Negatives
We make negatives in two ways. Either by adding not to an auxiliary verb or by using do/does/did + not:
When the main verb in the sentence is the auxiliary to be we make the negative by simply adding to it the negative particle not:
With other verbs, we make negatives by using do not or does not and the infinitive:
The do verb shows the tense and number of the main verb which, in the negative form, must go in the infinitive:
| positive | negative |
| I live here. | I do not live here. |
| She lives here. | She does not live here. |
| He lived here. | He did not live here. |
When we use a modal or auxiliary verb, we add not after the first part of the verb:
In informal situations, we usually use n't instead of not:
| full | contraction |
| is not | isn't |
| are not | aren't |
| would not | wouldn't |
| have not | haven't |
| had not | hadn't |
There are exceptions:
| I am not | I'm not |
| will not | won't |
| shall not | shan't |
The negative of can is can not. This is sometimes made into one word, cannot:
Sometimes we change other words from positive to negative:
| positive | negative |
| I have a lot of money. | I don't have much money. |
| I have already gone. | I haven't gone yet. |
| I want some too. | I don't want any either. |
| I have some money. | I have no money. |
Contents |
Negative Words
We can make negatives by using negative words:
no
none
neither...nor
no one, nothing, nobody, nowhere
Using no is stronger than saying not any. Can you tell the difference here?
Double Negatives
Double negatives are not used in standard English.
Incorrect
Correct
Incorrect is also the combination of negatives with adverbs such as barely, hardly and scarcely.
These adverbs have a minimizing effect on the verb. They mean something like almost not at all. They resemble negative adverbs such as not and never in that they are used with any, anybody, and similar words rather than none, nobody, and other negatives.
Incorrect
Correct
Incorrect
Correct
Correct
Finally
Although necessary, negative phrasing can sometimes come across as harsh. In some cases you may want to consider turning your negative phrase into a positive one.
