LoginNegative Markers
Negative markers are used to make sentences with a negative meaning. In this lesson, we will learn about them.
What Are Negative Markers?
Negative markers are terms and words with different parts of speech that are used to negate the meaning of an affirmative sentence. There are three types of negative markers, in English, namely: negative adverbs, negative pronouns, negative determiners.
Negative Adverbs
- not
- no
- hardly
- barely
- scarcely
- never
- hardly ever
- seldom
Here are a few examples:
I have
I can
You are
Negative Adverbs: Position
Negative adverbs are usually used in the middle position. They can also be used at the beginning of a sentence, but in this case, the sentence must be inverted and new rules must be observed.
Inversion with Modals and Auxiliary Verbs
When we use a negative adverb at the beginning of a sentence with a modal or an auxiliary verb, we should change the place of the modal or auxiliary verb and the subject. Here are the examples.
I had
I should
Inversion with a Main Verb
When we use a negative adverb at the beginning of a sentence with a main verb, we have to use the verbs (do, does, did) before the subject. Check out the examples to help you learn them better.
He
The princess
never is a negative marker
Warning
You cannot use 'not' as a single word at the beginning of an inverted sentence. Here are a few examples.
Negative Pronouns
Negative pronouns are used with affirmative verbs to make a negative statement. Negative pronouns are used as the subject or object of the sentence. The following is a list of common negative pronouns:
- neither
- none
- no one
- nobody
- nothing
Here are the examples.
I can give you
Tip!
All these negative pronouns are used with a singular verb.
None
No one
Negative Pronouns: Position
Negative pronouns, as their name suggests, are used as a pronoun; therefore, they can be subject pronouns or object pronouns. Subject pronouns are used at the beginning of the sentence and object pronouns are used after* transitive main verbs or after prepositions. Check out the examples.
Although
Here the pronoun 'neither' is a negative subject pronoun.
He dared
Here the 'nobody' is an object pronoun.
Negative Determiners
Negative determiners are placed before nouns to imply a negative meaning. Here are the most important negative determiners:
- no
- neither
Check out a few examples.
Tip!
Neither is used with a singular verb, but no is usually followed by a plural noun and plural verb. However, it can also be used with singular nouns and verbs. For example:
Negative Determiners: Position
Determiners are placed before nouns to modify them. Here are the examples.
I could say
I had
Double Negation
With negative markers, we have to use affirmative verbs to avoid double negation. For example:
Review
There are a few negative markers in English. They can negate affirmative sentences. Here are different kinds of negative markers. Remember not to use a negative verb with negative markers to avoid double negation.
- negative adverbs
- negative pronouns
- negative determiners
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