Negation is the process that turns an affirmative statement (e.g. "I am American") into its opposite denial (e.g. "I am not American").
2
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2answers
87 views
perfect continuous or simple perfect in negative sentences
I want to know the difference between present perfect continuous and present perfect in negative sentences. My textbook says (namely, English Grammar In Use, 2nd edition) 'use simple for negative ...
-1
votes
0answers
21 views
Difference between “no” and “not” [migrated]
Please tell me which of the following sentence is correct and why?
It is no good asking him for help.
It is not good asking him for help.
Please explain the usage of no and not. Are they ...
1
vote
1answer
57 views
“Is you is or is you ain't my baby?” [duplicate]
Is this phrase grammatically correct?
Is you is or is you ain't my baby?
It's from a Tom and Jerry cartoon: http://vimeo.com/40283242 (at 1:30, 2:00 and 3:00).
1
vote
1answer
80 views
Negative question; what's the affirmative answer here? [duplicate]
My wife and I communicate in English. She's Japanese, I'm Norwegian and we're both language enthusiasts; this makes for a lot of interesting language discussions.
This is something that surfaced ...
0
votes
2answers
54 views
“No restriction” vs. “no restrictions”
The data center must be flexible. There should be no restriction/restrictions on user's choice of protocols.
What should it be?
-2
votes
1answer
67 views
Usage of 'not different'
Take a look at this sentence.
Many apps are not good. Even some of Apple's
own apps are not different.
I intend to mean some of Apple's own apps are not good. Is this correct?
-2
votes
1answer
91 views
Is the answer to this question “neither” or “either”?
She doesn't think so or you don't think so?
Is it grammatically correct to respond with
Either.
or
Neither.
to this question?
Or does this depend on the meaning intended to be ...
2
votes
2answers
437 views
Not only X but also Y are (is?)
At first glance, sentence 1 below seems more correct because there are two subjects. However, something seems more natural about sentence 2. Maybe there is something abbreviated, elliptical, or ...
1
vote
2answers
126 views
“My job is not to worry about those people” — what does “not” refer to?
In the famous leaked video, Mitt Romney says
My job is not to worry about those people
An equivalent sentence probably is
It is not my job to worry about those people
Some media in my home ...
1
vote
3answers
141 views
Can a double negative be used to express caution or uncertainty?
In the following statement, what is the effect of the double negative? Is it necessarily emphasis? Or could it be a kind of cautious statement implying a degree of uncertainty? If a double negative ...
7
votes
1answer
257 views
Un-(adjective) but In-(noun) — does it ever go the other way?
Many pairs of words use un- as a prefix for the preferred adjective but in- as a prefix for the preferred noun (e.g. unstable/instability, unequal/inequality, unable/inability, unjust/injustice, ...
2
votes
1answer
187 views
Litotes: Always for Emphasis? Used for Non-committal Hedging? Any Authoritative Source?
My question is about litotes. I’m wondering if it is always for emphasis, or whether it can be a type of non-committal statement or hedging. And, is there an authoritative source that can be cited ...
1
vote
0answers
157 views
Why does a negative adverbial phrase trigger inversion? [duplicate]
When a negative adverb (or adverbial phrase) is placed at the beginning of a sentence, we exchange the normal placement of subject and verb.
Why is that?
1
vote
3answers
115 views
Why does no dictionary carry the word 'non-affair', though all carry 'nonevent'?
I came across the word “non-affair” in Jeffery Archer’s novel Kane and Abel, which I just finished reading yesterday. The word appears in the following sentence (p. 544):
“She couldn’t recall ...
1
vote
1answer
157 views
Why is “not as … as” preferred to “not cheaper than”?
In the rephrasing exercise
A is more expensive than B. > A is not _________ B.
The only correct answer is supposed to be "A is not as cheap as B".
However, a student suggested "A is not cheaper ...
-2
votes
2answers
118 views
Is “unmissable” a valid word?
I noticed an advert on TV advertising "unmissable" shows coming up. MS Word marks it as a spelling mistake, but the Mac OS is OK with it.
I don't particularly like it.
5
votes
2answers
144 views
Why do positive and negative variants of the same question elicit the same answer? [duplicate]
In common American English usage, these two questions elicit the same response:
Do you have a ticket?
Don't you have a ticket?
These are the usual answers (I was going to say "possible answers" ...
2
votes
1answer
152 views
Interpreting “not bad”
In conversations people often use "not bad". How to interpret this?
Are they feeling good or just not bad or somewhere in the middle?
Does it depend on the context?
E.g.:
X: How are you doing ...
0
votes
1answer
172 views
Meaning of “either”: “not /A or B/” = “not /either A or B/”?
In a positive sentence, "either . . .or" is sometimes used to express an exclusive disjunction.
However, what happens when “either” is used in negation, as in sentence two below? Is the meaning the ...
2
votes
1answer
176 views
“Hitler will send no warning” vs “Hitler won't send warnings”
As in this WWII poster:
Are they the same thing, or are there differences in expression？
Why do native speakers choose the first one?
3
votes
2answers
270 views
Verb + not = do not verb ? What is the gramatical explanation?
I have long been puzzled by the usage of 'verb + not'. For example, Kennedy said, "... my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." The Bible ...
-1
votes
2answers
139 views
He Did Come Home? [closed]
Is this:
1 He did come home late yesterday.
a sloppy variation of:
2 He came home late yesterday.
because of poor editing under adverse writing conditions? Could the writer have ...
1
vote
1answer
715 views
“Not… neither… nor…” word order
George Galloway is an outspoken MP with excellent rhetorical skills. I will take a part of his speech to convey the idea of my question.
Video
Iraq is neither strong, independent nor even a ...
3
votes
3answers
174 views
What does the word “no” mean before a noun-adjective word? [closed]
I see some examples :
- No cheese
- No errors
- No good
I understand how to use "any", but "no" before a noun is weird (especially "no" before an adjective). Can anyone explain them?
0
votes
3answers
142 views
Is “tell neither X nor Y” equivalent to “not tell both X and Y” or “not tell either X and Y”? [closed]
Given the sentence "John told neither the boss nor the secretary.", which of the following has the same meaning?
John did not tell both the boss and the secretary.
John did not tell either ...
1
vote
1answer
163 views
Is “make no mistake” a mistake?
Is "make no mistake" proper grammar?
Isn't "no" being used as a quantifier? Aren't quantified nouns supposed to be plural when the quantity is none? For example, I was taught to say, "one egg" and ...
0
votes
2answers
191 views
Grammaticality of “I have a car, neither does Sara” [closed]
Can we say "I have a red car. Neither does Sara." or must we say "I have a red car but Sara doesn't."?
I have read this on a website and they said that the first sentence is incorrect but I don't ...
2
votes
2answers
3k views
“Repairable” vs. “reparable” vs. “irreparable” vs. “unrepairable”
I've been looking online at these three words, but I'm not able to determine their relationship and the rules surrounding their usage.
I believe this is true:
Repairable: Just what you'd think, ...
0
votes
0answers
32 views
Is the expression “It don't” grammatically correct? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
The grammaticality of “that don’t impress me much”
It doesn't.
Usually, we say it this way, right? But I have seen some song lyrics using "it don't".
(Examples ...
0
votes
1answer
175 views
Difference between “antisymmetric” and “nonsymmetric” [closed]
What is the difference between antisymmetric and nonsymmetric?
I only know the meaning of asymmetric.
3
votes
1answer
214 views
Why say “nay” when you could say “no”
I am curious as to why "nay" replaces the simple unequivocal "no" in the context of voting.
My research in Merriam-Webster tells me that "nay" means "no" (not the other way around) and the first ...
3
votes
2answers
152 views
“Does he go bowling?” or “Doesn't he go bowling?”
Let's say we know a boy called Jonny and he goes bowling twice a week. My daughter has asked me which of the following questions are correct.
Does Jonny go bowling?
Doesn't Jonny go ...
-1
votes
2answers
221 views
“Least expected” or “least unexpected”
When I was talking to my girlfriend, she mentioned an incident where one of her friends surprised her with a gift. She said something like that least unexpected ... after which we got into a debate ...
0
votes
4answers
117 views
Is there a word for the total amount of time you weren't working in a day?
I can say that I plan to work 7 hours today, but how do I say I plan to "not work" for 2 hours?
"Be on a break/pause for 2 hours" or "Rest for 2 hours" doesn't work because I might take several ...
0
votes
0answers
13 views
Difference among “dis-”, “de-”, & “un-” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is there a general rule for the prefixation of “un-” and “de-” to words?
Origins of negative prefixes like in-, un-, il-, ir-, dis-, a-
What is the difference between ...
5
votes
2answers
379 views
Is “dispreferred” a mainstream word in English?
I just recently came across the word dispreferred in a linguistic document. I have never heard the word used before, rather I generally hear something like "preferred something else" in everyday ...
1
vote
1answer
236 views
Use of “afraid not”
Is this sentence correct?
I am afraid not of preparing for the exam but of the result.
Or is there some other way to write that sentence?
3
votes
2answers
240 views
You have no idea, (…): “do you” or “don't you”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Question tags — “did you” vs. “didn’t you”
Which one is correct?
option 1:
You have no idea, don't you?
or, option 2:
You have no idea, do you?
3
votes
1answer
74 views
Is the “or not” in “whether or not” optional? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Whether or not” vs. “whether”
I am not sure about the usage of whether. My doubt over it is whether or not is optional. Suppose I have the following sentence:
The ...
5
votes
1answer
166 views
Double negation “does not any”
I understand that any has negative connotations, as can be seen in the above link, but I need to say that there are no pages in a book. I've come up with the following sentence:
That book does not ...
1
vote
1answer
104 views
Answering a negatively-expressed question [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to answer a negative question without ambiguity?
2). Didn't we park on the C level?
(A) Yes, I sure thought we did.
(B) No, we'll park on the D level.
(C) ...
-1
votes
2answers
247 views
Usage of “no more” in a sentence
I would need help with the following sentence:
It may be no more difficult to claim in words a feeling not felt than one that is.
The “no more” is related to the whole sentence or just to the ...
1
vote
1answer
114 views
What is wrong (if anything) with the phrase “it don't mean nothing”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
The grammaticality of “that don’t impress me much”
“I don’t know nothing” vs “I don’t know anything”
I've noticed that sometimes people say "It don't mean nothing". ...
5
votes
3answers
261 views
Double negation and litotes
A friend of mine who's a native English speaker corrected me the other day. I said something like "it's not something no-one has done before". He told me about the rule that states that double ...
0
votes
2answers
242 views
Can inversion be used without auxiliary verb?
Is the following sentence grammatically correct?
I don't like autumn to be honest, neither like I winter that's coming after it.
Can inversion be used in this way? Or does it requires auxiliary ...
-3
votes
3answers
184 views
“Why you no…?” or “What that no…?” — are those grammatically correct? [closed]
Why you no come?
Why you no talk English?
Why you no have a girlfriend?
What kind of English are these sentences? Are these types of sentences grammatically correct?
3
votes
2answers
292 views
What is the grammatical function of “never”?
What is the grammatical function of "never" in the following sentence?
You will have to do something you've never done.
Is it an adverb? My father disagrees with this.
In "I have studied" vs. ...
2
votes
2answers
395 views
Question tag for a sentence starting with “few”
Which is correct?
Few people knew the way, didn't they?
Few people knew the way, did they?
2
votes
2answers
98 views
Negatives with “a” or “any”
Are both these sentences correct?
There isn’t a cat in the kitchen.
There isn’t any cat in the kitchen.
14
votes
4answers
838 views
How productive is the prefix “un-”?
Is it possible to use un- with new words such as sit, sleep, sad? I'm currently seeing many words (in programming) which use "un-" in the meaning of undoing something.
For example, is it possible to ...
