Verbal

Negation
BY LEONIE BANTON
 Uses of negative sentences:-

• To make an assertion about something

• To deny the truth about something that has been
said
• To express refusal

Overview Verbal Negation

• How it is achieved.
• Types of verbal negation - Primary verb negation
• Verbal negation and types of sentences
• Verbal negation and verb tense
• Verbal negation and sentence structure
 ► This is the process of forming negative
sentences as opposed to affirmative
sentences.

Two forms of negation : - verbal negation

Negation and
non-verb negation
 Non-Verbal Negation

► Use of words such as nobody, nothing, no, none, neither,

none, never
Or
► Use of negative affixes such as un, non-, dis

There is no milk in the fridge.

 Verbal Negation

► uses the negative element not with a verb to negate an affirmative statement.

Affirmative Statement – Yvonne is happy.

Negative Statement – Yvonne is not happy.

Types of Verbal Negation

Primary verb negation

and
Secondary verb
negation
Primary Verb
Negation

► This is the use of not to negate a clause that contains a present or past
tense verb.
 Primary Verb Negation

Statements Affirmative Statement Negative Statement Negative

Statement
Contracted not
with Auxiliary Verbs He is working. He is not working. He isn’t working.
If affirmative form of the sentence
contains one or more auxiliary verbs or He can read it later. He can not read it later He can’t read it
modal auxiliaries (such as can or should) later.
then not comes after the first auxiliary.
with Copular Be He is a doctor. He is not a doctor. He isn’t a doctor.
Negation for sentences with copular be is There is some milk. There is not any milk. There isn’t any milk.
the same as for sentences with auxiliary
verbs. Positive Polarity item – Negative Polarity item –
some, still any, yet, much, at all, a
bit, bother, faze
no auxiliary verb or Copular Be I liked the play. I did not like the play. I didn’t like the play.
Then add an auxiliary verb to make
negation work properly. Eg add an She has a car. She does not have a car. She doesn’t have a
appropriate form of do car. [American
[do carry the tense] English]

She hasn’t a car.

[British English
Types of Sentences

Exclamatory- Declarative -
Run! The bags are heavy.
Do not run! The bags aren’t heavy.

Imperative - Interrogative –
Sit here. Has the train arrived yet?
Do not sit Hasn’t the train arrived
here. yet?
 Verbal Negation
Verb Tense
Present Simple
Past Simple
Future Simple
Present Progressive
Past Progressive
Future Progressive
Present Perfect
Past Perfect
Future Perfect
Present Perfect Progressive
Past Perfect Progressive
Future Perfect progressive
Affirmative Statement
I write stories.
I wrote stories.
I will write stories.
I am writing stories.
I was writing stories.
I will be writing stories.
I have written some stories.
I had written stories.
I will have written stories.
I have been writing stories.
I had been writing stories.
I will have been writing stories.
Negative Statement
I do not write stories.
I did not write stories.
I will not write stories.
I am not writing stories.
I was not writing stories.
I will not be writing stories.
I have not written any story.
I had not written any story.
I will not have written any story.
I have not been writing stories.
I had not been writing stories.
I will not have been writing stories.
 Sentence Structure
Affirmative Negative

I clapped loudly. I did not clap loudly.

Jill stood up and I clapped loudly. Jill stood up and I did not clap loudly.

I clapped loudly, when my son went I did not clap loudly, when my son
on stage. went on stage.

Jill stood up and I clapped loudly, Jill stood up and I did not clap loudly,
when my son went on stage to collect when my son went on stage to collect
the first prize. the first prize.
 Let’s Summarize!

► Verbal negation is the process by which an affirmative statement is changed a negative

statement.
► This is done by adding not after the first auxiliary verb, modal auxiliary or copula be in an
affirmative sentence. If there is no auxiliary verb, modal auxiliary or copula be then a form
of do is used before the ‘not’ to achieve the verbal negation.
► There are two types of verbal negation: primary verb negation and secondary verb
negation.
► Verbal negation may be used to express a refusal, to make an assertion or deny the truth
about something.
► Verbal negation can occur in any sentence type, sentence structure or verb tense.
► Different varieties of English will have different ways of expressing verbal negation that are
grammatical.
 Reference

► Cowan, R. (2008). The Teacher’s Grammar of English. Cambridge University Press.

https://www.slideshare.net/alejandracecibel7/the-teachers-grammar-of-english-ron-cowan

► Huddleston, R., & Pullum, G. K. (2005). A Student’s Introduction to English Grammar.

Cambridge
University Press.
https://hostnezt.com/cssfiles/english/A%20Student's%20Introduction%20To%20English%20Grammar%20by%20
Huddleston%20Rodney%20&%20Pullum%20Geoffrey%20(CAMBRIDGE)%20x2.pdf

► TeacherPhilEnglish (2013). Negation English Grammar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNNqkZ1JzkE&list=RDLVfNNqkZ1JzkE&start_radio=1&rv=fNNqkZ1JzkE&t=2
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