Help the sci-fi author complete this dramatic scene from a time-travel novel.

Before jumping into the portal, the time traveler told _____ the big red button under any circumstances!

The correct answer is his assistant not to touch.

After verbs like tell or ask, we use an object (his assistant) followed by a to-infinitive. To make it negative, place not directly before the to-infinitive.

Structure: tell + object + not + to + base verb