Negation

CHAPTER   III – NEGATION

  1. CLAUSE NEGATION

A positive clause → negated by adding « not » between the OPERATOR and the PREDICATION
                      Ex: I have finished ….. I have not finished.
If no OPERATOR in the positive clause→ “dummy do” is introduced
                      Ex: She works …. She doesn’t work.
Followed by positive tag question
Some | Any |
Somebody | Anybody |
Somehow | At all |
Sometimes | Never/Even |
Still | Any longer |
Too | Either |
Great deal | Much |
                      Ex: They aren’t ready, are they?
Followed by negative tag clauses
                      Ex: They aren’t ready, neither are you.
Followed by negative agreement responses
                      Ex: He doesn’t know Russian. No he doesn’t.
Followed by nonassertive items* ( or more)
                      Ex: He won’t notice any change in you. ( We haven’t had any   lunch.)
Transition from its USUAL position to INITIAL position   → INVERSION OF Subject-Operator
                      Ex: Not a word would he say.
                      Ex: Never will I make that mistake again.
Several words are negative in MEANING but not in form : seldom, rarely, scarcely, hardly, barely, few (INITIAL POSITION → INVERSION Subject-Operator)
                      Ex: They scarcely seem to care, do they?
                      Ex: Scarcely ever has Britain suttered so much criticism.
ONLY
  * When it focuses a SUBJECT NOUN PHRASE → a nonassertive items
Ex: Only two of us had any experience
  * When do not focus on the SUBJECT → inversion subject-operator
Ex: Only in Sundays do they eat with their children.
RARELY
  * Positive → placed as an adjunct → not inversion subject-operator
Ex: Rarely, crime pays well.

* In many cases : - Negative particle + nonassertive form → produce a negative form or replaced by a   negative form
                                          Ex: “not ever > never” or “not anywhere > nowhere”

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