LoginNegation
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.
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:
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.
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
No butter is added to the bread.
I received no mails.
Neither bed is comfy.
Negative Pronouns
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:
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:
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.
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:
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:
✗ 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:
Which of the following sentences uses a negative marker to negate the verb?
Nobody came to the meeting.
I received no packages today.
I have two shirts, neither fits me.
He does not speak Spanish.
Match the sentences on the left with the correct type of negation on the right.
Fill in the table with the correct type of negative marker (adverb, determiner, pronoun) based on the sentence.
| Negative sentence | Type 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. |
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.
Which of the following is NOT a correct use of negation in English?
She doesn't like pizza.
I haven't seen him never.
They cannot go to the party.
Nobody likes the teacher.
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