All Questions
Tagged with word-order negation
41 questions
5
votes
1
answer
564
views
Do “being not rich” and “not being rich” mean the same or different things? Is either ungrammatical or unheard of?
Which word should you negate with not here: the non-finite ‑ɪɴɢ verb in the first case, or its predicate adjective in the second case?
Being not rich, he couldn't help people.
Not being rich, he ...
- 51
5
votes
1
answer
63
views
Where should I put “not” in the sentence 'The person admits to ___ having ___ read the book'?
I have three forms that I can think of for this sentence:
The person admits to not having read the book.
The person admits to having not read the book.
The person admits not to have read the book.
...
- 153
14
votes
5
answers
4k
views
"Is he not the carpenter's son?" v.s. "Is not he the carpenter's son?"
I've heard this from a priest's homily, "Is he not the carpenter's son?"—taken from Mt. 13: 55-56 (King James Version).
I got confused whether the priest read the passage the wrong way—I was ...
- 339
3
votes
1
answer
187
views
Adverb attachment order
Why does
I worked hardly.
sound so wrong and
I hardly worked.
is the only correct (or at least idiomatic) expression.
Yet
I worked quickly.
is correct this time and
I quickly worked.
sounds ...
user29750
0
votes
1
answer
85
views
What is the difference between "Is it not wrong? And Is not it wrong?" [closed]
Recently I hear it a lot in different movies and it is bothering me a lot so I'll be pleased if you guys answer me😃
- 9
0
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Which is correct and why? "How can I not...?" or "How can't I...?"
How can I not know this?
How can't I know this?
Which one of the two sentences is correct? Or maybe they are both correct, but different in meaning.
- 1,891
2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Aren’t I? vs. Am I not?
I am a good man, aren’t I?
I am a good man, am I not?
The first sentence is often used. According to grammar books, the second sentence is also correct, but it is rarely used. Can native speakers ...
- 631
0
votes
0
answers
17
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 ...
- 49
0
votes
1
answer
44
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 ...
- 193
0
votes
2
answers
73
views
What's the correct order of negated adjectives?
Do adjectives with "not" go before or after the noun they refer to?
For example:
A not funny guy
A guy not funny
Which of these is correct?
- 3
1
vote
1
answer
241
views
Correct placement of "not" next to "to" disambiguating a sentence
I asked a question on another site and got corrected by someone. Them being NSE and me not, I appreciated the improvement except in one regard - placement of the negation. So I asked about it and as ...
- 4,407
0
votes
1
answer
120
views
Did not I do it VS Was it not me who did it
I discovered something interesting, guys, look:
I did it
It's a usual sentence. We can negate "it" by:
1) I did not it
We can negate "did" by:
2) I did not do it
Also we can negate "I" by:
3) ...
- 1,081
0
votes
1
answer
107
views
What's the difference between "Try not to blink" and "Try to do not blink"
I recently heard:
Try not to blink.
However I knew the following form:
Try to do not blink.
Is one of them wrong? What is the difference ?
- 1,081
0
votes
1
answer
313
views
In a negative-intergative sentence, whether NOT before subject or after subject?
I'm a boy.
I'm happy.
I'm eating rice.
I eat rice.
I have eaten rice.
I'm here.
I'm in Canada.
What would be negative questions for all above? I'm confused sometimes "NOT" sits before subject like ...
3
votes
3
answers
21k
views
"Not to" or "to not" [duplicate]
What is the difference between:
"I promise not to misbehave."
"I promise to not misbehave."
as in something a kid would say to convince its parents that it will behave well?
user86582
1
vote
1
answer
53
views
"What do ...have not to worry about?" vs. "...have to not worry about?"
Is it correct to ask:
What do people living in intelligent homes have not to worry about?
or:
What do people living in intelligent homes not have to worry about?
3
votes
1
answer
545
views
Word order in the full form of a negative question
According to the book "Grammarway 4", in order to form a negative question, we have 2 patterns:
Full form: auxiliary + subject + not + verb
Short form: auxiliary + n't + subject + verb
I am ...
- 12.2k
4
votes
2
answers
20k
views
"shouldn't have been" or "should haven't been"
Which one has the good order?
You shouldn't have known it.
You should haven't known it.
You should not have known it.
You should have not known it.
- 141
0
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Isn't anyone VS Is not anyone
I'm asking on behalf of a friend who's learning English.
Consider the following sentences:
A: "Isn't anyone coming to class?" and
B: "Is not anyone coming to class"
A sounds correct and natural to ...
1
vote
2
answers
3k
views
Any difference btw 'Aren't/Don't they/we/you ...' and 'Are/Do they/we/you not ...'
As in title,
Don't they know it?
Do they not know it?
Are these sentence the same? or the second sentence is plain wrong?
Is there any case where they are different?
- 13k
3
votes
2
answers
2k
views
"It is not always true that he ... " and "It is not true that he always" have the same meaning?
He like to plays outside on a fine day, but sometimes plays games at
home.
I would like to describe this using "always", but am confused on whether which of the followings is better:
It is ...
- 2,502
0
votes
1
answer
144
views
Order of negated comparison
I want to form a sentence to describe this image.
In Russian the entire sentence is: "Мозги даны человеку не для истерики, а для того, чтобы смеяться". I want to say the same in English.
I've ...
5
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Is “It may be not” correct?
Can I say something like “No, it may be not” or is that wrong? I affirmed something and then I said “No, actually it may be not” (trying to say it may actually not be like that) and somebody told me ...
1
vote
1
answer
163
views
Negation with respect to objects after 'for'
Does the following sentence
It is not good for all men here.
mean
1) It is not good for anyone here.
or
2) It is good for some of them, while not good for others.
I know I can use
It ...
- 768
2
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Using the phrase "By no stretch of the imagination"
I would appreciate it if someone could let me know which one of the following choices would sound natural in my self-made sentence below:
By no stretch of the imagination...........................
- 14.3k
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
"to not" vs "not to"
Which is more appropriate in the following sentence?
"I asked him to not judge her according to (or: based on) her beauty"
vs
"I asked him not to judge her according to (or:based on) her beauty"...
- 27.3k
1
vote
3
answers
2k
views
Can I end a sentence with "it is not"?
When I read an article on Time today, I encountered a structure that I haven't seen before. Here it is:
Millions of commemorative plates bear his portrait, a Mona Lisa smile leavened by the ...
- 11
2
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Is the phrase "to not" correct in English?
There is something that I often I meet in English. It is the use of "to not", and I'm not sure about its correctness since I'm not a native English speaker. For example:
I brought it to you in ...
- 27.3k
6
votes
3
answers
33k
views
"to not do that" or "not to do that"
I'm saying
How many times I asked you not to do that?
or
How many times I asked you to not do that?
which one is correct please?
- 2,704
1
vote
1
answer
1k
views
Negative interrogative contractions
My question is about the -wh question words usage in a negative question (in bold below).
Why he doesn't open the lights?
Why doesn't he open the lights?
Is there a difference in meaning? If not ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
132
views
the things that money can not buy vs the things that we can not buy things with money
The things that money can not buy
The things that we can not buy with money
The things that money cannot be bought
What is the difference between these phrase
phrase and clause ? Can money ...
- 1
1
vote
1
answer
92
views
I will not in any case kick the ball or I will in any case not kick the ball
I will not in any case kick the ball.
I will in any case not kick the ball.
I in any case will not kick the ball.
I will not kick in any case the ball.
I think only the fourth one is wrong, ...
- 41
2
votes
2
answers
3k
views
past modal should + the adverb never
I've found all alternatives and wonder which one is grammatically correct?
I should have never told you that.
I should never have told you that.
I never should have told you that.
- 21
4
votes
1
answer
583
views
confused in the structure of a negative sentence
I make a negative sentence like this:
They are not trying to make me confuse.
or
They are trying not to make me confuse.
What is the difference between these two sentences?
- 71
4
votes
3
answers
14k
views
"do you not" vs "do not you"
Which one of those two sentences is correct?
Do you not think it has made our lives better ?
OR
Do not you think it has made our lives better ?
I want to know if the technology has made our ...
- 637
2
votes
3
answers
29k
views
The usage of "regardless of"
Do my sentences sound natural? Do I use "regardless of" correctly?
Regardless of how developed it is, every country has certain amount of rate poverty.
Every country has certain amount of rate ...
- 11k
5
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Position of 'not' in a negative interrogative?
Source: Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Company [1892], judgement of Lindley LJ
But there is another view. Does not the person who acts upon this advertisement and accepts the offer ♦ put himself to ...
user8712
2
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Position of not in questions
Is there any difference between the following sentences?
Could not you help him?
Could you not help him?
For me, it seems as if the first sentence is more like a complaint 'You didn't help him, ...
- 511
6
votes
1
answer
18k
views
"I don't always" vs. "I always don't"
Is there any difference between these two sentences?
I don't always get up early.
I always don't get up early.
I know it's one of the silliest questions ever, but, to my shame, I wasn't able to ...
- 511
6
votes
3
answers
18k
views
Has not to or does not have to?
Are there any differences between "has not to be" and "does not have to be"?
For example:
if you check the list, the list has not to be empty.
if you check the list, the list does not have to ...
- 1,303
4
votes
4
answers
75k
views
Use of “never” with “have”
I have a question regarding the use of negation:Is the following sentence grammatically correct?
I never been have a good English.
- 49