26- ] Grammar American & British
Negation .
What is negation in a sentence?
In English grammar, negation is a grammatical construction that
contradicts (or negates) all or part of the meaning of a sentence. Also known
as a negative construction or standard negation.
In standard English, negative clauses and sentences commonly
include the negative particle not or the contracted negative n't. Other
negative words include no, none, nothing, nobody, nowhere, and never.
In many cases, a negative word can be formed by adding the prefix
un- to the positive form of a word (as in unhappy and undecided). Other
negative affixes (called negators) include a-, de-, dis-, in-, -less, and mis-.
In English Grammar, sentence negation is a type of negation that
affects the meaning of an entire clause. This form is also known as sentential
negation, clausal negation, and nexal negation. ... In colloquial English,
sentence negation may be achieved using phrases such as like hell or no way.
Negation is the process that turns an affirmative statement into
its opposite denial. Example: She is a nice girl - She is not a nice girl.
Verbs in English are negated by placing the word not after an auxiliary or
modal.
Below, you’ll find lists of common negative words used to negate
ideas.
Negative words:
|
No |
Not |
None |
No one |
|
Nobody |
Nothing |
Neither |
Nowhere |
|
Never |
|
|
|
Negative Adverbs:
Hardly Scarcely Barely
Negative verbs
|
Doesn’t |
Isn’t |
Wasn’t |
Shouldn’t |
|
Wouldn’t |
Couldn’t |
Won’t |
Can’t |
|
Don’t |
|
|
|
Remember, when using negatives, make sure you only use one at a
time in reference to any particular idea. Otherwise, you will create a double
negative, which is an error in English.
What is adverb of negation give examples?
Adverb of Affirmation or Negation is a word which declares that
something is true or some equivalent expression or negative statement, judgment
or a logical proposition. Some examples of affirmation and negation are -
certainly, definitely, never, no etc.
Negation, as maintained by the likes of Merriam Webster refers to
“the action or logical operation of negating or making negative”.
In simpler terms, negation defines the polar opposition of
affirmative, denies the existence or vaguely – a refutation. This is also known
as “Not”. Classical logic resembles negation with truth function which takes
truth to falsity and is perfectly capable of running the opposite operation. It
denies the truth of a sentence. It’s just the conversion of the affirmative
sentence which converts the simple affirmative sentence into negative.
Example
I like to sing = I do not like to sing.
More examples of negation
Rules of Negation:
By changing the auxiliary verb of the sentence into negative, we
can apply Negation in a sentence.
1. Negation in tense
|
1. Present Indefinite Tense Do = do not/ don’t, does = does
not/doesn’t. |
2. Present Continuous Tense Am = am not, is = is not/isn’t, are =
are not, aren’t. |
|
3. Present Perfect Tense Have = have not/haven’t, has = has not/hasn’t |
4. Present Perfect Continuous tense Has been = has not been, have been
= have not been |
|
5. Past Indefinite tense Did = did not/didn’t |
6. Past Continuous tense Was = was not/wasn’t, were = were not/
weren’t |
|
7. Past Perfect Tense Had = had not/hadn’t |
8. Past Perfect Continuous Tense Had been = had not been/hadn’t been |
|
9. Future Indefinite Tense Shall = shall not, will = will
not/won’t |
10. Future Continuous tense Shall be = shall not be, will be =
will not/won’t |
|
11. Future Perfect Tense Shall have = shall not have, will have =
will not have/won’t have |
12. Future Perfect Continuous Tense Shall have been = shall not have
been, |
|
will have been = will not have been/won’t have been |
|
Examples:
He drives the car = He does not drive the car
Alex ate rice = Alex did not eat rice
2. Negation in Modal-auxiliary
|
Modal |
Modal in negative |
Modal |
Modal in negative |
|
Can |
Can not/ can’t |
Shall |
Shall not |
|
Could |
Could not/ couldn’t |
Should |
Should not/shouldn’t |
|
May |
May not |
Will |
Will not/won’t |
|
Might |
Might not/mightn’t |
would |
Would not/wouldn’t |
|
Must |
Must not/mustn’t |
Ought to |
Ought not to |
|
Need |
Need not/needn’t |
|
|
Examples:
Edward can swim= Edward cannot swim
We must go there= We must not go there
3. Negation in Words
Some words such as ever, anybody, anyone, anything, anywhere,
instead of never, nobody, no one, nothing, nowhere, etc. represent the
Negation.
Examples:
I do not think he can ever reach within time.
Examples of Negation Adding Suffixes
Suffixes are also used
for negation such as less.
Examples of Negation Adding Suffixes:
Jim is so careless that he will not do anything.
John won’t listen to you because he is so fearless.
The food was so tasteless.
We should help the homeless people.
Alice was feeling so hopeless.
There was no one there to help Jack and he was feeling very
helpless.
Throw away the pot because it’s bottomless.
We are doubtless about her performance.
Rick has endless stories to tell.
We are thinking of discarding the useless things.
Bill is so restless that he cannot stay long anywhere.
Have patience! Stop being restless!
We cannot forgive such a careless behavior.
Peter is very reckless.
We worried about Allen’s reckless driving.
How can we eat such tasteless food?
We aware of Bob’s restless nature.
Why have you become so hopeless?
Don’t feel so helpless.
The printer is getting out of order every now and then; it has
become useless.
Examples
of Negation Adding Prefixes
Negation can also be done by using prefixes such as Un, Im, In,
Dis, De etc.
Examples of Negation Adding Prefixes:
Why are you bringing unnecessary things to the house?
This is impossible to be there now.
John disrespected the person.
Bill found it as a degradation.
The user account has been deactivated.
The management is thinking of decentralization.
The contestant was disqualified from the contest.
This matter is unimportant.
Many unwanted thoughts are coming to Jack’s mind.
This table is imperfect to be used at the office.
This water is impure.
Jim did an immature behavior.
Point out the disadvantages of this plan.
This is simply unbelievable that Aric has come.
Allen disobeyed the order.
Mack is an unqualified person.
Paul doesn’t have any disregard for you.
The chemist is de-acidifying the solution.
This is an unjustified behavior.
The behavior of Steven was inhuman.
Examples
of Negation Using Negative Adjectives & Adverbs
The following negative adjectives or adverbs are also used for
negation:
Little, few, a little, a few, hardly, barely, scarcely, roughly,
rarely, seldom etc.
Examples of Negation Using Negative Adjectives & Adverbs:
John had little hope of success in this project.
Few people will support you.
Robin was a little tired.
A few of the people were happy.
I have hardly seen John working so hard.
Barely we had reached the theatre when it started to rain.
Scarcely Jack had finished the speech when everyone started
clapping.
We have roughly seen Tom attending any class.
We have rarely seen any singer like Richard.
Robin seldom comes here.
Bob is little stubborn.
Suzan is a little scared.
I have found few places like this.
There are few people like you.
Rick has hardly done any work.
Aric had rarely sung any song.
Alice had roughly attended any program.
Albert is a little exhausted.
Anna has a little courage to do it.
Allen had roughly read any of the books.
Examples
of Negation Using Negative Words
We use the following negative words for negation:
No, not, nothing, never, no one, none, nobody, nowhere, neither,
neither….nor, not either, none of, not any etc.
Examples of Negation Using Negative Words:
Robin has no relatives here.
Jack is not right.
Bill has nothing to say.
I have never seen this case.
There was no one in the field.
None can hide the truth.
Nobody asked me anything about Bob.
John found the pen nowhere.
My mom doesn’t like this movie, neither do I.
Neither I nor my brother attended the party.
My friend did not taste the pudding, I didn’t either.
None of us liked the program.
Not any of the apples were fresh.
Ben has no problem with this decision.
Bob was not looking okay.
Alice has nothing to do.
No one supported Jeff.
Never do anything against humanity.
Richard found nothing in the right place.
None of the students were happy to hear it.
Double
Negative
Double negative on the other hand, simply defines the existence of
two forms of negation in the same sentence. Please, notice that a double
negative can often result in an affirmation in the English language (e.g., He
hardly stops for small-talks). The rhetorical term for such a phenomenon is
‘litotes’.
Example:
I can not find him nowhere.
Uses of Double Negative
Double Negative can be used in two ways. They are:
1. Using negative words
such as never, nobody, anyone, nothing, nowhere, etc.
Example:
He cannot go nowhere without informing me
2. Using prefix
Such as ir, un, non, pre, anti, il, im, etc.
Example:
John is not uncontrollable by his family member though he is a
special child.
More examples of negation of using prefix
In modern English, Double Negatives are highly avoidable as it is
grammatically wrong. We know we cannot use more than one negative word in a
statement. It usually used in informal conversation or speech and in songs’
lyrics as well. To form a correct sentence, we must avoid using a double
negative in a single sentence formally.
What About
'Ain't'?
"Together with negative concord, ain't is perhaps the
best-known shibboleth of non-standard English, and this already implies that it
is highly stigmatized. Ain't is a negative form of unclear historical origin
and of very wide usage—both grammatically and geographically. Probably due to a
historical coincidence, ain't functions as the negative form of both present
tense BE and present tense HAVE in non-standard English today."
(Anderwald, Lieselotte. Negation in Non-Standard British English:
Gaps, Regularizations, and Asymmetries, Routledge, 2002.)
"Boy, have you lost your mind? Cause I'll help you find it.
What you looking for, ain't nobody gonna help you out there."
(Leslie David Baker as Stanley in "Take Your Daughter to Work
Day," The Office, 2006.)
I have been watching TV for an hour.
Negativity
Expressed in Noun Phrases
SUBJECT NOUN PHRASE SUBJECT NOUN PHRASE
PRONOUN DETERMINER
+ PRONOUN
Someone No
one /
Not anyone
Somebody Nobody / Not
anybody
PREDICATE parked here
illegally. PREDICATE parked here illegally.
QUANTITY PRONOUN QUANTITY PRONOUN
All None¹ /
Not any / Not all
Most Hardly
any / Scarcely any
Many Few
/ Not many
are smoking outside. are smoking outside.
QUANTIFIER PHRASE + NOUN QUANTIFIER PHRASE +
NOUN
All of the dogs None
/ Not all of the dogs
A lot of dogs Few
of our dogs
Many of the dogs Not
many of the dogs
have been pooping on the sidewalk. has/have been
pooping on the sidewalk.
NOUN
NEG. NOUN
The logic of the signs The illogicality of the signs
Their existence Their nonexistence
The advantage The disadvantage
is obvious to most people. is obvious to most people.
Verbs
that Express Negative Meanings (just a few)
|
annoy |
agitate |
avoid |
bother |
degrade |
detest |
disable |
discourage |
|
disbelieve |
discredit |
disfavor |
dishonor |
dislike |
disrespect |
disparage |
dodge |
|
forget |
fool |
misguide |
misinform |
mislead |
scam |
torture |
trick |
|
victimize |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exercises
Make Negative
1-]They play volleyball every week. → They -------------------
volleyball every week.
2- ]John is nice. → John----------------------- nice.
3- ] This car makes a lot of noise. → This car ---------------- a
lot of noise.
4- ] like computer games. →
I ------------------ computer games.
5- ]We are from Greece. → We ---------------- from Greece.
6- ]You wear pullovers. → You ------------------ pullovers.
7- ]They speak English. → They--------------------- English.
8- ]He watches TV. → He ------------------- TV.
9- ] I am from Spain. → I -------------- from Spain.
10- ]Steve draws nice pictures. → Steve ------------------ nice pictures.
Make negative
1- ]Karin played volleyball yesterday.
2- ]There will be rain in the South tomorrow.
3- ] Mel speaks German.
.4- ]We are writing a test.
.5- ]Listen to Thomas.
.6- ]They are going to rent a car.
.7- ]I had seen him.
8- ]They were having a cup of tea this morning.
9- ]She has been to Berlin.
1. Q: Do you want anything?
A: No, I don't want _____________.
anything
2. Q: Do you have any money?
A: No, I _____________ none.
don't have -
3. Q: Did you see those people?
A: No, I didn't see _____________.
no-one -
4. Q: Do you have any candy?
A: No, I don't have _____________.
any
5. Q: Didn't he tell you not to come here?
A: No, _____________ told me anything.
nobody
anybody
6. Q: How much money do you have?
A: Not much. I hardly have _____________.
none -
7. Q: Where are you going?
A: _____________. I'm staying right here.
Nowhere -
8. Q: So, you're staying right here?
A: That's right. I'm not going _____________.
nowhere -
9. Q: Do you know him well?
A: No, I _____________ know him.
barely don't -
10. Q: Did the prisoner say anything?
A: No, he _____________ nothing.
said -
Complete each of the answers, making sure you don't use double negatives:
1. Why didn't _____________ tell me there was a party tonight?
no-one -
2. Didn't you ask _____________ about giving you a ride?
no-one -
3. I barely _____________ his brother.
know
don't know
4. None of the things she said _____________ sense.
made -
5. Neither of them _____________ what was going on.
didn't know -
6. Didn't you understand _____________ of the things he said?
any -
7. This _____________ no accident.
isn't -
8. That boy never does _____________ right.
nothing -
9. Our dog won't let _____________ pet him but me.
none -
10. You can't go to a bar without _____________ money.
any -
Choose the correct word to make the sentence negative:
1. No one ___ come to your home if you had a party.
wouldn't -
2. I am sure they won't believe ___ of them.
none -
3. He was put in jail even though his guilt was ___ proven.
never -
4. I didn't do ___.
anything -
5. I have never seen ___ like it.
nothing -
6. Steve didn't want to go ___.
either -
7. ___ Steve nor Bill wanted to go.
either -
8. Unfortunately, we never ___ find the part we needed.
couldn't -
a -
10. We don't have ___ money
no -
Find all the double negatives
When I fell off my bike at the train station, I didn't feel
nothing. I didn't feel no pain, but I was bleeding a lot. Nobody stopped. I
asked myself, "Doesn't nobody care? Doesn't nothing make you stop your
busy lives to help another person in trouble?" I moaned. I cried. Still,
nobody stopped to ask if I was okay. Neither moaning nor crying seemed to work.
"Doesn't neither reach your ears?" I wondered. Nope. I was alone in a
crowd. I looked in my bag for a tissue to clean the dirt from my wound. There
wasn't none in there. I finally hobbled to the ticket counter and asked the
person behind the glass. She didn't have none, neither.
Complete each sentence making sure
you do not use double negatives.
1. Do you want anything? A: No, I don't want -------------------
[ something- anything – nothing ]
2. Do you have any money? A: No, I ------------------- none.
[ didn't have – have – don’t have ]
3. Did you see those people? A: No, I didn't see -------------
[ no one – anyone – none ]
4. Do you have any candy? A: No, I don't have --------------
[ many- any – none ]
5. Didn't he tell you not to come here? A: No, ----------------- told
me anything.
[ anybody – nobody – anyone ]
6. How much money do you
have? A: Not much. I hardly have
[ any – no – none ]
7. Did the prisoner say anything? A: No, he---------------- nothing.
[ didn't say- said – never said ]
8. Do you know him well? A:
No, I --------------- know him.
[ barely – barely didn’t – barely don’t ]
9. Where are you going? A: ------------------. I'm staying right
here.
[ Anywhere – Somewhere – Nowhere ]
10. So, you're staying right here? A:That's right. I'm not going[ somewhere
– anywhere – nowhere ]
Identifying Double Negatives
Choose the correct word in parentheses to complete each sentence.
After you have completed the exercise, read each sentence aloud with the
correct word in place.
When you’re pet sitting, please don’t (ever, never) let our cat
slip out of the house.
Hardly (no one, anyone) expected the team to win the final game.
Dan couldn’t do (nothing, anything) to repair the broken window.
After Halloween, the store didn’t have (any, no) more pumpkins.
I won’t (ever, never) be as tall as Randall.
Our new coach doesn’t have (no, any) patience with people who miss
practice.
On the dark country road, there (were, weren’t) no street lights.
There (wasn’t, was) no milk left for Billy’s cereal.
Doesn’t (nobody, anybody) want the last slice of pizza?
Recovering from the flu, Anna (couldn’t, could) hardly stay awake.
EXERCISE
Correcting Double Negatives
Rewrite the following sentences to remove the double negative.
Remember that you can either remove one of the negative words or replace it
with a positive word. If a sentence does not contain a double negative, write
correct.
Spending too many hours on the computer gives Steve no time for
nothing else.
You can be sure there isn’t no monster under your bed, Katie.
The farmers had hardly any time to relax during the harvest.
Three violins don’t make up no string quartet.
After the discount store opened, the hardware store didn’t have no
customers.
Please don’t spill nothing on your new dress shirt.
With her part-time job, Karen barely has any time to practice the
flute.
Can’t nobody help me find my contact lens?
The judge deals harshly with criminals who have no remorse.
Do you think we won’t get no snow before Christmas?
EXERCISE
Using
Negatives Correctly
Write a sentence using each of the following negative words. Avoid
using any double negatives in your sentences.
never
none
barely
hardly
nobody
no
nothing
scarcely
not
not one
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