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The story may not be interesting. The story may be not interesting. For I’m not sure if ‘not’ can be placed both before and after ‘be,’ I looked up the COCA. It seems that both are possible. Ar …

(Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain) It seems like the first negation is applied on to so long (partially); the second on to so soon that the pain was acute (wholly). …

Can ‘why don’t you’ construction have negative words as in next case? If it can, where do I have to put ‘not’? Why don’t you not make him angry?

(1) I can think of little that interests me less than what critics say about me or my work. (The Silkworm, by Robert Galbraith) When I came across the sentence, I got this question. Can ‘not ma …

The edge of paranoia always apparent in Colin's dealings with the world was becoming more pronounced; and meanwhile, Tessa was pretending to be oblivious, doing absolutely nothing to help alleviate …

Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students …

You can’t do that sort of thing. (Random House Unabridged) You can't leave until you finish washing the dishes. (Webster’s Learner’s) When ‘can’ is used for prohibition, does it have to stuck w …

The recipe uses a large amount of pepper, and not just any pepper, but a special blend imported from India. (Merriam-Webster’s) You have to be a member to go there. They won't let just any person in. …

“If all the world hated you, and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved you, and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends.” “No; I know I should think well of …

As noted earlier, negation of medium modality tends to be interpreted more specifically as internal negation, e.g. I don’t want her to go as “I want her not to go”. …

[i] Do you know any friends of hers? [ii] Do you know any friend of hers? The first is from a Korean grammar book and the second is mine. Whenever I come across any in questions, it’s very tric …

But for [i] it’s not easy to understand the explanation, for my native tongue has three ways of negation for the obligation –– applying to eating, or must, or it’s sort of ambiguous. …

I’ve read CGEL says have to has three meanings: deontic, dynamic, and epistemic (p205) But when it comes to a negation example below, it’s not easy what to take from the three. … How do I understand this have to example combined with negation? Ayrton Senna did not have to die. …