NEGATION

NEGATION A grammatical term for the process that results in changing a positive (affirmative) sentence or clause into a negative one: from They came to They did not come. This is sometimes known as a contrast in polarity. In English, a sentence is typically negated through the verb, by the insertion of not or its contraction n't after the first or only verb: It is raining becoming It is not/isn't raining. If an auxiliary verb is present, as with is in the above sentence, not follows it or n't is attached to it as an enclitic (must not, mustn't). If no auxiliary is present, then the relevant form of the auxiliary do (do, does, or did, according to tense and person) is inserted to effect the negation: I know him becoming I do not/don't know him.

Special cases

(1) The verb be is used in the same way when no auxiliary is present: Justin was ill becoming Justin was not/wasn't ill. (2) The verb have allows both alternatives, but in a variety of forms. The negation of Benjamin has his own bedroom can be B. has not his own b. (traditional BrE), B. hasn't his own b. (its informal variant), B. has not got his own b. (a current emphatic, especially BrE usage), B. hasn't got his own b. (its common, informal equivalent), B. does not have his own b. (a widely used formal, especially AmE usage), B. doesn't have his own b. (its common, informal equivalent). (3) See MODAL VERB.

Contracted forms

The contraction n't is typically informal, especially in speech, except when the negation is emphasized, as in a denial of something said before, in which case the full not is used and stressed. With many auxiliaries, there is often also a possibility of auxiliary contraction in informal English: It isn't fair It's not fair (more common); He won't object (more common) or He'll not object; They haven't finished (more common) or They've not finished.

Tag questions

When tag questions are used to invite confirmation, positive sentences are normally followed by negative tag questions (David is abroad, isn't he?) and negative sentences by positive tag questions (David isn't abroad, is he?). Positive sentences are sometimes followed by positive tag questions (So David is abroad, is he?), indicating an inference or recollection from what has been said. Occasionally, they suggest suspicion or a challenge: So that's what Doris wants, is it?

Expressions used with negation

Some expressions are found exclusively or typically in negative sentences: the not … any relationship in Doris hasn't produced any plays, contrasted with Doris has produced some plays; the not … either relationship in David doesn't smoke a pipe, either (in response to such statements as John doesn't smoke a pipe), contrasted with David smokes a pipe, too (in response to John smokes a pipe).

Negation other than through the verb

No, not, and other negative words may be introduced in order to negate a sentence: Jeremy has no difficulties with this (compare Jeremy hasn't any difficulties with this), Ray said not a word to anybody (compare Ray didn't say a word to anybody); Maurice will never make a fuss, will he? (compare Maurice won't make a fuss, will he?); Nothing surprises them, does it? (compare There isn't anything that surprises them, is there?); Mervyn hardly ever makes a mistake, does he? (compare Mervyn doesn't ever make mistakes, does he?).

Implied contrasts

The negative particle or word extends its scope over the whole or part of the sentence. The extent is manifested when expressions associated with negatives are present, as in the difference between I didn't read some of the papers (that is, I read others) and I didn't read any of the papers (that is, I read none). The focus of the negation (marked intonationally in speech) is the part of the sentence which presents a negative contrast: Ted doesn't teach history may imply that someone else does or that Ted teaches something else.

Double negation

Prefixes such as un- and in- make the word negative but not the sentence in which it is used: unhappy in They are unhappy about their new house; insensitively in They spoke rather insensitively to him when he lost his job. Such words may be combined with another negative to cancel out, to a large extent, the force of the negative prefix: Jeremy was not unhappy, meaning that he was fairly happy. See LITOTES. This type of double negation, which results in a positive meaning, is different from the kinds of multiple negation found in both general non-standard English (I didn't see nothing: I didn't see anything) and in some DIALECTS (Glasgow Ah'm no comin neer Ah'm no: I am not coming neither I am not). Such usages are widely stigmatized and equally widely used. See DOUBLE NEGATIVE.