What is an English negative sentence? The structure of negative sentences in English

English negative sentences are frequently used in both written and spoken language. In English, negative sentences are used to "deny, refute something false, not true, express disagreement". In today's article, PREP will provide knowledge about the definition, how to form sentences, and common negative structures!

I. What is an English negative sentence?

First, let's learn about the definition and signal words of negative sentences in English with PREP!

1. Definition

What is an English negative sentence? A negative sentence is a sentence that contains words with negative meanings such as "not", "no", "never", or "nothing". Negative sentences often express the meaning of "not doing" or "not being". Here are some examples of negative sentences in English:

• My sister does not like snakes. 
• Henry is not handsome. 
• I will never talk to that man again. 

2. Signal words

Signal words indicating negative sentences are: "not", "no", "never", and “nothing". For example:

• No one had gathered in the auditorium. 
• There's nothing in the fridge. 

II. The structure of negative sentences in English

Here is a summary of the English negative sentences structure by PREP!

1. The structure of negative sentences in the 12 tenses of English

Let's learn about the structure of negative sentences in the 12 tenses of English with examples below!

2. The structure of negative sentences with modal verbs

Let's learn about how to form negative sentences with modal verbs and examples below!

3. The structure of negative sentences with “Any, anybody, anyone, anything, anywhere”

The word "not" is not used in English negative sentences that begin with "some, someone, somebody, something, somewhere." We use "any, anyone, anybody, anything, anywhere" instead. For example:

• There aren’t some seats left. ➞ ❌
• There aren’t any seats left. Unfortunately, you’ll have to stand. ➞ ✅

After verbs with negative meanings such as: “decline/refuse”, we use “anything” instead of “something”. For example: Jerry refused to tell me anything about it. 

4. The structure of negative sentences with “no, not, never, none, nobody”

We can use negation words, phrases, or clauses, like "no, not, never, none, nobody,..." to express that something is incorrect. For example:

• My mother has never been abroad. 
• There were no newspapers left on the bookshelf by one o’clock. 
• Nobody came to the apartment for several days. 
• None of my cousins live near me. 

5. The structure of negative sentences with negative adverbs

At the beginning of the sentence, we use the negative adverbs "hardly, little, never, only, scarcely, and seldom" and invert the verb before the subject.

• Hardly had Alan left the office when the rain started pouring.
• Little did Peter know that we would never meet again. 

We can also reverse the subject and verb after "Not + prepositional phrase" or "Not + clause in the front position”. For example:

• Not for a moment did Joe think she would be offered the job, so she was amazed when she got it. 
• Not till I got home did I realize my key was missing. 

6. The structure of double negative sentences

In English, when using “nobody, nowhere, never or nothing”, we do not use negative verbs. For example:

• Alex had nothing interesting to tell his girlfriend. ➞ ✅
• Alex hadn’t nothing interesting to tell his girlfriend. ➞ ❌
• It was 10 am but there was nobody in the class. ➞ ✅
• It was 10 am but there wasn’t nobody in the class. ➞ ❌

Native people in some areas still use double negative structures in informal conversation, but this usage is not accepted in formal texts. For example:

However, we can soften or lessen the meaning of the adjective by using not + negative prefixes (such as un-, in-) with adjectives and adverbs. The meaning of the word becomes affirmative which is often seen in formal texts. For example:

• This year’s rise in inflation to 5% was not unexpected. 
• The difference between the two results was not insignificant. 

7. Other structures of negative sentences in English

7.1. Negative questions

Negative sentences in English can be in the form of questions. For example:

• What don’t you understand about the project? 
• Won’t we be able to see the result? 
• Isn’t that Lucas’s sister? 

7.2. Negative imperative sentences

We use “Do + not + V = Don't + V” to form negative imperative sentences. For example:

• Do not close it until I tell you. 
• Don’t take the bike. Go on your car. 

7.3. Negative sentences in non-finite clauses

Non-finite clauses are clauses without a subject, where the main verb is in the form of “to-infinitive, -ing, or -ed”. To negate a non-finite clause, we can use “not”. For example:

• Not to have invited Jackson to our little party would have been impolite. 
• Lenny left the house very quietly, not wishing to alarm anyone. 

7.4. Negative sentences with the purpose of emphasizing

When we want to emphasize something negative, we often use "at all". For example:

• There’s nothing at all left in the fridge. 
• We had no rain at all this summer and now we have floods. 

7.5. Negative sentences with negative prefixes and suffixes

We can also create negative words by adding prefixes “de-, dis-, il-/im-/in-/ir-, mis-, non-, un-,...” or suffix “-less”. For example:

• Peter was very disrespectful to the teacher. 
• This new phone is useless; it’s always breaking down. 

In addition, there are some common negative sentence structures in English. For example:

Refer to some more articles:

• What is a dependent clause? All you need to know about dependent clauses
• What is an independent clause? All you need to know about independent clauses
• What are imperative clauses? Structures and usage of imperative clauses

III. The differences between the negative sentences and the interrogative sentences

Let's distinguish between the negative sentences and the interrogative sentences in English with some examples below!

IV. Exercise on negative sentences in English

Let's complete 2 exercises below to have a deeper understanding of negative sentences in English!

1. Exercise

Exercise 1: Complete the sentences with verbs in negative form.

1. Micro______(not read) books in the morning.
2. The children______(not visit) the museum last week.
3. Students______(not play) soccer at the moment.
4. My sister______(not study) when I called at 8pm last night.
5. Anna______(not visit) her grandmother next week.

Exercise 2: Write the correct form of the words in parentheses with negative meaning.

1. She's feeling very (happy) about the situation.
2. The neighbor was (unfriend) and never greeted us.
3. It would be (responsible) to ignore these warnings.
4. The weather turned (pleasant) with heavy rain and strong winds.
5. The report contained (accurate) information, which caused confusion.

2. Answer

V. Unlock Your IELTS Success Story. 

PREP hopes that this article can provide you with additional knowledge regarding the usage, structure, and meaning of negative sentences. If you want guaranteed improvement in IELTS, don’t miss these game-changing courses:

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