:

Short texts Business Emails Personal Emails Social media posts Resume and Curriculum Vitae Business documents Sales proposal Research and academic papers Thesis Dissertation Essays Articles Blog posts and much more....

Our Customers Love Us!

We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283125 votes, and

4.9 Excellent - Reviews 2.137

"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"

Zubair
from Bangladesh

"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"

Arturo
from Mexico

"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."

Selena
from USA

"Wow, it's just so excellent. I never would have believed I could have a sure and excellent English companion. Thanks, TextRanch."

Ifiok
from Nigeria

"This is my first time using TextRanch, and I like how the editors take time to correct my text. To everyone who has never used TextRanch before, I highly recommend trying it."

Wilson
from France

"It is an amazing source of feedback because, as a non-native speaker, I really need to have a reliable helper correct my text."

Susan
from Germany

I must be careful not to lose vs I must be careful to not lose