{"id":6818,"date":"2018-10-11T15:50:08","date_gmt":"2018-10-11T19:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/?p=6818"},"modified":"2018-10-11T15:50:08","modified_gmt":"2018-10-11T19:50:08","slug":"basic-english-positively-negative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/basic-english-positively-negative\/","title":{"rendered":"Basic English: Positively Negative"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image courtesy of Pixabay, CCO<\/p><\/div>\n

Some of the most common words in English are negatives. These words express the opposite of a positive statement. There are a lot of them. However, this is English after all, so not all negatives fit into the same grammatical category. Let\u2019s take a little time to clarify which part of speech these negatives belong to, and how to use them.<\/p>\n

First of all, negation<\/strong> is more common in conversation than in formal writing. We often use negation to avoid directness. You are more likely to approach a stranger by saying, \u201cI\u2019m not sure if I am in the right place.\u201d This is less forceful than, \u201cAm I in the right place?\u201d<\/p>\n

Words like not, no, never, nothing are all adverbs<\/strong> expressing negation. Notice that they don\u2019t look like your typical adverbs, because they lack that tell-tale suffix –ly<\/strong>. They are modifiers<\/strong>, in that their function is to change the meaning of the sentence. Removing them, however, usually doesn\u2019t change the grammatical structure of the sentence, just the meaning. \u201cPedro is not<\/u><\/strong> at home.\u201d \u201cPedro is at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then there are verb conjunctions<\/strong> which also express negation, such as isn\u2019t, aren\u2019t, can\u2019t, and won\u2019t. These are used in informal, conversational sentences, and are common to everyday English usage. There is nothing wrong in saying, \u201cPedro is not at home\u201d, but conversationally you would more likely say, \u201cPedro isn\u2019t<\/strong> home.\u201d To simplify the sentence, and to avoid formality, you should use the informal verb conjunction and omit the preposition at.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We often form negative questions<\/strong> in English using negative conjunctions at the beginning of the question. \u201cDidn\u2019t Pedro say that he was going home this afternoon?\u201d \u201cIsn\u2019t that Pedro\u2019s car in his driveway?\u201d<\/p>\n

You may also form a negative imperative<\/strong> with the use of the command conjunction don\u2019t. \u201cDon\u2019t look for Pedro.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s try this. Suppose Pedro is home but sleeping. He\u2019s there, you just can\u2019t talk to him. In an attempt to seem clever, you might say, \u201cWell, Pedro isn\u2019t not<\/u> at home!\u201d Unfortunately, instead of being witty, you would end up sounding just silly. Using one negative to cancel out the other is called a double negative<\/strong>, or multiple negations<\/strong>. It is possible to find examples of more than two negatives in a clause, mostly in songs and poetry. They are confusing and structurally awkward. Don\u2019t use them if you hope to be understood.<\/p>\n

Common Negative Adverbs<\/strong><\/h3>\n