Negation Forming negative statements

4.43 When you want to say that something is not true, is not happening, or is not the case, you normally use a negative statement. Negative statements contain words like 'not', 'never', or 'nowhere'. They are called negative words.

Here is the list of negative words in English:

neither never no

nobody none no one

nor not nothing

nowhere

Negative words indicate the opposite of something or an absence of something.

4.44 There are some other words such as 'unhappy' or 'meaningless' which give a negative meaning to a statement because they contain a negative affix such as 'un-' or '-less'. These words are explained in paragraphs 4.76 to 4.82.

Another group of words such as 'scarcely' and 'seldom' can be used to make a statement almost negative. These words are called broad negatives. They are explained in paragraphs 4.83 to 4.90.

4.45 If a statement about the existence of something has a negative word in it, you use 'any' (not 'no') as a determiner in front of the following noun group. You can also use a word beginning with 'any-' such as 'anyone' or 'anywhere'.

We hadn't any money.

He writes poetry and never shows it to anyone.

It is impossible to park the car anywhere.

For another use of 'any' see paragraph 2.168.

WARNING 4.46 It is almost always unacceptable to use two negative words in the same clause. For example, you do not say, 'I don't never go there', or 'I don't know nothing'.

4.47 The use of negatives in report structures is explained in paragraph 7.13. The use of negatives with modals is explained in paragraph 4.105.

'not' 4.48 The most commonly used negative word is 'not'. Its use with different verbs corresponds to the way these verbs are used in 'yes/no'-questions (see paragraphs 4.12 to 4.14).

position in verb groups 4.49 When 'not' is used with a verb group which contains an auxiliary verb, it comes after the first verb in the group.

They could not exist in their present form.

They might not even notice.

Unemployment has not been a major cause of the recent events.

He had not attended many meeting.

I was not smiling.

The council was not entitled to any rebate.

adding 'do' 4.50 If there is no auxiliary verb, you put 'do', 'does', or 'did' after the subject, followed by 'not' or '-n't', followed by the base form of the main verb.

They do not need to talk.

He does not speak English very well.

I didn't know that.

'Be' and 'have' are exceptions to this; this is explained in the following paragraphs 4.51 and 4.52. The shortening of 'not' to '-n't' is explained in paragraphs 4.55 and 4.56.

4.51 If the verb is 'be', you do not use 'do'. You simply put 'not' or '-n't' after the verb.

It is not difficult to see why they were unsuccessful.

There is not much point in heading south.

That isn't always the wisest course.

4.52 If the verb is 'have', you usually put 'do', 'does', or 'did' after the subject, followed by 'not' or '-n't', followed by the base form 'have'.

Sydney's new opera house does not have a parking lot.

He didn't have a very grand salary.

You can simply put 'not' or '-n't' after the verb, but this use is less common.

He hadn't enough money.

I haven't any papers to say that I have been trained.

If you use 'have got', you put 'not' or '-n't' after 'have', followed by 'got'.

I haven't got the latest figures.

He hasn't got a daughter.

'Have got' is explained in paragraph 3.17.

4.53 When 'not' is used with an '-ing' form or a 'to'-infinitive clause, it is placed in front of the '-ing' form or 'to'-infinitive.

We stood there, not knowing what was expected of us.

He lost out by not taking a degree at another university.

Try not to worry.

It took a vast amount of patience not to strangle him.

4.54 When a clause contains a finite verb group and a non-finite verb group, you put 'not' either with the finite or non-finite group, depending on the meaning you want to express.

For example, you can say either 'Mary tried not to smile' or 'Mary did not try to smile', but they express different meanings. The first means that Mary tried to avoid smiling. The second means that Wary did not even try to smile.

However, with some verbs which are used with 'to'-infinitive clauses, the meaning is the same whether 'not' is placed with the main verb or with the 'to'-infinitive.

She did not appear to have done anything.

Henry appears not to appreciate my explanation.

It didn't seem to bother them at all.

They seemed not to notice me.

Here is a list of verbs which are used with 'to'-infinitives. With all of these, the meaning of the clause is the same, whether 'not' is put in front of the verb or in front of the verb or in front of the 'to'-infinitive:

appear expect happen

intend plan seem

tend want wish

The use of two verbs in a clause to talk about two actions or states is called phase. Phase is dealt with in paragraphs 3.183 to 3.213.

Note that with some reporting verbs the meaning is the same whether you put 'not' in front of the reporting verb or in front of the main verb. This is explained in paragraph 7.13.

contractions of 'not' 4.55 In spoken English and in informal written English, 'not' is often shortened to '-n't' after 'be' or 'have' or after an auxiliary. '-n't' is attached to the end of the verb.

Marigold isn't really my aunt at all.

He doesn't believe in anything.

I haven't heard from her recently.

Note that 'cannot' is shortened to 'can't', 'shall not' is shortened to 'shan't', and 'will not' is shortened to 'won't'.

Here is a complete list of the shortened forms you can use:

aren't isn't wasn't weren't

didn't doesn't don't hadn't

hasn't haven't can't couldn't

mightn't mustn't oughtn't shan't

shouldn't won't wouldn't

USAGE NOTE 4.56 Note that if the verb is already shortened and added to its subject, you cannot shorten 'not' to '-n't'. This means, for example, that you can shorten 'she is not' to 'she isn't' or 'she's not', but not to 'she'sn't'.

It isn't easy.

It's not easy.

I haven't had time.

I've not had time.

Note that you cannot add '-n't' to 'am'. You can only use 'I'm not' as the shortened form.

I'm not excited.

The form 'aren't I' is used in questions. For more information, see paragraph 10.125.

In questions, 'not' is usually shortened to '-n't' and added to the first verb in the verb group.

Didn't she win at the Olympics?

Hasn't he put on weight?

Aren't you bored?

However, in formal English, it is also possible to put 'not' after the subject.

Did he not have brothers?

Was it not rather absurd?

other uses of 'not' 4.57 You can also use 'not' with almost any word or word group in a clause. For example, you can use it with noun groups, adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases, and quantifiers. You usually do this in order to be more forceful, careful, polite, hesitant, and so on. The following paragraphs 4.58 and 4.59 describe some of these uses.

4.58 'Very' is often used after 'not' to soften the negative meaning of a clause. You can put 'very' in front of an adjective complement, in front of a complement that contains an adjective, or in front of an adverb. This sounds more polite or hesitant than using 'not' without 'very'.

His attitude is not very logical.

It's not very strong tea, it won't stain.

He wasn't a very good actor.

She shook her head, but not very convincingly.

You can use 'not' with 'absolutely', 'altogether', 'entirely', or 'necessarily' in a similar way. You do this in order to sound more polite or less critical.

She wasn't absolutely convinced of her usefulness.

I was not altogether sure.

They are not entirely reliable.

Science is not necessarily hostile to human values.

You can use 'not' in front of a complement which has a negative meaning to indicate that the thing you are describing has in fact some good qualities, although you do not want to make them sound better than they really are. This structure is often used with words which have a negative affix such as 'un-' or '-less'.

Well, it certainty is not a hindrance.

It's not a bad start.

It's a small point, but not an unimportant one.

America is very well developed, but not limitless.

Words with negative affixes are discussed in paragraphs 4.76 to 4.82.

4.59 'Not' can be used to contrast one part of a clause with another. Using 'not' in this way emphasizes the positive part of a statement.

He held her arm in his hand, not hard, but firmly.

We move steadily, not fast, not slow.

'Were they still interested?'—'Not just interested. Overjoyed.'

I will move eventually, but not from Suffolk.

It's not a huge hotel, but it's very nice.

4.60 'Never' is used to say that something was not or will not ever be the case.

When it is used with a verb group which contains an auxiliary verb, 'never' is put after the first verb in the verb group and in front of the main verb.

I would never trust my judgement again.

...a type of glass which is rare and is never used.

The number of people who died will never be known.

Thirty years ago, the man was never expected to wash the dishes or help with the children.

I had never been to this big town before.

I've never done so much work in an my life.

However, you can put 'never' in front of the first word in the verb group in order to emphasize the negative aspect of a statement.

I never would have guessed if he hadn't told me.

There was no such person—there never had been.

4.61 If the main verb is the simple present or simple past of 'be', 'never' usually comes after the verb.

She was never too proud to learn.

I'm never very keen on keeping a car for more than a year.

There were never any people in the house.

However, you can put 'never' in front of a simple form of 'be' for emphasis.

There never was enough hot wafer at home.

It never was very clear.

There never is any great change.

with simple forms of other verbs 4.62 If the main verb is the simple present or simple past of any verb, except 'be', 'never' comes in front of the verb.

I never want to see you in my classes again.

She never goes abroad.

He never went to university.

He never did any homework.

emphasis 4.63 You can make a negative statement more emphatic by using 'newer' followed by 'do', 'does', or 'did' in front of the base form of me verb. For example, instead of saying 'l never met him', you can say 'l never did meet him'.

I never do see her now.

We never did find the gauze pad.

I never did want a council house.

Some people never do adjust adequately.

'never' in imperatives 4.64 'Never' can be used at the beginning of imperative structures.

Never change a wheel near a drain.

Never dry clothes in front of an open fire.

Imperative structures are explained in paragraph 4.4 and in paragraphs 4.31 to 4.35.

'no' 4.65 'No' is a general determiner which is used in front of singular and plural noun groups to say that something does not exist or is not available.

There was no money for an operation.

We had no union, nobody to look after us.

He has no ambition.

I could see no tracks.

General determiners are explained in paragraphs 1.208 to 1.235.

4.66 In spoken English, '-n't' is often used with 'any' instead of 'no'. For example, instead of saying 'I had no money', you can say ' hadn't any money'.

They hadn't meant any harm to her.

I can't see any hope in it.

'none' 4.67 The pronoun 'none' is used to say that there is not a single thing of person, or not even a small amount of a particular thing.

I waited for comments but none came.

The entire area is covered with shallow lakes, none more than a few yards in depth.

We have been seeing difficulties where none exist.

For another use of 'none' see paragraph 1.154.

'none of' 4.68 'None of' is a quantifier.

None of the townspeople had ever seen such weather.

None of this has happened without our consent.

For an explanation of 'none of' see paragraphs 2.195 to 2.197 and paragraph 2.202.

words beginning with 'no' 4.69 There are four words beginning with 'no-' which are used in negative statements. 'Nothing', 'no one', and 'nobody' are indefinite pronouns. 'Nowhere' is an indefinite place adverb.

There's nothing you can do.

Nobody in her house knows any English.

There's almost nowhere left to go.

Indefinite pronouns are explained in paragraphs 1.127 to 1.140, indefinite place adverbs are explained in paragraphs 6.90 and 6.100.

4.70 'Nothing', 'no one', 'nobody' and 'nowhere' can be followed by 'but' to mean 'only'. For example, 'There was nothing but cheese' means that there was only cheese.

I look back on this period with nothing but pleasure.

He heard no one but his uncles.

Indefinite pronouns and adverts which begin with 'any' can be used in similar structures. However, in these structures 'but' means 'except', rather than 'only'.

I could never speak about anything but business to Ivan.

It's been years since he has taken her to visit anyone but the children.

4.71 'Neither' and 'nor' are used together to say that two alternatives are not possible, likely, or true. 'Neither' goes in front of the first alternative and 'nor' goes in front of the second one.

Neither Margaret nor John was there.

They had neither food nor money until the end of the week.

4.72 'Neither' can be used on its own as a reply, to refer to two alternatives which have already been mentioned.

'Does that mean Yes or No?'—'Neither'.

4.73 If a clause contains a negative word, particularly 'not', you can use 'neither' or 'nor' to negate a second clause. In the second clause, you put 'neither' or 'nor' first, followed by the verb, followed by the subject.

This isn't a dazzling achievement but neither is it a negligible one.

These people are not insane, nor are they fools.

If there is an auxiliary, it is placed in front of the subject in the second clause.

The organization had broken no rules, but neither had it acted responsibly.

I do not wish to be rude to you but neither do I wish to be rude to Simon.

4.74 'Neither' can be used on its own in front of a singular noun referring to each of two things when you are making a negative statement about both of them. For example, 'Neither partner benefited from the agreement' means that there two partners and the negative statement applies to both of them.

Neither report mentioned the Americans.

In reality neither party was enthusiastic.

Neither sex has a monopoly on thought or emotion.

Neither parent is the good one or the bad one.

Note that in this structure 'neither' is used with a singular verb.

4.75 When 'neither' is followed by 'of', it is used as a quantifier to negative a set of two things. 'Neither of' is followed by a plural noun group.

Neither of us was having any luck.

Neither of the boys screamed.

Neither of them was making any sound.

'Neither of' is normally used with a singular verb.

Neither of these extremes is desirable.

Neither of these opinions proves anything.

However, it is also possible to use a plural verb.

Neither of the children were there.

Quantifiers are explained in paragraphs 2.193 to 2.210.