Sign in
What Is Negation?
Negation refers to the process of expressing the opposite or negative meaning of a word or sentence. It is used to deny, negate, or contradict information that has been previously stated or assumed.
Negative Markers
To be able to negate clauses and sentences, we must first learn about negative markers. There are three groups of negative markers in English as follows:
Now, let us see how each group functions:
Pronouns
Warning!
Keep in mind that we use these negative markers in affirmative sentences. Take a look at the following example:
(We don't say 'Nobody isn't at home...')
Adverbs
Adverbs can also be used to negate the meaning of sentences. The most common negative adverb is 'not'. However, there are others such as 'hardly', 'scarcely', 'never', etc. Let us examine some of them in the examples below:
I
My colleague
Warning!
The first thing to remember when using negative adverbs is that they are used with affirmative verbs. The second important point to remember is that when they are used at the beginning of the sentence, the subject and the verb switch places. Analyze the following example:
(Not Barely I had...)
Now, let us see how we can use some of them with different clauses:
Negative Auxiliary Verbs
We can simply negate auxiliary verbs by adding 'not' to them. Study the following examples:
She
They
As you can see, the main verb is not affected.
Negative Interrogative Clauses
In order to negate questions, all you have to do is either negate the auxiliary verb or use a negative marker. Take a look at the following examples:
Here, because there is a negative marker in the question, the verb is affirmative.
Negative Nouns
Tip!
We can also negate imperative sentences. Study the following examples:
Stop this! →
Open the window. →
Comments
You might also like
Compound-complex Sentences
A compound-complex sentence is comprised of at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses. Let's get to know it in detail!
Word Order
Word order refers to the order or arrangement of words in a phrase, clause, or sentence. In order to study them in more detail, take a look at this article!
Cleft Sentences
Cleft sentences are complex sentences that have a meaning we can express by a simple sentence. They are used to emphasize one part of a clause. Let's see.
Negation: Verbs & Clauses
Negation is the process that turns an affirmative statement into a negative one. In this lesson, we will learn about ways of creating negative sentences.
