Questions tagged [negation]
"Negation" is the process that turns an affirmative statement into its opposite denial.
595
questions
0
votes
0answers
28 views
Why Alice is not like Bob or Why is Alice not like Bob [closed]
I am trying to give a title to a writing which would conwey that the writing explains why Alice is not similar to Bob. Which one is grammatically correct from these two options below?
Why Alice is ...
0
votes
0answers
13 views
Negative of a clause or phrase at the outset of an enumeration + “or” / “and no”
Fowler reads
When the negative of a clause or phrase has appeared at the outset of
an enumeration, and a disjunctive conjunction is needed, or is
generally better than nor. The initial negative ...
1
vote
0answers
25 views
did not do it for
a. Tom didn't vote for Dan and neither did I. But Tom didn't vote for Dan for the wrong reasons.
(The reasons for which Tom didn't vote for Dan were not the right reasons.)
b. I didn't speak out ...
0
votes
1answer
15 views
What's the difference between sentence with “though” and without?
For example:
It would be nice though.
vs.
It would be nice.
In a real conversation scene.
1
vote
1answer
38 views
Agreement negation
"I don't agree totally with all you said"
Does that mean - I agree for the most part with some disagreement?
Edit: Some of the answers provided are a bit contradictory. It is important to ...
3
votes
2answers
293 views
I don't doubt but you'll do it
BUT (conjunction)
that (used esp. after words like doubt, deny, etc., with a negative word like not):
I don't doubt but you'll do it.
https://www.wordreference.com/definition/but
Isn't the example ...
0
votes
1answer
37 views
not different from
If two things are quite similar, you can say that one thing is not
very/much different from the other.
If two things are alike, you can say that one thing is no different from the other.
Don't say ...
1
vote
1answer
41 views
Verbal and Non-verbal Negation
'He knows not the truth'
I was studying about Clausal Negation and then suddenly this sentence came to my mind.
Now I am confused of what category it is. It is a verbal Negation or a Non-verbal ...
0
votes
1answer
27 views
He's very good with children and no slouch around the house either/too
He's very good with children and no slouch around the house either/too
Which option either or too is grammatically correct here?
0
votes
1answer
32 views
The correct negative form of “I would rather”
What sentence(s) is correct:
"I would like to go out"
"I'd rather you don't"
"I'd rather you didn't"
"I'd rather you not"
I tend to think that 1/ and 2/ are ...
8
votes
2answers
732 views
Irreproducible, unreproducible, non-reproducible or not reproducible, which one to use?
I was going to add a tag for issues of my GitHub repository, to describe an issue that would not be able to be reproduced.
Here are the four versions of this word I can think of:
Irreproducible
...
1
vote
0answers
16 views
Present perfect, since something has “NOT” been Happening/Heppened
I was wondering if this form of present perfect is correct:
It's been 257 days since the last day a cat video on the internet has not made me cry!
My main concern is with the negative second part. So, ...
16
votes
4answers
3k views
What does “I never stopped to think of it” mean?
I saw what I thought was a double negative in this sentence from Norwegian Wood
I never stopped to think of it as something that would make a lasting impression.
The double negative in this sentence ...
0
votes
1answer
28 views
Negation of gapping coordination - some doubts related to “or” and negation
Please refer to page no. 791 of The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language.
Both in chapter 15 and in this snippet it says or implies that either one or some of the coordinated elements are true. ...
0
votes
1answer
19 views
was not arrogant and
a. He was not arrogant and helpful.
b. He was not arrogant, and helpful.
c. He was not arrogant and very helpful.
d. He was not arrogant, and very helpful.
Are the above sentences grammatically ...
1
vote
2answers
44 views
How to make this hypothesis in a negative form?
I'm learning conditional statements in Math and I am tasked to make the hypothesis and the conclusion rewritten in a negative form.
This one is where I have trouble with:
If a polygon has exactly ...
1
vote
1answer
36 views
“I don't think there's someone home.” vs “I don't think there's anyone home.”
I saw this question on a test:
"I don't think there's _________ home."
One has to put a word in the empty space. So I thought to myself: someone or anyone?
On one hand, my first reaction ...
2
votes
1answer
32 views
What does 'not' mean in a positive sentence?
“Let’s go, then,” he said, taking his cloak, his sword, and his three pistols, and uselessly opening three or four drawers to see if he might not find a stray pistole.
How can I understand the usage ...
0
votes
1answer
41 views
Can “You, too” be a negative short reply to a negative command, if you want to tell him not to do what he has just wanted you not to
Suppose there are two people. One of them tells the other to do something and the other wants the other person to do the same. So, A tells B "Eat an apple", B wants A to do the same thing.
...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
need help understanding the function of 'not' [duplicate]
I will go to school, but not if it is snowing, if I finish my homework.
Can "not" serve as a substitute for "I will not go to school"?
If so, does the "if I finish my homework&...
0
votes
1answer
13 views
can “not” substitute a negative independent clause
If I said, "I will dance in the production (pause and sigh) not because my mom wants me to..."
is "not" negating "because my mom wants me to" or is it serving as a ...
2
votes
1answer
39 views
what is “not” serving as?
I will go to the beach, but not if it is raining.
What is the independent clause(s) in the above sentence to which "if it is raining" is/are attaching to.
Is "not" serving as the ...
-1
votes
1answer
34 views
if you add “not” before a dependent clause does it become an independent clause? [duplicate]
Original sentence: "I will go to school, but not when it is snowing."
If "not" serves as a substitute for the negative clause as "I will not go school", then I see 2 ...
-1
votes
1answer
26 views
Negative sentences understand [closed]
How do we understand negative sentences? Are these sentences a negative sentence?
1-It's not what their parents want for them either.
2-There are bright spots of hope though - newcomers such as ...
0
votes
1answer
32 views
How to negate “I told everyone everything about the event.”?
I found several ways to negate the sentence
"I told everyone everything about the event.":
I told someone everything about the event.
I told everyone something but not all about the event.
...
1
vote
1answer
58 views
Using “but” with modals
Friend: John, can you come to the party tonight?
John: Sorry, no. I could come, but my mum is very ill and I have to take care of her.
John: Sorry, no. I could've come, but my mum is very ill and I ...
1
vote
1answer
112 views
Is it correct to say “I am in the wrong”?
as in "I assume to have good knowledge on his biography (example). But now I realize I am in the wrong."
0
votes
1answer
18 views
the reason he left the country
a. The reason he left the country was not to deal with this problem.
Is that sentence ambiguous?
I see two possible meanings:
The reason he left the country wasn't to deal with this problem.
The ...
0
votes
0answers
16 views
word order in the negative infinitive [duplicate]
Is there any rule that regulates the word order in the negative infinitive form?
If the infinitive follows certain verbs in a sentence, it's clear that it should be 'not+to+inf'. For example, We ...
0
votes
1answer
19 views
Not only negative A but on the contrary B
Not only does she not support this plan, but, on the contrary, (she?) tries to prevent it.
Not only will the change not deteriorate the conditions, but, on the contrary, (it?) will improve them.
Not ...
0
votes
1answer
22 views
with not a lot of choices
a. He owned a small bookshop with not a lot of choices.
b. I travelled in Europe with not a lot of money.
c. With not a lot of time left, I had to do things rapidly.
Are the above sentences ...
0
votes
1answer
30 views
Negation of sentences containing modals and auxiliary verbs
This question drew my attention to something that seems perfectly clear to native English speakers, but leaves English learners bewildered.
When you negate a sentence containing a modal or an ...
0
votes
0answers
29 views
Why do positives and negatives not usually co-exist?
If I drink half of a bottle of water, there's half of a bottle of water and there's not half of a bottle of water. However, why is the negative sentence not usually used? Is it a wrong sentence?
0
votes
1answer
20 views
How can I use “can” with negation words (such as “can … not”) instead of antonym verbs? [duplicate]
In the following sentence:
They can disagree.
what I want to say is that the subject, they, can possibly reach a state when they no longer agree. Of course, it can be the opposite - they can agree ...
0
votes
1answer
20 views
anyone who has not done their homework
a. Anyone who has not done their homework can't watch television tonight.
b. Anyone who has not done their homework will not be allowed to watch television tonight.
c. Anyone who has not done their ...
1
vote
2answers
18 views
a lot to eat/much to eat
a. All we have is two cans of beans. It isn't a lot to eat, but it will have to do for now.
b. All we have is two cans of beans. It isn't much to eat, but it will have to do for now.
Are the above ...
3
votes
3answers
95 views
What does “can never” mean
I am a English learner from Poland. One thing confuses me often while reading in English. It is the sentence "can never". Does that sentence mean that one will never be/do something 100 ...
-3
votes
2answers
53 views
'I was trying to eat hot food, but I didn't eat the hot food'
I was trying to eat hot food, but I didn't eat the hot food
Isn't it contradictory? There are 'eat' and 'didn't eat' in this structure. However, in informal, I think people use this kind of ...
0
votes
1answer
30 views
He is not, like his father, optimistic about future
The sentence goes,
"He is not, like his father, optimistic about future."
It means he is not optimistic but his father is.
But I dont' understand the logic of negation here because it says'...
0
votes
2answers
37 views
Simple “Yes” or “No” answers to “Is there no …?” questions. What do the answers really mean?
My new job requires me to deal with regulatory document and checklists containing "Is there no ......?" questions with Yes/No answer sections, and I wonder how to read what the Yes/No really ...
1
vote
0answers
37 views
I don't think you should have done that
a. I don't think you should have done that.
b. I think you shouldn't have done that.
c. I don't think you should go there.
d. I think you shouldn't go there.
Is there any difference between the ...
6
votes
1answer
53 views
How to handle conditional clauses where it’s unknown whether the protasis’s condition actually got fulfilled or not?
I have a question regarding conditional sentences, as far I know the “third conditional” is used when we’re talking about a condition from the past that never
actually happened after ...
0
votes
1answer
11 views
have no experience
a. Each of these drinks have no calories.
b. Each of these workers have no experience.
Are the sentences grammatically correct?
Are they natural?
1
vote
1answer
31 views
After “could not”, is it “help but notice” or “help noticing”?
I have read and heard examples of both "could not help but notice" and "could not help noticing".
Hello, penguins. I could not help
but notice that you have a hat
that magically ...
0
votes
1answer
26 views
Is that correct? James Wilson's Sentence in House MD TV Sereies
I am asking about the sentence this guy (James Wilson, House's best friend) says at 7:00 in this video.
The transcription is:
Okay, maybe. But he's our friend and this is his one chance to not be ...
1
vote
2answers
328 views
Why is “gusting” not the opposite of “disgusting”?
The prefix dis often makes a word negative. It is a negative prefix. For example: courage and discourage, the latter is the opposite of the former. Continue and discontinue, honest and dishonest and ...
0
votes
1answer
22 views
Negative form of “it is all about” + NOUN
Consider the following sentence:
It is all about being lucky.
meaning that being lucky is the main point, reason or factor.
How would you put it in a negative form?
It is NOT all about being lucky.
...
0
votes
1answer
20 views
Contractions on a negative sentence in present
More specifically I'm talking about the present simple and continuous, for example I know you can answer a yes/no question whose answer is negative like this:
Is he in college?
No, he isn't.
Are ...
0
votes
0answers
25 views
Scope and usage of 'not' in a sentence
I intend to say in the following statement that good people should pledge not to be silent and the righteous should win over the non-deserving. I'm not sure if the 'not' is being extended to the ...
0
votes
0answers
76 views
Which is correct: “A that involves neither X, Y nor Z” or “A that does neither involve X, Y nor Z” or both?
I wonder which is correct in the standard varities of English:
"A problem that involves neither you, (nor) me, nor him" or "A problem that does neither involve you, (nor) me, nor him&...
