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  1. I'm a boy.
  2. I'm happy.
  3. I'm eating rice.
  4. I eat rice.
  5. I have eaten rice.
  6. I'm here.
  7. I'm in Canada.

What would be negative questions for all above? I'm confused sometimes "NOT" sits before subject like Isn't she a girl?, and sometimes after subject like Am I not here? Is there any restriction about NOT (before or after subject), and is there changes in meanings?

1 Answer 1

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For all the "I'm" statements, the negative question would begin "Aren't I"

Aren't I here?

If you don't use the contraction, then use "Am I not":

Am I not here?

For the other two you would have

Don't I eat rice? (Or Do I not eat rice?)

Haven't I eaten rice? (Have I not eaten rice?)

You will notice that the word orders don't match. Nevertheless, this is the usual way of forming negative questions with or without contractions.

Negative questions are pretty rare, and only used for rhetorical effects.

Am I not happy? (Rhetorical question implying "I am happy, despite what you may think")

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