Negation 

In this lesson we learn about sentence negation, which involves advanced techniques for constructing negative sentences, including contractions and nuanced word choices. Clear explanations and practice exercises to help you learn.

Negation in English Grammar

What Does Negation Mean?

Negation is the act of negating or denying a word, sentence, or clause by using special words or particles. This is done to express that something is untrue or to deny something. Words that are used to indicate negation are called negative markers, and there are many ways to use them to negate a word, phrase, clause, or sentence.

Negative Markers: Types

There are different negative markers that can be used for negation:

Negative adverbs such as: not, neither, barely, neither/nor, hardly, rarely, never, etc.

Negative determiners such as: no, neither

Negative pronouns such as: nothing, neither, nobody, no one, none, etc.

The negative markers are usually placed before the word they negate. We typically use negative adverbs to negate verbs and adjectives, and negative determiners to negate nouns. The negative pronouns are already negative and replace nouns in sentences.

Negation Using Adverbs

There are some adverbs in English that carry a negative meaning and using them in affirmative sentences makes the whole sentence negative without the need to use negative verbs. Some of the common negative adverbs are hardly, little, neither, never, only, scarcely, and seldom. Take a look at some examples:

Example

Hardly she speaks to me.

In this example, 'hardly' means almost never.

There's hardly any milk.

I barely know him.

I don't like to go to parties and neither does my best friend.

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Warning

Sometimes, when these adverbs are used at the beginning of a sentence, they require inversion of the subject and the verb. However, this is only the case when there is an auxiliary in the sentence. Check out the examples:

Example

Never have I experienced this before.

Not

The most important adverb that is used as a negative marker is 'not'. "Not" is used to negate verbs.

If the sentence contains a 'to be' verb as an auxiliary or main verb, 'not' is added after it to make the sentence negative. For example:

Example

She is not her sister.

He was not ready to go to the party yet.

If the sentence contains any of the different forms of the the auxiliary verb 'have' (have/has/had), 'not' is added after it and before the main verb to negate the sentence. Look at the examples:

Example

They have not cooked dinner for their guests.

He has not been around lately.

If the sentence contains modal verbs like 'should', 'can', 'must', etc. 'not' is added immediately after them and before the auxiliary or main verb. For example:

Example

They cannot go out.

She should not have done that

As you can see, when the sentence has both modal and auxiliary verbs, "not" is added after the modal and before the auxiliary.

If the sentence does not include any auxiliary or modal verb, the appropriate negated form of the auxiliary verb 'do' (do not/does not/did not) is added before the main verb to negate it. Take a look at the examples:

Example

He did not sleep well last night.

He doesn't have the books.

When "have" is used as a main verb, it must be negated using negative forms of "do", like other main verbs.

Don't drive fast.

Imperatives are also negated using "do not"

To make negative questions, the auxiliary verb of the question is negated using "not". For example:

Example

Weren't you at the party?

Why didn't you call me?

Negative Non-finite Clauses

Non-finite clauses can be negated using negative adverbs. This can be done by adding not or other negative adverbs before the clause. Check out the sentences:

Example

Not to disturb you, but who is coming again?

Hardly cooked well, the steak was immediately taken back to the kitchen.

Negative Determiners

The determiners "no" and "neither" are used as negative markers in affirmative sentences. The determiner 'no' can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns, but when used with countable nouns, it is typically followed by plural countable nouns. Here are the examples:

Example

No butter is added to the bread.

I received no mails.

Neither bed is comfy.

Negative Pronouns

Negative pronouns are words such as nobody, no one, none, neither, nor, etc, that are used with negative meaning as negative markers in affirmative sentences. Here are the examples:

Example

Nobody likes the teacher.

Nothing is more important than you.

She sang two songs, neither sounded good.

Coordinated Negatives

Negation of coordinated phrases and clauses follows specific rules, depending on the type of coordination.

When "and" is used to coordinate two phrases, a single negative marker is enough, but when two clauses are coordinated, both should be negative:

Example

Don't drink and drive.

Not "Don't drink and don't drive."

She didn't call me, and she didn't send a message.

two clauses coordinated using "and"

When "or" is used with coordinated negative phrases, a single negative marker is enough, but when two negative clauses are coordinated using "or", it changes to "nor". In this case, the first clause should use a negative verb, but the second clause is negated using "nor" and uses the inverted structure modal/auxiliary + subject + base verb:

Example

He didn't eat or drink for twenty-four hours.

two verb phrases coordinated using "or"

I don't like horror movies, nor do I enjoy thrillers.

"But" shows contrast; as a result, the two phrases or clauses coordinated using this conjunction are naturally opposite. So, if the first phrase or clause is positive the second one should be negative and vice versa.

Example

I read it but didn't understand.

They aren't rich, but they are happy.

Non-standard English

'Ain't' is used in non-standard English as the negative form of the verb be in the present form and also the negative form of the verb have. Check out the examples:

Example

I ain't in love with you. → I am not in love with you.

She ain't trying enough. → She isn't trying enough.

When a negative marker is used with another negative word in the same sentence or when a negative marker is used with a negative verb, a double negative is formed. Sometimes native speakers use double negation in everyday English, but it is not grammatically correct. Check out the examples:

Example

✗ I won't never talk to him again. → ✓ I will never talk to him again.

✗ I don't see nobody. → ✓ I see nobody.

Review

Negation is the act of negating a sentence, using negative markers or negative structures. Here are the important negative categories.

Negative Markers

negative adverbs

negative pronouns

negative determiner

Quiz:


1.

Which of the following sentences uses a negative marker to negate the verb?

A

Nobody came to the meeting.

B

I received no packages today.

C

I have two shirts, neither fits me.

D

He does not speak Spanish.

2.

Match the sentences on the left with the correct type of negation on the right.

I have never been to Japan.
She didn’t call anyone yesterday.
Neither cake is ready.
Nobody came to the party last night.
He didn’t finish the project, nor did he start the next one.
Negative adverb
Negative pronoun
Negative determiner
Coordinated negative
Negated auxiliary
3.

Fill in the table with the correct type of negative marker (adverb, determiner, pronoun) based on the sentence.

Negative sentenceType of negator

She has never visited that place.

Neither option is acceptable.

I received no gifts for my birthday.

Nobody is home right now.

I can hardly read the sign.

negative determiner
negative pronoun
negative adverb
4.

Complete the sentences with the correct negative marker. (There is one extra option.)

She

like to eat vegetables.

There’s

milk left in the fridge.

I can

believe this news!

arrived on time.

I don't enjoy tennis,

do I like basketball.

doesn't
no
nobody
nor
hardly
ain't
5.

Which of the following is NOT a correct use of negation in English?

A

She doesn't like pizza.

B

I haven't seen him never.

C

They cannot go to the party.

D

Nobody likes the teacher.

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