To write a negative sentence with "so as to", you simply need to add "not" before "to" ("so as not to").
To write a negative sentence with "so as to", you simply need to add "not" before "to" ("so as not to").
He was asked to stay out so as not to aggravate the problem.
You can start a sentence with "so as not to". In this case, add a comma after the introductory phrase.
So as not to waste resources, the system was designed in a sustainable way.
Alternatively, you can often change a negative statement into an affirmative sentence by using verbs such as "avoid", "protect", "reduce" (instead of "increase"), etc. For example, instead of saying:
So as not to take unnecessary risks, we conducted a market analysis for our business.
You can say:
So as to reduce/minimize risk, we conducted a market analysis for our business.
Can you replace "so as to" by "in order to"? Absolutely:
We did it so as not to penalize the teams.
We did it in order not to penalize the teams.
