7.3: Negative Statements

Learning Objectives

1. Identify a negative statement.
2. Write negative statements.

Negative statements are the opposite of positive statements and are necessary to express an opposing idea. The following charts list negative words and helping verbs that can be combined to form a negative statement.

Negative Words
never	no	hardly
nobody	none	scarcely
no one	not	barely
nowhere		rarely

Common Helping Verbs
am	is	are
was	were	be
being	been	have
has	had	do
does	did	can
could	may	might
must	will	should
would	ought to	used to

The following examples show several ways to make a sentence negative in the present tense.

1. A helping verb used with the negative word not.

   Sentence: My guests are arriving now.

   Negative: My guests are not arriving now.

2. Sentence: Minh has money.

   Negative: Minh has no money.

3. Sentence: Yen misses her mom.

   Negative: Yen doesn’t miss her mom.

4. Sentence: I always go to the gym after work.

   Negative: I rarely go to the gym after work.

5. Sentence: Everybody gets the day off.

   Negative: Nobody gets the day off.

The following sentences show you the ways to make a sentence negative in the past tense.

Sentence: Huong called me yesterday.

Negative: Huong did not call me yesterday.

Sentence: Ning went to the grocery store.

Negative: Ning never went to the grocery store.

Sentence: Pia laughed when she saw the huge pile of laundry.

Negative: Pia did not laugh when she saw the huge pile of laundry.

Notice that when forming a negative in the past tense, the helping verb did is what signals the past tense, and the main verb laugh does not have an-ed ending.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\):

Rewrite the following paragraph by correcting the errors in the past-tense negative sentences.

Gifty no did call me when she reached North Carolina. I was worried because she not drove alone before. She was going to meet her friend, Backary, who lived in a town called Asheville, North Carolina. I did never want to worry, but she said she was going to call when she reached there. Finally, four hours later, she called and said, “Mom, I’m sorry I did not call. I lost track of time because I was so happy to see my friend Backary!” I was relieved.

Double Negatives

Double negatives are two negatives used in the same phrase or sentence. They are considered incorrect in Standard English. You should avoid using double negatives in all formal writing. If you want to say something negative, use only one negative word in the sentence. Return to the beginning of this section for a list of negative words, and then study the following examples.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Tip

Ain’t is considered a contraction of am not. Although some may use it in everyday speech, it is considered incorrect in Standard English. Avoid using it when speaking and writing in formal contexts.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{2}\):

On your own sheet of paper, correct the double negatives and rewrite the following sentences.

1. Jose didn’t like none of the choices on the menu.
2. Luiza can’t make no friends with nobody.
3. The Southwest hardly had no rain last summer.
4. My kids never get into no trouble.
5. I could not do nothing about the past.

Key Takeaways

• Negatives are usually formed using a negative word plus a helping verb.
• Double negatives are considered incorrect in Standard English.
• Only one negative word is used to express a negative statement.