A word that means to not want to do something - Word и Excel - помощь в работе с программами

What’s it called when you unenthusiastically do something that you have reservations about. You might consciously resist participating in something because you’re ethically opposed to it or because it conflicts with your personal ideals. But in the end you submit either because you’re compelled by duty or obligation, you realize your ideals aren’t pragmatic, or your method keeps failing, or you realize you were wrong. Whatever the reason, you might not be happy about it and you might not want to admit it, or maybe you’re simply being forced. But in the end you relinquish control or subdue your inclination to resist, and you cooperate or comply.

An example is, you might be a passionate, publicly outspoken opponent of euthanasia for many years; adamant that your way is the best and only way until a day comes that you have to watch as someone dear to you suffers.

Another example is, you might be in the military, and your commanding officer gives you an order to do something that you disagree with but you decide to just grit your teeth and do as you’re told.

It’s a word that I learned only recently, and I have used it in context before, but have forgotten. I believe it’s a verb. Actually, I recall there being two similar, but distinctly etymologically separate words that both can be used to basically mean the same thing.

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I think you may be talking about (psychological) reactance. From Wikipedia:

Reactance is an unpleasant motivational arousal (reaction) to offers, persons, rules, or regulations that threaten or eliminate specific behavioral freedoms. Reactance occurs when a person feels that someone or something is taking away their choices or limiting the range of alternatives.

In your example, you originally chose to do something, but when your sense of having that choice is threatened by being ordered to do it you stop wanting to do it. This is a pretty common experience, and is part of the reason why so-called «reverse psychology» sometimes works. However, the specifics of whether and how people experience reactance vary based on a bunch of factors, and aren’t yet fully understood. Further reading at Steindl, Christina et al. “Understanding Psychological Reactance: New Developments and Findings” Zeitschrift fur Psychologie vol. 223,4 (2015): 205-214.

If you are wondering about something less universal/more severe and are more focused on behavior rather than the feeling that leads to the behavior, there is also a psychological condition called oppositional defiance disorder whose symptoms include (among others)

Argumentative and defiant behavior:

Often argues with adults or people in authority

Often actively defies or refuses to comply with adults’ requests or rules
. . .

_{—Mayo Clinic, «Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD), Patient Care and Health Information, quoting the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) of the American Psychiatric Association}

If you aren’t talking about behavior that rises to the clinical level but want to talk about the behavior rather than the subjective experience, you could use one of the component terms. Cambridge Dictionaries offers these definitions:

oppositional

refusing to obey instructions or to do what people want you to do:
These children are not just being oppositional for no reason.

defiant

proudly refusing to obey authority:
a defiant attitude/gesture
The protesters blocking the entrance to the offices remained defiant this morning.

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If you haven’t already seen them yet, I recommend reviewing our lessons about the modal verb MUST and also the lesson about difference between MUST and HAVE TO.

In this lesson we are going to look at the difference between MUSTN’T and DON’T HAVE TO.

What is the difference between MUSTN’T and DON’T HAVE TO?

Be careful with the negative of Must and Have to.

There is a BIG difference in meaning between Mustn’t and Don’t have to.

Mustn’t means something is prohibited or it is not allowed.
It is important that you do NOT do something

Don’t have to means there is NO obligation to do something.
You are not required to do something, especially if you don’t want to. You can do the thing if you want to.

Let’s compare the two together where it will make a lot more sense.

You must not drink that.
= This means it is forbidden to drink that.
= Don’t drink that because it is not allowed.
= It is important that you do NOT drink it.

You don’t have to drink that.
= You don’t need to drink that but you can if you want.
= There is no obligation to drink that, you decide if you want to.

You can see that Mustn’t is a negative obligation while Don’t have to is an absence of obligation. Don’t have to means it is not necessary, it is not compulsory, but you have a choice. You have the choice to drink that or not.

However Mustn’t is an obligation NOT to do something, in this case NOT to drink that.

Let’s compare another example:

You mustn’t tell John, and You don’t have to tell John. Can you see the difference?

You mustn’t tell John.
= Do not tell John.
= You are not allowed to tell John.

You don’t have to tell John.
= you can tell John if you want to but it is not necessary. You decide if you want to.

We can also use these in third person. Mustn’t is the same for everyone but don’t have to becomes doesn’t have to in third person.

She mustn’t come.
= It is important that she does NOT come. Maybe because we are organizing a surprise for her and we don’t want her to know about it.

She doesn’t have to come.
= Here we let her now about the meeting or whatever. She is not required to come but she can if she wants to.

Notice how we used doesn’t have to instead of don’t have to.

PRACTICE ACTIVITY

Let’s practice. Complete the sentences with MUSTN’T or DON’T HAVE TO.

You ________ come if you don’t want to.
I ________ be at the meeting but I think I’ll go anyway.
Passengers ________ speak to the driver.
You ________ eat it if you don’t like it.
In boxing, you ________ hit your opponent below the belt.
They ________ talk to each other during the exam.
You ________ pay for your tickets now but you can if you want.
You ________ play with those wires. They’re dangerous.

The answers appear in the video.

MUSTN’T vs. DON’T HAVE TO Summary Chart

Lesson tags: Advice, Have, Modal Verbs, Must, Negative, Obligation

Back to: English Course > Modal Verbs

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Double negatives are salt-of-the-earth slang idiom, of the sort some people consider the «lowest.» Well.

A lot of sophisticated people love American Delta Blues, and all the music that flows from that style— rock & roll for example. They’ll listen to a blues or R&B tune and go into raptures.

Somehow the line «I ain’t got nobody / to tell my troubles to» slips by without opprobrium, in all this rave-reviewing.

What with popular mass culture drawing more and more from blues, jazz and rock & roll, the Southern dialect is making a resurgence, and with it the double-negative construction. Acceptible in some languages and not in others, it is, like it or not, a feature of Southern regional speech. And the South, as they say, shall rise again.

I’m not saying this development is great, or that people who decry it are wrong. But English has always been a slang-driven language, and long-banished solecisms are forever making comebacks.

Or to put it another way, you think you done seen your share of gooberisms in movies and TV shows and songs? You ain’t seen n-n-nothin yet!

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I wouldn’t mind (doing something)

To «not mind» something means to be OK with it, or to not be bothered by it:

A: Sorry it’s taking so long.

B: No problem. I don’t mind waiting.

You use the phrase «I wouldn’t mind ___ing» when you want to do something, but you don’t want to seem too eager.

A: So… what should we do now?

B: I wouldn’t mind getting a cup of coffee.

In the example above, even if the speaker is really interested in this girl and excited about seeing her again, he probably wants to act cool in front of his friend.

The meaning of «I wouldn’t mind ___» can change depending on which word that you stress, though. If you don’t really want to do something, you can stress the word «mind»:

I wouldn’t mind going…»

This means that you don’t really want to go, but you will go if necessary.

This phrase appears in these lessons:

“I wouldn’t mind seeing her again.”

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INDEX:

1. to persuade someone to do something

2. to gently persuade someone to do something

3. to try hard to persuade someone

4. to persuade someone that something is true, right, or good

5. the use of film, newspapers etc to persuade people

6. reasons, explanations etc that persuade you to believe something

7. to persuade someone by making something seem very good

8. something good that is used to persuade someone

9. good at persuading people

10. too easily persuaded by other people

11. to persuade someone not to do something

12. something that persuades someone not to do something

RELATED WORDS

Synonyms

unwilling

adjective

if you are unwilling to do something, you do not want to do it or you refuse to do it

reluctant

adjective

not willing to do something

unhelpful

adjective

not willing or able to help

uncooperative

adjective

not willing to work with or to help another person or group

loath

adjective

formal very unwilling to do something

disinclined

adjective

formal unwilling to do something

unprepared

adjective

formal not willing

indisposed

adjective

formal not willing to do something

grudging

adjective

done in an unwilling way

chary

adjective

formal unwilling to do something because you are afraid that something bad will happen

More synonyms

loth

another spelling of loath

reluctant

adjective

used for describing someone who is doing something but does not really want to

unwilling

adjective

involved in doing something that you do not want to do

Explore other meanings

Explore related meanings

Willing to do or accept something
In a willing way
Willingness and to be willing
Ways of saying that you are willing to do something
Unwillingness and to be unwilling
In an unwilling way
Way of saying that you will not do something

Free thesaurus definition of not willing to do something from the Macmillan English Dictionary — a free English dictionary online with thesaurus and with pronunciation from Macmillan Education.

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These words describe not wanting to do something.

One of the most common words for this is unwilling.

She was unwilling to hand over the money.

He was a very unwilling helper.

The opposite of unwilling is willing.

I’m more than willing to help out if needed.

If someone is unwilling to do something, you can say formally that the person is loath to do it.

I was loath to spend all the money at once.

The verb balk can be used when someone is unwilling to do something or unwilling for something to happen.

The MP balked at a proposal to raise council tax.

Reluctant can be used when someone is unwilling to do something and therefore is slow to do it.

I was reluctant to leave because I was having such a good time.

If someone is disinclined to do something, they do not want to do it.

I am disinclined to take on the extra work without more pay.

The opposite of disinclined is inclined.

No one seemed inclined to help her.

If someone is unwilling to do something but does it anyway, you can say that the thing that was done is grudging or begrudging.

She earned the grudging admiration of her colleagues for her discoveries.

The begrudging respect he had for her soon turned to outright devotion.

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By Robby

If you are new here please read this first.

I often touch upon the subject of English idiomatic expressions on this blog for the simple reason that more often than not our every-day speech consists of such and similar word combinations and it’s making our speech so much more easier!

Just look at the above paragraph – it’s stuffed with various idiomatic expressions and collocations, and the one common trait they all share is that you have to learn the EXACT way they’re used so that you can learn them off by heart and then use them in your own conversations.

Then there are proper English idioms you can’t even understand unless you actually know what they mean – such as “It’s no skin off my nose” or “Until the cows come home”.

There are, however, certain English phrases that may at first sound as if they don’t have any double-meanings AT ALL, yet they mean something completely different!

If you’re an advanced English speaker and you’ve been communicating with real people in real life for years, this list will probably reveal nothing new to you.

If you’re someone who’s just starting off in an English speaking country, for example, the following phrases might turn out to be an eye-opener for you! 😉

You don’t want to do that!

If you take this phrase literally, it sounds as if someone is making a statement that you don’t want to do something (in which case it doesn’t really make an awful lot of sense – I mean, how can someone else possibly know what I do or what I don’t want to do?!)

In reality though, this phrase is used when advising someone not to do something, so the real message behind this expression is “You shouldn’t do it!”

Why do English speaking people say “You don’t want to do that!” instead of simply saying that one SHOULDN’T do it?

Well – it’s just the way conversational English goes! Don’t ask WHY – just accept that it’s the way native English speakers speak, and life is going to be a whole lot easier for you.

Another version of the same phrase – “You don’t want to be doing that!” – is used just like the original one, and once again – don’t ask WHY there are two different versions of this phrase in use.

Just accept it and use whichever one you want to use! 😀

He can’t help himself

When I heard the English verb “to help” used in this context for the first time, I thought the person in question must be physically handicapped once they can’t help themselves.

I mean – the word “to help” is quite simple and straightforward, so when someone can’t help themselves, they quite literally can’t assist themselves with performing certain tasks, isn’t that right?

Turns out it’s not the case!

When someone says about another person that they can’t help themselves, it means the person in question can’t RESIST doing something, they’re too weak to say NO to themselves ❗

Let’s say, you’re eating too much chocolate on a daily basis, and your work colleague asks you one day why you’re eating so much chocolate every day. You can simply respond by saying “I just can’t help myself!” which means that it’s a habit so strong you can’t resist it.

Shut up!

When someone tells you to shut up, it’s quite clear what they want to tell you, isn’t that right?

They’re telling you to shut your mouth, and needless to say, it’s quite rude to be talking to someone like that.

Sometimes, however, the phrase “Shut up!” can be used to express something completely different – namely, your amazement at something the other person is telling you about.

So if you’re speaking with an English speaking person and they respond to you by saying “Shut up! I can’t believe it!”, it doesn’t necessarily mean they want you to shut your mouth and stop talking to them. It merely means they’re so surprised at what you just said that they’re using the phrase “Shut up!” as means of expressing they disbelief or excitement.

Sure enough, you’ll be able to read the true meaning of those words off the other person’s face and tone of voice – the role of body language can’t be underestimated, after all.

There might be some occasions, however, when you’d think the other person is being rude to you while in reality there’s no harm intended, so please bear in mind that the expression “Shut up!” can also have a pretty harmless meaning!

Go away!

I don’t know about you, but where I live (Ireland) this phrase is used the same way as the one above (“Shut up!”) when expressing your surprise at something the other person has just said.

Basically it’s just another way of saying “Really?!”, and when they say “Go away!”, nobody means it literally. It’ just a way of letting the other person know that you’re shocked to hear it, and you may as well start using this phrase in your own daily English conversations.

I see!

This is a very, very simple English phrase, but when an average beginner English student sees it, on 9 times out of 10 they’ll think it means that someone is saying that they SEE something.

In fact, the phrase “I see!” is used conversationally all the time when people want to say that they get it, that they UNDERSTAND it, and this is actually something that a lot of foreign English speakers should learn pretty early in their lives.

On way too many occasions my fellow foreigners say “I understand” while the phrase they should be using is “I see”!

You see, “I understand” sounds way too formal when used during your daily conversations, so I warmly suggest you start using the much more friendlier version of it “I see!” instead.

See where I’m coming from?

If someone asks you if you see where they’re coming from, you may assume they mean it quite literally, in which case you may be thinking “How on Earth am I supposed to know where they’re coming from?!”

When people ask you this question, what they actually mean to say is “Do you understand the reasons why I’m saying this?”

Basically the conversation would go something like this:

“I think we should swap this machine for the other one because the production output is much lower now that the busy season is over.”

You: ???

“You see where I’m coming from?” (Do you understand why I’m suggesting we should swap the machines on the production line?)

You: “I haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about! Can you explain everything to me step-by-step please?”

You may want to…

This phrase may seem a bit confusing at first. You may… You want… Why “You MAY WANT” then? Why are the two words grouped together? Does it mean you’re giving the other person a permission to do something as in “You may do it”?

What this phrase actually means is quite the opposite to giving someone a permission to do something – it’s all about giving the other person a suggestion that they should probably choose to do whatever it is you’re telling them to do!

Why not simply say “You should…” instead?

Well, you see – “You may want to…” is a very polite way of letting someone know as to what would be the right course of action while “You should…” might actually sound like a command rather than a suggestion!

I don’t buy it!

This English phrase has nothing to do with buying stuff, it’s all about BELIEVING what you’re told! 😉

If someone makes an empty promise to you or you’re told some news you don’t believe, you can respond with saying “I don’t buy it!” in which case you’re simply making it clear you don’t believe what you’re told.

I’m looking forward to…

As a beginner English student you may think this phrase means to be looking straight ahead of you (as opposed to be looking backwards or sideways, for example).

In conversational English and also in English in general, however, this phrase has a completely different meaning – it simply means to be expecting something, to be really waiting on something to happen!

I remember when I’d just started living in Ireland 11 years ago, my supervisor asked me at work if I was looking forward to my holidays, to which I didn’t really know what to say because the sentence didn’t make a lot of sense to me.

Now I know only too well that it means to be expecting something, and in case you didn’t know it – it’s about time to add this English phrase onto your vocabulary!

Tell me about it!

“Tell me about it!” doesn’t mean “TELL me ABOUT it”.

It means “Yes, I know exactly what you’re talking about – I have the same experience!”

Here’s a situation to describe exactly what I’m talking about here:

You: “My little sister is real nightmare – she constantly makes demands to our mom and cries if she doesn’t get what she wants!”

Your friend: “Tell me about it!”

What your friends is telling you is – “Yeah, I can completely relate to that because I also have a little sister who’s behaving that way!”

So now that you know what this phrase means, you wouldn’t start telling your friend MORE ABOUT it. You’d simply understand your friend is going through a similar experience!

It doesn’t hurt to…

When someone tells you that it doesn’t hurt to do something, they don’t literally mean that it’s not going to be painful.

What they mean to tell you is that the activity in question is going to result is something really beneficial to you, so it’s definitely worth doing it!

How do you find this…?

I remember someone asked me how I found my job to which I started telling them about the recruitment agency who helped me to land my job with the company…

What that person actually meant was – “What do you THINK ABOUT your job?” – so in this case the English verb “to find” has another meaning on top of the most common one which is to actually find something after you’ve been looking for it!

* * *

Now, did you find this article interesting?

Did you learn a few new English phrases you didn’t know existed?

If so – let your friends know about them by using the social sharing tool below!

Thanks for reading,

Robby 😉

P.S. Would you like to find out why I’m highlighting some of the text in red? Read this article and you’ll learn why it’s so important to learn idiomatic expressions and how it will help you to improve your spoken English!

P.S.S. Are you serious about your spoken English improvement? Check out my English Harmony System HERE!

P.S. Are you serious about your spoken English improvement? Check out the English Harmony System HERE!

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As you know, any sentence for the purpose of the statement (declarative, imperative and interrogative) can be either affirmative or negative. Today we will understand the peculiarities of English negation. Let’s pay attention to all its main features, the means by which negation is expressed in the English language, the constructions, the presence of which it requires, and also compare the English and Russian negation.

Ways of Expressing Negation in English

So, first it is necessary to define denial. What is it like?

Denial Is a linguistic means that indicates the absence or impossibility of something.

Denial in English can be expressed by the following parts of speech:

Particle
Adverb
Pronoun
union
Pretext

To express negation, in English you can use both the not particle (the most common way of expressing negation), and other words. These words in the language include, for example, negative pronouns.

Among them:

none
No
Nobody
Nothing
Nowhere

Formation of a negative construct with the particle not

Denial in English is built using certain linguistic elements. The main means for expressing negation is the particle not (an analogue of the Russian “not”, which helps to form a negative form in a sentence). If we talk about its place in the sentence, then it is placed after the verb (modal or auxiliary).

In the event that the sentence contains more than one auxiliary verb, then the particle not should be placed after the first of them. By the way, in order to save speech, this particle is reduced along with the modal and auxiliary verb. When abbreviating, only the letter «o» is lost.

In order for you to better grasp the essence of this abbreviation, we advise you to take a look at a few examples of it:

Do not — don’t
Are not — aren’t
Is not — isn’t

An example of negation with the particle not:

They will not write a test. (They won’t write a test)

To express negation in simple present and past tenses, an auxiliary verb must be used with the particle not (do, does or did depending on the tense). This verb has no translation into Russian, since it appears in an English sentence specifically to build a negative construction.

For example:

Source: http://top100lingua.ru/blog/grammatika/dvojnoe-otricanie-v-anglijskom-jazyke

How to make a sentence negative in English

The English language is rich and varied. To express a thought or answer a question of the interlocutor, various forms of sentences are used — positive and negative.

With the help of a negative sentence, you can show that some fact is wrong, express disagreement or denial of something. And today we will talk about how to make a sentence negative in English, we will study the rules of construction and the features of this form.

What are negative sentences

Any phrase, oral or written, can be either affirmative or vice versa. And if positive sentences in English and their construction do not cause difficulties for anyone, then when creating negative sentences there are certain rules that you should know.

A negative sentence is a written or oral thought form that contains negation. To build a negative sentence, special particles or adverbs are used.

In our native language, for negation, we usually put the particle «not»:

I’ll go visit. — I’m not going to visit.

In English, the particle «not» and the auxiliary verb (auxiliary verb) are similarly used for negation: In the summer I will not go to the sea.

But there are also other educational methods, which we will take a closer look at.

How to write a negative sentence in English

The rules for creating negative sentences are different from our native speech. There is a standard scheme for the formation of negation:

Subject — auxiliary verb — particle not — main verb — the rest of the sentence.

A negative word always has its strict place in a sentence.

Ways to compose negatives

In addition to using the helper verb and the «not» particle, there are several ways to form negative sentences in English.

Verb «to be» + particle not. This method should be used when we want to say what or who a person, object is, or indicate a location.
With modal verbs (Can, Should, Must, Have to / had to) and not.
Using pronouns and adverbs: nobody, no one, none, nothing, neither, nowhere.

You should also remember one more form — imperative negative sentences. Do and not are used for plotting. For example:

Source: https://unavischool.ru/polezno-znat/kak-sdelat-predlozhenie-otritsatelnym-v-anglijskom-yazyke

Infinitive in English — rules and examples

HomeGrammarVerbInfinitive in English — rules and examples

Infinitive or the indefinite (initial) form of the verb is widespread in English. Outwardly, a simple infinitive looks like the original (dictionary) form of a verb, preceded by the to particle, but the particle is not always used. The Russian analogue of the infinitive is the initial form of the verb, which answers the questions: “What to do? what to do?»

to read	читать
to decide	decide

The infinitive is often found in an English sentence containing a compound verb predicate, that is, a combination of two or more verbs, and after adjectives and fixed expressions that require the use of the verb in the infinitive after themselves:

We decided to help him.	We decided to help him.
She made me tell him the truth.	She made me tell him the truth.
They are afraid to go out at night.	They are afraid to leave the house at night.

Using the infinitive with and without the particle to

In most situations, the infinitive appears in a sentence with the accompanying particle to. However, in the following situations, using the particle to before the infinitive will lead to a blunder.

Particle consumption to not required before infinitive
after modal verbs: can (could) — can, must — necessary, may (might) — can,shouldnt(shell) — should, would (will) — (should	I canunderstand your situation, but you should solve your problems yourself. You ‘d(would) better take an umbrella.	I can understand your situation, but you should solve your problems on your own. You better take an umbrella.
after verbs make(to force)и flight(to induce, to allow) in a construction with a noun or pronoun in the object case (Complex Object — complex addition)	Do not make me read this book. It’s boring. Just flight Him go!	Don’t make me read this book. She’s boring. Just let him go!
after the verbs of perception see (see), hear (hear)feel (feel)etc. in construction Complex Object	We saw here cross the street. Jim Heard mary play the guitar.I error his hand touch my shoulder.	We saw her crossing the street. Jim heard Mary play the guitar. I felt his hand touch my shoulder.
after the verb help (to help)и dare(dare)	Some friends of him helped Jason clean up the room after the party.	Several friends helped Jason clean the room after the party.

Negation with an infinitive

If you need to use negation in a sentence containing an infinitive, it is important to pay attention to what exactly is being denied. Moreover, if the main action of the sentence, expressed by the verb in a personal form, is denied, then the negative form of the modified verb characteristic of the corresponding time is used, for example:

Ann did not pretend to love him.

Anna did not pretend to love him.

If only the action expressed by the infinitive is denied, then not is placed directly before it, in particular, before the particle to:

Ann pretended Note to love him.

Anna pretended not to love him.

Choosing between an infinitive and a gerund

Expressions in Russian containing two verbs, one of which is in an indefinite form, in English can correspond not only to the construction «Verb in personal form + infinitive», but also the design «Verb in personal form + gerund (form with the suffix —ing) «, For example:

Dan was short of money, so I agreed to lend him some.	Dan had little money, so I agreed to borrow him a little.
suddenly everybody stopped talking.	Suddenly everything stopped talking.

The choice of construction depends on which verb is in the personal (mutable) form. Verbs requiring use particle infinitive to:

to offer	suggest	We offered to give her a lift.	We offered to give her a lift.
agree	agree	Simon agreed to take us to the airport.	Simon agreed to take us to the airport.
to refuse	refuse	The girl refused to tell us her name.	The girl refused to tell us her name.
to decide	decide	They decided not to visit the museum.	They decided not to visit the museum.
to plan	to plan	My friends are planning to travel around Europe this summer.	My friends are planning to travel to Europe this summer.

In addition to the above verbs, the following are used with the infinitive: to arrange(agree), to hope (hope), to aim (aim), to learn (learn), to deserve (deserve), to afford (afford), to forget(to forget), to attempt (try), to manage (cope), to fail (fail), to promise(promise), to threaten (threaten), to seem (sound), to appear (seem), to tend (tend to), to pretend (pretend), to claim (to assert) and some others.

Verbs requiring use with gerund are presented in part in the following table:

to stop	cease	Could you please stop making so much noise?	Could you stop making this noise?
to finish	finish off	He hasn’t finished washing up yet.	He hasn’t finished washing the dishes yet.
this miss	to miss	She missed reading a book in a quiet place.	She missed reading a book in a quiet place.
to involve	include	Our sports lesson involves jogging, swimming and gymnastics.	Our physical education lesson includes jogging, swimming and gymnastics.
to give up	throw

Source: https://1hello.ru/grammatika/infinitiv-infinitive-v-anglijskom-yazyke-pravila-i-primery.html

Negation in English — rule and example sentences

The English language differs in some peculiarities of the use of no-words. Negation in English can be combined with verbs, pronouns, nouns. They can also often be seen in a group of particles or adverbs. In this article, you will learn how to use negation correctly and can see examples of denial that will help you better understand the rules in practice.

No, no, no, and again no double negation

When starting to study this topic, it is worth paying attention to one important feature. In sentences in English, negation is used only once and no more. You shouldn’t build sentences with double negation. For Russian speakers, this is often a problem. We can easily say something like, «I’ve never met her anywhere.» There are three negatives used in this sentence. So, remember in English you cannot speak like that.

Negation rule with particle Note

Most negative sentences in English are built using a particle Note… If you are using modal verbs, the forms to be, have got or future auxiliary verb will, then a particle Note is placed after them.

You mustn’t ever be shy — You should never be shy.

Haven’t you got any kindness to these poor animals? — You have absolutely no kindness to these unfortunate animals?

If you use weak verbs, then the not part is added to the auxiliary verb. don’t, doesn’t or did notif it is about the past tense.

I didn’t say him a word. “I didn’t say a word to him.

They don’t to go to the theater. — They don’t like going to the theater.

Rules for using negation No

Denial No is also used quite often in negative sentences. In most cases, it is used before a noun.

I have no food to make dinner. — I have no food to cook dinner.

Babies often see no danger in their games — Children often see no danger in their games.

Compound negative adverbs

A separate category is followed by sentences in which negation is expressed using compound words: no one / nobody, nothing, nowhere.

Nobody knows his real address. “Nobody knows his real address.

Nothing will change my mind. I don’t want to see him. — Nothing will change my opinion. I don’t want to see him.

I can find my pencil nowhere. Had you take it? — I can’t find my pencil anywhere. Didn’t you take it?

Expressing negation with a negative adverb Never

There is also a noun in English never, which translates as «never». With its help, you can form a full-fledged negative sentence.

I had never seen my father. — I’ve never seen my father.

They had never played chess. — They never played chess.

My mother had never been in Paris. — My mother has never been to Paris.

Neither

Now let’s talk about one more negation word in English grammar — neither… This is one of the most specific denials, which translates as «none», «none of», «neither one nor the other.» Depending on the situation, it can act as an adverb, an adjective, or a noun.

Neither of you is ill. “None of you are sick.

I had read neither book. — I haven’t read a single book.

There was food in neither fridge. — There was no food in any refrigerator.

Interrogative negative sentences in English

Above, we looked at declarative sentences in English. There are also interrogative sentences with negation. For example, haven’t you read this book? Didn’t you buy candy for the baby? Have you seen my bag?

To create a negative question in English, you need to add a particle not.

For example:

Do you want to eat? — an interrogative sentence without negation.

Do you want to eat? — an interrogative sentence with negation.

If you are using a weak verb, the particle Note added to an auxiliary verb do.

Do you sweets? — Don’t you sweets?

Did she go to the cinema? Did she go to the cinema?

Source: https://lim-english.com/pravila-anglijskogo-yazyka/otricanie-v-anglijskom-yazyke/

Interrogative and negative sentences with to be

If you have already figured out how to make up the simplest sentences in English, when there is no verb in Russian, and the verb to be is used in English, then it’s time to find out how to make a negation or a question out of these sentences

In the article «make a sentence in English» we discussed how to make the simplest sentences in English, such as «I am a student», «Children at home», when there is no verb in Russian, and the verb to be is used in English. But how can one make a negation or a question out of these sentences?

Negative sentences c to be

Negation with the verb to be is extremely simple. In Russian we say “I’m not a student”, and in English we also have this particle “not” — “not”. Respectively,

rewrite an affirmative sentence
I am a student can be added to negative by adding «not»:

I am not a student

With other forms to be, everything works according to the same logic:

He is not a student
They are not students

Short negative forms

Frequently used in speech abbreviated forms to be and denial. Let’s look at two sentences:

We are not students = We aren’t students

These sentences mean exactly the same thing, just in the negation the spelling and pronunciation changes slightly.

By the same logic, “She is not a student” means the same as “She isn’t a student”, and “I am not a student” is identical to “I’m not a student”. That is,

I am not = I’m not is not = isn’t

are not = aren’t

Interrogative sentences c to be in english

In Russian, we ask questions in such sentences with the help of intonation: the statement «Your mother is a doctor» is different from the question «Is your mother a doctor?» only intonation.

In English, to compose a question, you need to change the order of the words. «Your mother is a doctor» — «Your mother is a doctor». Who are we talking about? — about your mother (your mother), i.e. it is the subject. Where is the verb? — is, i.e. it is a predicate. To make a question, you need to swap them, i.e. put the form to be (am, is or are) first. As a result, we get: «Is your mother a doctor?»

Another example, «Are their children at home?» In a statement, we would first say «their children», then the verb (are), and then everything else (at home), and it would be «Their children are at home.» But we make up a question, so we put «are» in the first place: «Are their children at home?»

By the same logic, «Am I right?» translate as «Am I right?»

Short answer in English

To answer such questions succinctly, it is not enough to say yes or no. Let’s remember that «to be» is translated as «to be, to be.» That is, when you are asked “Are you a student?” It means “Are you a student?” And you need to answer “Yes, I am” (Yes, I am) or “No, I am not” (No I am not).

In fact, in the short answer, we simply discard all additional information, leaving only the pronoun and verb. Pay attention to the pronoun. So, to the question «Is Mike at work?» (Is Mike at work?) You can answer “Yes, he is” or “No, he isn’t”.

Verb forms to be

To put all this information into a system, look at the question-short answer-affirmation-denial groups:

Am I right? — Yes, I am. I am right. / No, I’m not. I am not right.
Are you right? — Yes, you are. You are right. / No, you aren’t. You are not right.
Is he right? — Yes, he is. He is right. / No, he isn’t. He is not right.
Are we right? — Yes, we are. We are right. / No, we aren’t. We are not right.
Are they right? — Yes, they are. They are right. / No, they aren’t. They are not right.

Exercise to consolidate the material (interrogative sentences)

You need to make sentences from English words. Then you will find out its translation. Drag words with mouse or finger (on smartphones)

What time is the next bus? What time is the next bus? What time is the meeting? Exercise to consolidate the material (negative sentences)

You need to make sentences from English words. Then you will find out its translation. Drag words with mouse or finger (on smartphones)

Source: https://english-bp.ru/blog/to-be.html

5 ways to form negation in English

In the English language, there is a definite attitude towards “no” words. They accompany verbs, nouns, they can be found in a group of adverbs, particles, pronouns. We decided to collect the most popular and frequent negatives of the English language so that you can get to know this special “negative” group.

One important rule to remember when using the Negatives is to leave only one negative in English in a simple sentence. Analogies with the Russian language will only interfere here:

Nobody has ever done this.

In the Russian sentence, we see three negations at once — the pronoun no one, the noun never, the verb did not. In English, this situation is unacceptable.
The first translation that comes to mind is the translation using “nobody”:

No one has ever done it.

However, there are more ways to form denial. This sentence can also be translated as:

People have never done it.
People haven’t ever done it.

So, we have collected for you the top 5 “no” words, the knowledge of which will expand your language capabilities.

Negative particle Not

Truly the most common way to express negation in English is by using the not particle with verbs. Modal verbs, forms to be, have got, will attach this particle after themselves:

You mustn’t ever be late. — You should never be late.

Haven’t you got any respect for these people? — Do you have absolutely no respect for these people?

In the case of weak verbs in English, the particle Note joins the auxiliary don’t / doesn’t / didn’t:

It didn’t disappear anywhere. The knife is on the table. — He has not disappeared anywhere. The knife is on the table.

Particle into Russian Note translated as «not» and is used mainly with verbs.

Negative word #

The English word “no” is practically not inferior to the first negation in terms of frequency of use. In a sentence, it most often comes before a noun that negates:

I have no money. — I have no money.

The tourists see no danger. — Tourists see no danger.

You should not translate sentences word for word. Use euphonious phrases that won’t cut your ears. It is unlikely that you will hear such a translation:

Tourists see there is no danger.

Unless an electronic translator can please you with such original passages from time to time.

Negative number + word

We decided to present this group as a separate category. You will come across compound words here. The English language has to combine, which he uses so happily No.:

no one / nobody — nobody

No one knows her name. She opens it to nobody. — Nobody knows her name. She does not disclose it to anyone.

nothing — nothing

Nothing can change my mind. — Nothing will change my opinion.

nowhere — nowhere

Where is the ring? I can find it nowhere. — Where is the ring? I can’t find it anywhere.

Many of these “unions” are so tightly embedded in the structure of the language that they are not perceived as no + noun… These are such stable expressions as:

No Way — no way, where is the first value way — «way»
nonsense — nonsense, where sense means «reason», «meaning»
none of — none of, none of
no matter what / no matter who / no matter when / etc. — it doesn’t matter what / doesn’t matter, who / doesn’t matter, where / and so on.

Negative adverb Never

Adverb never translated into Russian “never”:

I will never forget your kindness. “I will never forget your kindness.

Like other representatives of “negativism,” it not only fully forms negation in the English sentence, but also actively joins other words to itself, forming new facets of negation:

suddenheless — despite, however, nevertheless
nevermind — forget, don’t think about it
never-to-be-forgotten — unforgettable
never-ending — endless
etc. — etc

The negative word Neither

Closes our top five English word neither, which, depending on the function in the sentence, can be a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. In any case, its single meaning is “none”, “none of”, “neither one nor the other”.

Neither of you is invited. “None of you have been invited.

This word also occurs in combination neither, nor — neither one nor the other.

Neither Davis, nor Parker lived in Paris. “Neither Davis nor Parker lived in Paris.

In conclusion, we want to remind you once again that only one negation can be present within a simple English sentence. Of course, in colloquial speech, in songs, in films, you can encounter a violation of the rule, but this is rather an exception.

We wish you a lot of fun in learning English!

Victoria Tetkina

Source: http://begin-english.ru/article/angliyskaya-grammatika-otricanie-v-angliyskom-yazyke/

Negative Sentences in English (NEGATIVE SENTENCES)

Negative sentences are sentences intended to communicate that a fact is contrary to the truth.

For example, the

the water isNote cold. — The water is not cold.

Types of negative sentences.

There are several types of negative sentences:

1) negative statements

2) negative questions

3) negative imperatives

Negative statements are formed by the negative particle «not» (n’t), which is added after the auxiliary verb (do not / don’t), the linking verb «be» (is not / isn’t, are not / aren’t), and also after modal verbs (must not / mustn’t). It should be remembered that the negative form of the verb “will” is “won’t”, and the negative form of the verb “can” is “cannot” or “can’t”.

Examples of negative statements:

Agnia isn’t‘t coming round. she is not in town. — Agnia won’t come. She’s not in town.

Adrian mightNotebe telling a lie. “Perhaps Adrian isn’t lying.

Her children do not attend school on Saturdays. “Her kids don’t go to school on Saturdays.

When the Brosters arrived we hadn‘t decided whether to stay indoors or take a stroll. “When the Brosters arrived, we hadn’t decided yet whether to stay at home or take a walk.

you can notbe hungry again. You only had lunch an hour ago. — You can’t be hungry. You just had dinner an hour ago.

Negative questionsexpressing surprise, clarification, doubt, are formed using the negative part «not» (n’t), which is added to the auxiliary verb (don’t, doesn’t, didn’t, won’t, etc.). In the case of modal verbs and the linking verb «be», a negative particle is added to them.

Examples of negative questions:

Why didn‘t you ring us up? — Why didn’t you call us?

What doesn‘t he understand? — What does he not understand?

Won‘t we be able to come? — Can’t we come?

Isn‘t she your cousin? — Isn’t she your cousin?

Negative imperative sentencesexpressing a prohibition, order, advice, are formed using the verb «do», the particle «not» and the infinitive of the semantic verb:

Do not open the door to the room. — Don’t open the door to the room.

Do not take the umbrella. It’s warm and sunny today. — Don’t take your umbrella. It’s warm and sunny today.

Other ways of expressing denial

To refute any information in a sentence, negative words, phrases can be used. In addition to the particle «not», negative sentences can include the following words: the pronoun «no», the adverb «never», the pronouns «none», «nobody», «nothing», «neither», conjunctions «neithernor», etc.

Nobody has called me today. — Nobody called me today.

we have never been to Lisbon. — We have never been to Lisbon.

noneof my co-workers live in the suburb. — None of my colleagues live in the suburbs.

Neither Abraham nor Nelly know this dialect. — Neither Abram nor Nelly know this dialect.

Also, to express negation in sentences, it is often used affixation (adding prefixes and suffixes). The following prefixes and suffixes are most common: de- / dis- / il- / im- / in- / ir- / mis- / non- / un — / — less /:

What are you saying now is very impolite. — What you are saying is very impolite.

They are non—toxic elements. — These are not toxic elements.

There was some myunderstanding between my relatives. — There was a misunderstanding between my relatives.

There are a lot of homeless people in this region. — There are many homeless people in this region.

I admire your endless patience. “I admire your endless patience.

To systematize the theoretical material on the topic, watch the following video tutorials:

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Source: https://lingua-airlines.ru/kb-article/otritsatelnye-predlozheniya-v-anglijskom-yazyke-negative-sentences/

Double negation in English — when you can’t use it, and when you can

Double negation in English is the presence of two verbs in a negative form or negative words in a sentence.

In Russian, double negation is normal, it reinforces the negation, for example: “I nothing you I will not say«.

In English, one negation is allowed: “I will tell you nothing“, And double negation (“ I want not tell you nothing ”) — this is already a mistake, a violation of the norm, with the exception of some cases.

Double negation in English and Russian

In English, double negation is considered a grammatical violation. In Russian, we can use two negatives in one sentence:

Nothing you not you know.

Moreover, in this sentence, we cannot do without two negations. In Russian we do not say “You know nothing” or “You do not know anything”. It is possible, but we do not say that.

In English, on the other hand, there can be only one negation. Negation can be: 1) a verb in negative form (“don’t”), 2) a word with a negative meaning (“nothing”, “nobody”, etc.).

you know nothing — lit .: you know nothing.

you do not know anything — lit .: you do not know anything.

Two denials are already a violation of the norm:

you do not Know nothing. — Nothing you not you know.

Double negation is a violation of the norm because, according to normative grammar, in English, negation + negation = affirmation. If you say “I didn’t see nobody,” according to the logic of English grammar, you are saying that you saw someone. This is the same as in the Russian sentence to put two “not in a row”: “I did not see someone” = “I saw someone”.

Two kinds of double negation in English

Note that there are two kinds of double negation.

View 1 (wrong): minus and minus give minus

That is, there are two “not” in the sentence, but they do not exclude, but reinforce each other, as is the case in Russian. The example above applies to this view:

you do not Know nothing. — You nothing is you know.

I can’t see nobody. — I AM nobody I see.

This kind of double negation is not the norm, since according to the norm, negation + negation must give an affirmation. You shouldn’t say that, much less write.

View 2 (correct): minus and minus give plus

There are two words in a sentence with a negative meaning, but together they exclude each other and ultimately give a statement. Usually used as a rhetorical device. I mentioned above that in English negation + negation = affirmation. This is the case when double negation is used “legally” for precisely this purpose — to create a statement.

Nothing

Source: https://langformula.ru/double-negative/

Lesson 69. Negative Questions in English

Sofia StalskayaHigher linguistic education. Work experience 5 years.

Being able to ask a question correctly is very important, so in this lesson we are talking about interrogative sentences again. Study the example carefully:

Haven’t you paid the bills yet? Why don’t you do it now?
No, I haven’t. ‘ll do it later, darling.

Both questions contain the negative particle not, which is added to the auxiliary verb. At the same time, a general question expresses surprise, and a special one expresses a proposal about what needs to be done.

Formation of questions with denial

So, a negative question is formed by adding the negative particle not to an auxiliary verb. For example:

Do you chocolate? — Don’t you chocolate?

What did she say? — What didn’t she say?

Common denial questions often express surprise:

Don’t you want to go? — Don’t you want to go? (I’m surprised you don’t want to).

Haven’t they been there? — Weren’t they there? (I’m surprised they didn’t go there).

Question starting with can’t, expresses a complaint or impolite request:

Can’t you be quicker? I’m in a hurry. — Can’t be livelier? I’m in hurry.

If you answer a general question with a negative, remember that an answer starting with “yes” means that you agree to a positive proposal, an answer with “no” means a negative one.

Don’t you want to join us? — Would you like to join us?
Yes, I do. — Yes, I want. (I want to go.)
No, I don’t. — No I do not want to. (I don’t want to go.)

Using negative questions

Special questions with denial can be used in different ways. For example, a question with «why don’t you» indicates a proposal to do something:

Why don’t we go to the cinema? — Why do not we go to the cinema?

Why don’t you close the window? — Why don’t you close the window?

You can use «Why didn’t ... » for criticism or reproach:

Why didn’t you call me? — Why didn’t you call me? (i.e. you should have called).

Special questions with denial are also used to request information:

Who hasn’t come? — Who didn’t come?

What don’t you eat? — What are you not eating?

Lesson assignments

Task 1. Ask a question about the situation.

You are surprised that John doesn’t smoke.
You criticize Tom because he hasn’t booked the tickets.
You suggest going to the theatre.
You are surprised that it isn’t raining.
You need information about the people that didn’t come to the meeting.
You don’t that Brian doesn’t do his homework.
You suggest eating the cake.
You are surprised that it won’t be cold tomorrow.

Task 2. Complete the short answer following the example.

Isn’t it beautiful? — Yes, it is. I it.

Hasn’t Arthur called yet? — ___, maybe he doesn’t have time.
Aren’t you sleeping? — ___, I’m still reading.
Haven’t they bought the house? — ___. They are going to move in next week.
Don’t you want a piece of cake? — ___, I’m on a diet.
Didn’t you take the bus? — ___, Jack gave me a lift.
Haven’t you got cash? — ___, there are some dollars in my purse.

Reply 1.

Doesn’t John smoke?
Why hasn’t Tom booked the tickets?
Why don’t we go to the cinema?
Isn’t it raining?
Who didn’t come to the meeting?
Why doesn’t Brian do his homework?
Why don’t we eat the cake?
Won’t it be cold tomorrow?

Reply 2.

No, he hasn’t.
No, I’m not.
Yes, they have.
No, I don’t.
No, I didn’t.
Yes, I have.

Source: https://linguistpro.net/voprosy-s-otricaniem-v-anglijskom-yazyke

Denials in English on the example of sentences

Denial Is a linguistic means (word or particle) indicating that a certain state of affairs does not take place.

My brother did not study English at school
Anna doesn’t like to paint

In different languages, the means of expressing negation are diverse, in particular, they are syntactically specified. Now you will see this, at the same time you can compare this grammatical category with that in our native language — Russian.

Rule number one can be called:

Double negation in English is not the correct grammatical form

Double negation in English is used only in informal speech. Sentences with only one negative word are considered grammatically correct.

Correct use of negation in English

The British considered it illogical to use more than one negation within one sentence: in English, two negations in a sentence neutralize each other.

This rule makes it very difficult for a Russian speaker, who is accustomed to the fact that there can be two, three or even four negations in a sentence, and if there are more of them in a sentence, this further reinforces the negation.

No one will ever tell anyone anything about it.
Nobody ever tell anyone anything about it.

A single negative word is enough nobody(nobody) so that the sentence becomes negative, all other words are put in a positive form.

In order to avoid misunderstandings, it must be admitted that double negation is still found in English, but it is used only in informal speech in order to strengthen the negation.

In the generally accepted grammatical standards, double negation is completely uncommon for the English language. So if you hear it anywhere, don’t let it lead you to a dead end, it’s all just informal, illiterate speech.

We didn’t want to go nowhere… — We didn’t want to go anywhere. (Informal speech)
We didn’t want to go anywhere… (Grammatically correct)

If you notice from the second example above, double negation in English is eliminated by replacing the second negative word with a positive one:

Nowhere (nowhere) — anywhere (somewhere)

The pronoun is most often used for replacement. –Any and all words derived from it:

Anything, anywhen, anybody

Another feature of negation in English is the fact that the predicate always takes on the negative form, while in the Russian language various members can take it.

She’s not eating breakfast at home. — She does not have breakfast at home
We do not visit my grandmother every day. — We do not visit granny every day

Means of Expressing Negation in English

Formation of a negative shape with a particle–Not:

The analogue of the Russian «not», which helps to form a negative form, in English is the particle «not»

The analogue of the Russian «not», which helps to form a negative form, in English is the particle -not

They will not write a test. — They won’t write a test

Source: https://englishfull.ru/grammatika/dvojnoe-otricanie.html

Negative sentences in English

When learning English, it is important to consider all forms of the sentence. Of course, you can answer any statements or questions in a positive form, but sooner or later you will have to disagree with something.

Yes, you can just shake your head categorically, for this you don’t need English at all.

However, it is better to take and study this topic in more detail, because negative sentences in English contain many different interesting features that can allow you to express negation in several ways.

First, let’s understand what constitutes a negative sentence. A negative sentence in English is a sentence that is used to express rejection, reluctance, or any other condition that implies a negative form. Such sentences are used in speech and in writing constantly, both in formal and informal situations. How can they be formed?

Negative Sentences in English: Constructing with the Not Particle

The most common way of negation in English is using the negative particle not. Its Russian equivalent is the particle “not”. Negative sentences almost always contain an auxiliary verb. The not particle comes immediately after it.

The standard scheme for negative sentences with the not particle:

negative form

Subject matter

Predicate

Secondary members of the proposal

Auxiliary

Negative

particle not

Semantic

verb

Examples:

I did not know about it. — I did not know about it.
We do not this place. — We don’t like this place.
They will not tell you anything. “They won’t tell you anything.

Recall that when negated in the Simple tenses, semantic verbs take their initial form. Compare:

—

She’s him.

(She likes him.)

She does not him.

(She doesn’t like him.)

We went to the park.

(We went to the park.)

We didn’t go to the park.

(We went to the park.)

It is also worth noting that in speech and writing, the auxiliary verb and the particle are almost always abbreviated. In this case, the letter «n» is added to the auxiliary verb, followed by an apostrophe, and then the letter «t»:

I haven’t been there yet. — I haven’t been there yet.
We aren’t reading because we’re tired. — We do not read because we are tired.
I don’t know where to put the vase. “I don’t know where to put the vase.

The same scheme is used when a modal verb acts as an auxiliary:

I cannot (can’t) help laughing. — I can not stop laughing.
Jane should not (shouldn’t) be so rude with him. “Jane shouldn’t be so rude to him.
You must not (mustn’t) touch anything here. — You shouldn’t touch anything here.

Note that unlike other auxiliary verbs, can is merged with not when negated. If, in the role of an auxiliary, two verbs are used at once, then a negative particle is placed after the first:

We will not (won’t) have done the task by 5 o’clock. — We will not complete the task by 5 o’clock.
I should not (shouldn’t) have come to that party. “I shouldn’t have gone to that party.
John has not (hasn’t) been traveling since he started working. — John hasn’t traveled since he started working.

If the sentence is used with the verb to be in the present or in the past tense of the Simple group, an auxiliary verb is not needed in this case. A negative particle is placed after to be:

He wasn’t too persistent. — He was not too persistent.
I’m not a robot. — I am not a robot.
I’m sure she wasn’t happy to hear this. “I’m sure she wasn’t happy to hear that.

Imperative negative sentences

Pay special attention to imperative sentences. In their negative form, they are usually used with the auxiliary do and the not particle to express a prohibition or advice:

Don’t come closer! — Don’t come close!
Don’t put your blame on me! — Don’t put your blame on me!
Don’t worry. — Do not worry.

Such sentences are used only in colloquial speech.

Design not only but also

Sometimes a particle can not be a part of the construction not only but also (not only, but also). In such cases, it cannot merge with an auxiliary verb. You can understand that such a construction is used by the meaning and by the presence of the words «but also». Let’s compare:

can’t	can’t
I can’t repeat this word.	I can not only write this word, but also repeat it.
I cannot repeat this word.	I can not only write this word, but also repeat it.

Perhaps this design can cause some difficulties in the first stages, but later it will be very easy to distinguish it.

Building negative sentences with pronouns and adverbs

In English, there is one rule about sentences that is absolutely different from Russian. So, if double negation is allowed in Russian, in English it can only be one. Let’s see what this means.

Let’s say in Russian we can say something like «never», «nobody», «nothing» and so on. Both words express negation, but if one of them is omitted, the phrase will lose its original meaning or even sound somehow ridiculous.

In English, on the other hand, just the same double negation will sound ridiculous. Of course, you will be understood anyway, but this error will severely hurt your hearing. Therefore, you will have to choose one of two evils. We have already figured out the denial of «not», we will consider other options. Usually negation without a particle is built in two ways:

Using the adverb never (never), which is used before the semantic verb, even if there are two auxiliary in the sentence:

They would have never won if Michael had taken part in the game.	They would never have won if Michael was in the game.
I have never been to India.	I have never been to India.
She never calls me.	She never calls me.

Note that in this case the endings of the Simple verbs are preserved.

Using negative pronouns:

no — none, not at all, not one. This pronoun usually comes before the object expressed by the noun without the article, although it can also occur before the subject. Most often it can be found in there is / are constructions, as well as after the have verb:

There is no problem, everything is okay.	There are no problems, everything is in order.
There were no people in the shop.	There were no people in the store.
I have no time.	I have no time.
We had no ideas.	We didn’t have any ideas.

Of course, these constructions can also be used with a negative particle, but in this case the pronoun «any» will be used instead of «no»:

There isn’t any problem, everything is okay.

There are no problems, everything is in order.

As you can see, the meaning has not changed at all from this.

Derivatives of «no» can also add negation to a sentence:

nobody (nobody / nobody)	Nobody knows why he is so sad. (No one knows why he is so sad.)
no one (nobody / nobody)	No one wants to be defeated. (Nobody wants to be defeated.)
nothing (nothing / nothing / nothing)	Nothing is more important than your family. (Nothing is more important than your family.)
nowhere (nowhere / nowhere)	I have nowhere else to go. (I have nowhere else to go.)

And also pronouns:

none (none / no / none)

None of you can judge me.

(None of you can judge me.)

neither (none of 2-uh; neither the first nor the second)

She s neither of these two books.

(She doesn’t like either of these two books.)

As in the previous case, with all pronouns except none, you can form a negative sentence with the particle not. Only derivatives of «no» must derive from «any»:

anybody (nobody / nobody)	We don’t know anybody who can help. (We don’t know anyone who can help.)
anyone (nobody / nobody)	I don’t remember anyone. (I don’t remember anyone.)
anything (nothing / nothing / nothing)	I don’t have anything to do. (I have nothing to do.)
anywhere (nowhere / nowhere)	She couldn’t find him anywhere. (She couldn’t find him anywhere.)

And neither should be replaced with either (both / both):

I don’t either of those dresses.

I don’t like any of those dresses.

Building with negative words

Negative sentences in English can be grammatically affirmative, meaning they may not contain any particles or negative pronouns. How is this possible? The fact is that some verbs themselves imply negation. Usually they contain negative prefixes dis- and mis-. Let’s look at examples:

I disagree with him completely.	I totally disagree with him.
The coach was dissatisfied with the results.	The coach was dissatisfied with the results.
He misunderstood me.	He misunderstood me.

However, making any verb negative in this way will not work. Most of them still need a negative particle.

Denial in questions

You might be surprised, because today we are considering negative sentences in English, not interrogative ones. However, there are interrogative-negative sentences in English. When asking such a question, the speaker, as a rule, wants to be convinced of his guesses.

In Russian equivalents, such questions contain the particles «is» and «whether». It is not difficult to formulate such a question. It is enough to take a standard general question and add the particle not already known to you after the auxiliary verb.

Usually, an auxiliary verb and a particle merge in this case:

Haven’t you heard?	Have not you heard?
Didn’t you know about the consequences?	Didn’t you know about the consequences?
Aren’t you happy?	Are you not happy?

If, instead of the usual type of question, a dividing one is used, it is possible to use two options that have different meanings:

She looked very good, didn’t she?

She looked pretty good, didn’t she?

She didn’t look very good, did she?

Which option to choose depends on the situation.

That’s all. As you can see, English negative sentences can be used in more than 5 ways. They are built quite simply, so the topic should be easy for you. If you want to consolidate your knowledge, follow the exercises on this topic and compose your own examples.

Source: https://speakenglishwell.ru/otritsatelnye-predlozheniya-v-anglijskom-yazyke/

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