Negation: Nouns & Pronouns for intermediate learners
In this lesson, we will learn about negative structures with nouns and pronouns. Do we have negative pronouns? How can we make a negative noun?
What Are Negative Nouns and Pronouns?
Negation with 'No'
'No' is a determiner. It can be used directly before nouns and change them into negative. Remember that the verb of the sentence must be affirmative. Take a look at the following examples:
There are
There's
Warning!
Please note that 'no' can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
We can also use 'no' in signs and notices. Study the following examples please:
No or Not a/an?
When we have gradable nouns, we can use both 'no' and 'not' with them. Check out the following examples:
Sheila is
However, when we have non-gradable nouns, we mainly use 'not'. Take a look at the following examples:
This is
(Not this is no apple)
Negative Pronouns
In English, we have some indefinite pronouns that are negative. They are used with affirmative sentences. Take a look at the following list to get a glimpse of them:
Now, let us see how some of them are used in sentences:
Answering Questions with 'No'
We can also use 'no' alone to answer a question negatively when it is a yes/no question. Take a look at the following example: