Questions tagged [negation]
Negation is the process that turns an affirmative statement (e.g. "I am American") into its opposite denial (e.g. "I am not American").
649
questions
29
votes
7
answers
117k
views
Should I use 'or' or 'nor' after a negative statement?
This document does not cover the SDK interfaces nor any other reference material.
I think the above is correct, but my grammatical checker in Microsoft Word underlines nor and suggests or. Why?
- 85.8k
6
votes
4
answers
33k
views
Opposite prefix to 'de'
Given a word, say deregulate, is there a prefix to denote the opposite, rather than simply saying regulate? It seems fairly illogical to have one but I was wondering if something existed.
4
votes
2
answers
539
views
Placement of “anymore” with respect to other complements, as in "not possible anymore to …"
I often see sentences like this from non-native speakers:
?It is not possible anymore to cross the border without a passport.
To me, this sounds wrong, and I would write this instead:
It is no ...
CommunityBot
- 1
6
votes
3
answers
15k
views
{Verb + not} = {Do not verb}? What is the grammatical 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 ...
- 85.8k
2
votes
2
answers
915
views
How can I determine the difference between negating a clause and negating the main verb?
I have problems distinguishing the negation of a verb that is applied to a clause, and a verb that is applied to a negation of a clause. The following is an example that I do understand:
I do not ...
CommunityBot
- 1
4
votes
2
answers
79
views
"X not Y" structures [closed]
I frequently hear sentences like the following in spoken English, but rarely see this written.
"The tree fell on my brother's car, not my father's car."
"I ordered steak, not lobster.&...
- 23.2k
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Who inflects "innit"?
I'm quite surprised there doesn't seem to be a question about this yet. Depending on where you hail from, you've probably heard the word innit, an abbreviation of isn't it or ain't it. You may also ...
1
vote
1
answer
156
views
Do "did not have" and "had not" have the same meanings? [duplicate]
Do the following sentences have the same meaning?
He did not have even a rupee with him to buy a loaf of bread.
He had not even a rupee with him to buy a loaf of bread.
CommunityBot
- 1
2
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Answering negative questions with "Yeah."
I know I need to answer in the same way regardless of questions are positive or negative in English.
For example, when I didn't go to work yesterday,
Q. Didn't you go to work yesterday? (Did you go ...
0
votes
3
answers
133
views
How can the double negative be removed from "She has to touch it! She can't not touch."?
I am new to the group. I am a lifelong poet and enslaved to the written word.
This query spawns from a line in Jurassic Park: Lost World. Whilst the line in question is one of my very favorites, the ...
- 67.1k
8
votes
6
answers
19k
views
"Undistinguishable" vs. "indistinguishable"
Is there a difference between these two words? To me, it seems that undistinguishable is more where you can't tell what it is, and indistinguishable seems to be where they're the same. It seems a lot ...
- 25.4k
1
vote
1
answer
8k
views
"Why can I not" vs. "Why can not I" [closed]
Consider the following two sentences:
Why can I not open the door?
and
Why can not I open the door?
Which is more common? What's the subtle difference between them?
- 67.1k
0
votes
0
answers
34
views
Using not with both, either, neither: word choice when expressing negation of two options [migrated]
In a sentence responding negatively to multiple statements or questions,
which of the following ways sounds best and has the least grammatical error?
He didn’t do both.
He didn’t do either.
He didn’t ...
- 142k
13
votes
1
answer
20k
views
"Dare" with and without "to"
To my surprise, there's a missing question about this particularly interesting verb, dare. All I know about it is the fact it can be in two forms, as an auxiliary (without to: "I dare not mention ...
1
vote
1
answer
69
views
What follows "not either"? "Or" or "nor"? [duplicate]
Consider the following sentence:
I haven't heard from either you, (n)or her.
If I started my sentence with "I have heard from neither you" then the "nor" would follow. My doubts ...
- 85.8k
13
votes
5
answers
18k
views
Is it "Don't let's" or "Let's don't"?
On Downton Abbey, I heard Mrs. Crawley say:
"Don't let's make a thing out of it!"
On The Goodwife, I heard Dianne Lockhart say:
"Let's don't invite trouble for ourselves."
It seems that both ...
123
votes
8
answers
660k
views
"Whether or not" vs. "whether"
This will depend on whether he's suitable for the job.
This will depend on whether he's suitable for the job or not.
This will depend on whether or not he's suitable for the job.
It is ...
- 142k
6
votes
1
answer
831
views
Is "don't" a particle of its own?
I noticed an oddity in the sentence Why don't you just do it?: Although I always thought of don't simply as of a short form of do not it seems to me as if this is not the case in this sentence. ...
- 47.6k
0
votes
1
answer
451
views
archaic term for the word not
What is the archaic term for who is not? or words like not and do not or how to make phrases in archaic way that includes “not” does term such exist?
like this,
**i am not aware ** thee brought all ...
- 77.4k
2
votes
0
answers
70
views
Any proposition...cannot be... vs. No proposition...can be
In another post, Lord Esher was quoted as saying this sentence:
Any proposition the result of which would be to show that the common law of England is wholly unreasonable and unjust cannot be part of ...
- 6,743
10
votes
6
answers
5k
views
I don’t suppose you are coming, [are you / aren't you]?
Which one is correct?
I don’t suppose you are coming, are you?
I don’t suppose you are coming, aren't you?
The grammar rules I know say that (2) should be correct, but it feels wrong, because the ...
- 67.1k
0
votes
1
answer
107
views
"Enough" can't appear in the subject of a negative sentence
Don't use enough (with or without a noun) as the subject of a
negative sentence, ✳‘Enough people didn’t come', but ‘Not
enough did’.
https://www.wordreference.com/EnglishUsage/enough
Why is it so?
...
- 19.2k
2
votes
1
answer
75
views
is there a general rule related to "not" being incompatible with phrases like "There are clouds"? [closed]
The adverb "not" can negate a lot of expressions in a straightforward way. We can put it after a helper verb, after forms of "be" if it happens not to be a helper verb, and we can ...
- 108k
4
votes
2
answers
2k
views
The correct negative form (past participle)
I've been searching the answer to my question wherever it is possible, but I haven't managed to get the strict rule (or guideline) for it.
As we know the negative form of the past participle is ...
- 89.5k
9
votes
5
answers
48k
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 ...
- 45.1k
1
vote
2
answers
351
views
How to negate the double modal construction "might could" (and others)?
I have relatives from the southern U.S., and they often use double modal verbs in their speech, like "I might could go to the market". I understand that this isn't considered standard, but it got me ...
- 67.1k
0
votes
0
answers
61
views
Do Interrogative Negative forms in the simple present tense imply only two situations?
Is it correct to say that, in English, when you use the Present Simple tense in the Interrogative Negative form you are either implying the negative or just confirming the affirmative (depending on ...
- 1
0
votes
2
answers
228
views
What's the meaning of "not no small feat"? [closed]
I didn't understand meaning of "not no small feat" in this sentence:
I want y'all to meet Deltron Zero, hero, not no small feat.
From Deltron 3030's song 3030 Verse 1, 2nd line
I know what ...
- 8,613
0
votes
1
answer
68
views
What is a name for a modifier that changes the meaning of a word, rather than refining it? [duplicate]
My question, right up front, is: what is the term for a modifier that behaves this way? But "this way" takes some explanation, and that is the rest of the question.
I am a mathematician, ...
- 10.4k
0
votes
1
answer
410
views
Answering YES/NO to a negative statement [duplicate]
I have to complete a form for a job that requests me to answer yes/no to some statements. The statements are written on negative form (e.g. The Company and its Management have not been found guilty ...
- 2,500
12
votes
2
answers
3k
views
If saying 'Why can't I ...?' is correct, would 'Why cannot I ...?' be technically correct?
Why can't I ...?
is perfectly correct grammar as far as I can tell. But what happens if the contraction is removed,
Why cannot I ...?
This sounds bizarre, but would this be technically correct ...
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
"There is no man who has never looked upon a woman WITH/WITHOUT desire"
In Atticus's closing speech he argues:
“Which, gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson’s skin, a lie I do not have to point out to you. You know the truth, and the truth is ...
- 11
0
votes
3
answers
12k
views
What is the difference between "Don't be..." and "Be not..."?
The motivating example is a quote from Jane Austen:
Be not alarmed, Madam, on receiving this letter.
Note that she starts with "Be not alarmed".
If this were, instead:
Don't be alarmed, ...
- 45.1k
24
votes
6
answers
17k
views
"Don't let's fight"
I was watching a movie the other day and one character said to another, "Don't let's fight" instead of "Let's not fight." Is this proper usage, and if so, what is the grammatical rule that applies ...
- 166k
5
votes
4
answers
16k
views
Is "Stick no bills" correct English?
'Stick no bills' sounds awkward.
Shouldn't it be something like 'Do not stick any bills'?
0
votes
0
answers
58
views
'Only recently were they' and 'Only recently they were' [duplicate]
Only recently (in February 1998) women’s ice hockey was incorporated into the Olympic Winter Games, while men’s ice hockey has been a fixed event ever since the first Winter Games started in 1924.
...
- 35.6k
10
votes
3
answers
16k
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 ...
- 1
3
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Where can negation happen in participle phrases? Are both correct? "Not having heard the news…" and "Having not heard the news…"
To negate a participle phrase we use not at the beginning of it, as in
"Not having heard the news, he had no idea what was going on."
Can we also use the negative particle in some other porition in ...
- 67.1k
2
votes
1
answer
458
views
"Fairly" can't be used with comparatives or negatives
Don't use ‘fairly’ in front of a comparative form, *the train is
fairly quicker than the bus; in more formal writing, you use rather
or somewhat.
https://www.wordreference.com/EnglishUsage/fairly
...
CommunityBot
- 1
2
votes
1
answer
444
views
Can you use a negative tag question after a sentence with 2 words that make it negative? [closed]
We always use kind of the opposite meaning of the main sentence in tag question. For example:
He hasn't eaten yet, has he?
But what should we do when there's another word that makes a sentence ...
- 67.1k
19
votes
9
answers
4k
views
Why is "at least" unnatural here? "It won't take at least 15 minutes to walk there."
(1) It won't take at least 15 minutes to walk there.
(2) It won't take more than 15 minutes to walk there.
Am I right in thinking (2) sounds natural but (1) doesn't?
If so, what is the reason for ...
- 5,028
1
vote
0
answers
80
views
Negatives and Interrogatives with and without subject-verb inversion: "Didn't you have a lecture today?" vs "You didn't have a lecture today?"
"Didn't you have a lecture today?" vs "You didn't have a lecture today?"
Regarding the aforementioned clauses, from "experience", I can surmise different, subtle nuances. ...
- 244
10
votes
8
answers
2k
views
There is no question that you will not misunderstand this sentence
The MacMillan Dictionary has the following definition for the phrase 'there is no question that':
used for saying that something is definitely true
It gives the example:
There is no question ...
- 6,743
2
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Place of "not" in sentence
In The Island of Doctor Moreau they chant: "Are we not men?" So my question is: when we place not before men, not after are, what we are implementing?
- 67.1k
2
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Not until [sentence] do [sentence]
Example: “Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” – Henry David Thoreau
Can someone explain the structure of the aforementioned sentence?
Can someone name this type of sentence?
- 67.1k
21
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What is it called when "I don't like X" is used to mean "I positively *dislike* X", or "We do not recommend Xing" is used for "We *discourage* Xing"?
I’m wondering if there’s a term that linguists or rhetoricians use for this (semantic?) phenomenon.
In both cases, it seems as though ‘not’ no longer expresses the mere absence or negation of what it ...
- 47.6k
0
votes
2
answers
346
views
"Necessarily" or "not necessarily"? [closed]
The idea that has to be communicated is that picking someone at random in the street, it does not follow that they are a tennis player : occasionally you mignt find such a person.
Is the following ...
- 23.2k
1
vote
1
answer
210
views
What is the negative form of "As soon as I saw her, I recognized her"? [closed]
Whether "No sooner had I seen her than I recognized her" is equivalent to the expression " As soon as I saw her, I recognized her" or " As soon as I had seen her, I recognized ...
2
votes
2
answers
139
views
Are English negative polarity questions biased?
A friend and I had a question about a sentence that we encountered:
Didn't you want to pay for something that was too much?
My friend argues that sentence is fairly neutral clarifying in a neutral ...
- 67.1k
0
votes
1
answer
152
views
Answering negative statements [duplicate]
You aren’t supposed to be here.
Yes, I am or No, I am? Also yes, I am not or no, I am not?
It isn’t raining.
Yes, it is or yes, it isn’t?
- 2,101