Chapter 8 Negation

ENGLISH CHAPTER 8 Negation

In English grammar, negation is a grammatical construction that contradicts (or negates) all or part of the meaning of a sentence. Also known as a negative construction or standard negation.

In standard English, negative clauses and sentences commonly include the negative particle not or the contracted negative n’t. Other negative words include no, none, nothing, nobody, nowhere, and never.

In many cases, a negative word can be formed by adding the prefix -un to the positive form of a word (as in unhappy and undecided).

Other negative affixes (called negators) include a-, de-, dis-, in-, -less, and mis-.

Examples and Observations:

“I bet you’ve never smelled a real school bus before.”

(Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 1986)

“I have had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn’t it. (Groucho Marx)

“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”

(Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can’t Avoid, 2007)

“I have some rope up here, but I do not think you would accept my help, since I am only waiting around to kill you.”

(Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, 1987)

Ain’t

Ain’t is a negative form of unclear historical origin and of very wide usage — both grammatically and geographically. Probably due to a historical coincidence, ain’t functions as the negative form of both present tense BE and present tense HAVE in non-standard English today

“Boy, have you lost your mind? Cause I’ll help you find it. What you looking for, ain’t nobody gonna help you out there.”

(Leslie David Baker as Stanley in “Take Your Daughter to Work Day.” The Office, 2006)

Negative forms

Negation is the process that turns an affirmative statement into its opposite denial.

Example:

She is a nice girl — She is not a nice girl

Verbs in English are negated by placing the word not after an auxiliary or modal.

Examples:

I am not from Germany

I do not like playing tennis.

She does not listen to classical music.

I have not read this book yet.

I did not go to Moscow.

I had not had dinner when they came in.

You should not sleep late.

I cannot help you.

I will not participate in that competition.

Contracted forms

Negative forms can be contracted.

Long negative forms Short negative forms

do not don’t

does not doesn’t

I am I’m not

are not aren’t

is not isn’t

did not didn’t

have not haven’t

had not hadn’t

should not shouldn’t

would not wouldn’t

will not won’t