What part of grammar is the word not

In the English language, the word “not” is solely categorized as an Adverb.

  1. Adverb

The word “not” is considered as an adverb because it is used to modify adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. For instance, in the sample sentence below:

They have been warned not to enter the room.

The word “not” is used to modify the verb “to enter.” Because it modifies a verb, it is then categorized as an adverb.

Definition:

a. used with an auxiliary verb or “be” to form the negative

  • Example:
  • She would not say.

b. used as a short substitute for a negative clause

  • Example:
  • Maybe we’ll have a test, but I hope not.

c. used to express the negative of other words

  • Example:
  • Not all old cars are considered classics.

How does the grammatical function of the word «not» differ in these two sentences below?

  1. He tried to not run.
  2. He tried not to run.

It seems to me that in sentence 1 (1) the subject is positively trying to not run, but in sentence 2 (2), «not» is serving to negate «tried.»

Am I thinking about this correctly?

tchrist's user avatar

tchrist

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asked Nov 23, 2016 at 17:48

Jonathan Muse's user avatar

1

I’ll invent a context for each of your sentences, to give you a feel for what’s going on. (As was already stated, #2 is more common.)

  1. As he exited the bank with his pockets stuffed with hundred-dollar bills, he tried to walk nonchalantly and not run.

  2. He so he tried not to run very fast, so his little brother would have the sensation of winning, but sometimes he would forget, and his legs would just go at their normal pace.

answered Nov 24, 2016 at 4:24

aparente001's user avatar

aparente001aparente001

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As a general rule (with lots of exceptions), a word like «not» applies to everything after it in the clause. In this particular case, the word «to» has no meaning that can be negated; it just marks the verb «run» as the infinitive form. So «not» negates «run,» whether «to» comes before it or after it. In practice, we interpret sentences like these in a way that makes pragmatic sense based on the context. «He tried {not to / to not} run, but his fear got the better of him»—so he did run, or «He tried {not to / to not} run, and found that he was able to resist»—so he didn’t run.

It seems more logical to put «not» right before what it negates, as «tried to not run,» but it sounds more idiomatic to me to say «tried not to run» (maybe because of the effects of the old bogus «don’t split infinitives» rule).

To negate «tried,» you would have to move «not» to the left: «He didn’t try to run.»

answered Nov 23, 2016 at 19:19

Burns Cooper's user avatar

1

He tried to not run is a split infinitive modifier error. The correct sentence would be he tried not to run. ;)

answered Jan 11, 2018 at 17:13

marcella's user avatar

1

Don’t can be a noun or a contraction.

Contents

  • 1 Is it an adverb or not?
  • 2 Is Don’t a contraction?
  • 3 Is not an adverb?
  • 4 What type of adjective is no?
  • 5 Do not is a verb?
  • 6 Does not grammar?
  • 7 What is dont in grammar?
  • 8 Is it do not or don t?
  • 9 Is Don’t an imperative?
  • 10 Is Don’t considered one word?
  • 11 Is not a conjunction?
  • 12 Is not only an adverb?
  • 13 Is not a preposition word?
  • 14 Is no a interjection?
  • 15 Is no a noun or pronoun?
  • 16 Does part of speech?
  • 17 What’s another word for don t?
  • 18 What kind of verb is do not?
  • 19 Is he don’t correct?
  • 20 Is it not or don’t in formal writing?

Is it an adverb or not?

When modifying an entire sentence, adverbs can be placed in four positions: at the beginning; at the end; after the verb to be and all auxiliary verbs: can, may, will, must, shall, and have, when have is used as an auxiliary (for example in I have been in Spain twice);

Is Don’t a contraction?

Usage of Don’t
Don’t is the earliest attested contraction of does not and until about 1900 was the standard spoken form in the U.S. (it survived as spoken standard longer in British English).

Is not an adverb?

In the English language, the word “not” is solely categorized as an Adverb. The word “not” is considered as an adverb because it is used to modify adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs.

What type of adjective is no?

Indefinite adjectives describe nouns or pronouns in a non-specific way. These adjectives point to non-specific items. The indefinite adjectives include few, many, no, several, and some. These token words convey that you’re hot on the trail of an indefinite adjective.

Do not is a verb?

verb. contraction of do not. Nonstandard except in some dialects. contraction of does not. noun.

Does not grammar?

DO / DON’T / DOES / DOESN’T are simple present tense form of the verb “to do”. DON’T (do not) is the negative form of DO while DOESN’T (does not) is the negative form of DOES. The tiny difference is: – Use DOES / DOESN’T if the subject is third-person singular (he, she, it).

What is dont in grammar?

Don’t is a contraction of do not, while doesn’t is a contraction of does not, and they both act as auxiliary verbs. In English, don’t is used when speaking in the first and second person plural and singular and the third person plural (“I,” “you,” “we,” and “they”).

Is it do not or don t?

There is no any difference in grammar.”Don’t’ is used in informal style and usually in spoken English. ‘Do not’ is preferred in writing and Formal style. Regarding it’s Usage , in Spoken English “do not” is preferred by the speaker to make the sentence much more forceful or emphatic. “don’t” is only a casual utterance.

Is Don’t an imperative?

You can use the imperative form to give an order, to give a warning or advice, and (if you use “please”) to make a request. To make the imperative, use the infinitive of the verb without ‘to’:To make a negative imperative, put “do not” or “don’t” before the verb: “Don’t go!”

Is Don’t considered one word?

A contraction is a word made by shortening and combining two words. Words like can’t (can + not), don’t (do + not), and I’ve (I + have) are all contractions. People use contractions in both speaking and writing.

Is not a conjunction?

Not can be an adverb, a conjunction, an interjection or a noun.

Is not only an adverb?

Not only noun but also noun. Not only verb but also verb. Not only adjective but also adjective. Not only adverb but also adverb.

Is not a preposition word?

A preposition isn’t a preposition unless it goes with a related noun or pronoun, called the object of the preposition.

Is no a interjection?

The words yes and no are not easily classified into any of the eight conventional parts of speech. Sometimes classified as interjections, they do not qualify as such, and they are not adverbs.

Is no a noun or pronoun?

No and none of are determiners. None is a pronoun.

Do as an auxiliary verb. Do is one of three auxiliary verbs in English: be, do, have. We use do to make negatives (do + not), to make question forms, and to make the verb more emphatic.

What’s another word for don t?

What is another word for don’t?

proscription prohibition
proscribing refusal
enjoining taboo
forbiddance vetoing
constraint inhibition

What kind of verb is do not?

The past participle is done. The present simple tense do and the past simple tense did can be used as an auxiliary verb. As an auxiliary, do is not used with modal verbs. I do not want it.
How do you use the verb ‘do’ in English? – Easy Learning Grammar.

I do not want it. We do not want it.
He does not want it. They do not want it.

Is he don’t correct?

He doesn’t is correct, because it is the contraction of He does not . He don’t is incorrect, because it it the contraction of He do not .

Is it not or don’t in formal writing?

‘Do not’ is more formal, and is to be used in formal letters, essays, etc. Don’t is informal, so use it anywhere except the formals.

Lesson 11: Negatives

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What are negatives?

A negative is a word or phrase that shows you reject or disagree with something. We use negatives all the time in regular conversation, so a lot of these words should be familiar to you.

Can’t, don’t, and won’t are all common negatives (as well as isn’t, doesn’t, and not). Words like never and nobody are negatives too—they just express disagreement in a different way.

This isn't my natural hair color. / You can hardly tell!

Negative doesn’t necessarily mean that something is bad or that you have a negative attitude. It just means you’re negating something—in other words, stating that the opposite is true. You could be referring to anything: good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant. It might help to picture it this way:

I feel sick. / I don't feel sick!

Using negatives

Many negatives are simply the opposite of words we already know. When writing a negative, start with a basic verb, then add the word not. You can write the words separately or as a contraction.

Could not / couldn't Should not / shouldn't Am not / I'm not Was not / wasn't

To use a negative in a sentence, place it in front of an idea—specifically another verb, noun, or adjective. This is how you tell the reader exactly what you’re referring to (and more importantly, what you’re trying to negate).

Don't lick the floor; it's not sanitary.

See how the words above work together to give the sentence meaning? Don’t refers to lick, and not refers to sanitary. Imagine what the sentence would look like without any negatives:

Lick the floor; it’s sanitary.

Not only is that gross, but it also means the opposite of the original sentence. It still makes sense (sure, you could lick the floor if you wanted to), but without don’t and not, the message isn’t the same.

More negatives

We use negatives like can’t and won’t because they’re so familiar, but the truth is that there are many ways to write a negative sentence. For instance, have you ever simply said no to reject or disprove something?

Want to go behind the bleachers and make out? / No. No one does that anymore.

Lots of words have opposites, like yes/no, and everyone/no one. Many opposites even include the word no somewhere in the spelling, which makes them easy to remember.

Something / nothing Everywhere / nowhere Everybody / nobody All / none

Negative prefixes

Some negatives don’t sound like negatives because they don’t include the words no or not. Take unhappy, asymmetrical, nonsense, and dislike. All of these words have a negative prefix that changes the meaning from one thing to another. Negative prefixes include a-, dis-, il-, im-, in-, ir-, non-, and un-.

I'm pretty sure this is illegal.

Neither/nor

The words neither/nor can also be used to form a negative. (They’re the opposite of either/or.) Use them to negate or reject two or more things at once. In a sentence, they look like this:

I'm neither happy nor sad.

Neither/nor and either/or can’t be used interchangeably. For example, you wouldn’t say I’m neither happy or sad. That might sound correct, but it’s not quite right. Neither and nor go together because they’re both negatives—you can’t mix and match. It might help to remember that they both start with the letter n.

Negative adverbs

Words like hardly, seldom, rarely, and never can be used to negate things in a different way. Unlike don’t and won’t, they have different degrees of meaning. Take the example below. Notice how the meaning of the sentence changes depending on the negative, from absolute to something more open-ended.

I don't dance. / I never dance. / I rarely dance.

Double negatives

A double negative occurs when you use more than one negative in a sentence. Funnily enough, this changes the meaning of the sentence so it’s no longer negative at all—it’s affirmative instead.

Are you looking at my mole? / I can't NOT look at it.

Some double negatives are intentional, like in the example above. When the man answers I can’t NOT look at it, he means his friend’s mole is impossible to avoid. In order words, yes: He is looking at the mole. The double negative is being used for comedic effect.

Some double negatives are unintentional, however. This can be confusing and can even make the sentence difficult to read. Chances are people will still understand what you’re talking about, but they might think something sounds a little off.

I can't hardly wait for Melissa's party. / ?

If you find yourself using a double negative, ask yourself: Is it intentional? Will the reader understand what you’re trying to say? If it changes the meaning of the sentence to something you don’t want, you can take one of the negatives out or change it to a positive. This should help you avoid any confusion.

I can't wait for Melissa's party. / I can hardly for Melissa's party.

Some people will tell you that double negatives are bad and that you should never use them. This isn’t necessarily true. In the right context (for example, stylized writing or conversation), they can be used to convey subtlety, hesitation, or even a certain attitude.

I can't get no satisfaction.

What about ain’t? It’s used in many parts of the United States as a play on words, like aren’t, isn’t, and am not. Because ain’t is a slang term, it’s best to avoid using it in formal writing (like an academic paper or work email)—the reader might think you’re not taking the subject seriously. In conversation and casual writing, however, ain’t is often OK.

... / That boy ain't right.

As you just learned, there are many ways to form a negative. See if you can spot the negatives below, and click the yellow dots to learn more.

labeled graphic

Either/or | Nowhere

Here’s an example of neither/nor. (Nowhere and don’t are negatives too.)

Remember, you can’t mix and match neither/nor with either/or. If you wanted to use or instead, you could go with something like this:

Swimming at night—either alone or with a friend—is a good way to get axed in a horror movie.

Never | Not

In this sentence, never and not are both negatives. You could phrase the sentence a different way (starting with don’t read, or shouldn’t read), but it wouldn’t have the same power as never read.

That’s what makes words like never and rarely so useful—they let you be more descriptive when don’t simply isn’t enough.

Don’t

Don’t is the negative in this sentence. It refers to going into the basement (a bad idea in any scary movie).

If you wanted to phrase the sentence another way, you could also say:

I wouldn’t go into the basement.

It would be unwise to go into the basement.

Under no circumstances should you go into the basement.

Insane

Insane is the negative in this sentence. It’s the opposite of the word sane. (Remember, in- is one of many prefixes that can be used to change a word into a negative.)

Other negatives that could be used here include irrational, unsound, or unhinged.

You could also use the word crazy, but that’s not actually a negative (notice that there’s no negative prefix). The word just has a negative connotation.

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Not is one of the most common words we use to indicate negation. It is often shortened to n’t and joined to an auxiliary verb or modal verb:

She’s not coming with us.

I didn’t see what happened. (did not)

I can’t swim. (cannot)

She won’t change her mind. (will not)

It’s at eight o’clock, not nine.

Not in negative statements (She hasn’t …, I did not …)

We form negative declarative clauses with not after be (she is not talking), after modal verbs (they must not go) and after auxiliary verbs do and have (we did not like it; they have not eaten).

In informal situations, we add n’t to be, modal verbs and auxiliary verbs do and have. There is no space between the verb and n’t:

She isn’t worried about it, is she?

We can’t walk. It’s too far. I’ll take the car.

Although he doesn’t know much Chinese, he is fluent in French, German, and Italian.

I haven’t seen Peter for ages.

We don’t use n’t with am and may:

I’m not allowed to go out this evening.

Not: I amn’t allowed to … (amn’t is common in Irish and Scots English, however.)

We may not see you later. We have to leave early.

Not: We mayn’t see you later.

With is and are there are two possible negative statements, ’s not or isn’t and ’re not or aren’t. The forms ’s not and ’re not are more common after pronouns; isn’t and aren’t are more common after noun phrases:

The girls aren’t here yet. They’re not coming until later.

The programme isn’t ready. It’s not printed yet. (or The programme’s not ready yet.)

In questions and question tags we use aren’t with I:

Aren’t I lucky?

I’m right, aren’t I?

We use the full form not for more formal writing or for emphasis:

It had not been an easy year.

He was not sorry and he is not ashamed.

The Lady Jinneth went out riding alone this afternoon, and she has not yet come back.

Not and n’t in questions (Did you not …? Wasn’t she …?)

We use not or n’t to form negative questions:

Why haven’t you eaten anything?

Couldn’t he pay someone to help him with the garden?

Wasn’t it Cath’s party last night?

Weren’t you listening?

When there is no modal verb or auxiliary verb or be, we use auxiliary verb do + n’t or do + not (don’t, do not, doesn’t, does not, didn’t, did not):

Why didn’t you go?

Don’t those two go to school together?

Questions with not instead of n’t sound more formal or give more emphasis. We put not after the subject.

Compare

More formal/emphatic

Everyday situations

Why did she not phone and tell us?

Why didn’t she phone and tell us?

Does Ellen not like you very much?

Doesn’t Ellen like you very much?

Don’t, Do not: orders and instructions

We use don’t + the base form of the verb or do + not + the base form of the verb to make negative imperatives. We use these to give orders, instructions or commands. Do not is stronger and much more formal:

Don’t be an idiot!

Don’t open the oven door until the cake is cooked.

[on an envelope containing photos]

PHOTOS: DO NOT BEND

Do not turn off your computer without shutting down properly.

We use don’t + you in informal speaking to make the order stronger:

We’re getting divorced. Don’t you dare tell anyone!

We can use don’t let’s or let’s not for first person plural imperatives (us) to make suggestions:

Don’t let’s go out. (or Let’s not go out.)

We can use the short form don’t as an imperative answer or reaction to something:

A:

Shall I ask Mum to help?

B:

No, don’t. She’s too tired. (No, don’t ask Mum to help us.)

Not: short replies

We use not in negative short replies with mental process verbs (e.g. be afraid, guess, hope):

A:

Will I see you tomorrow, Harry?

B:

Oh, Alice, I’m afraid not.

A:

Will he have to go back into hospital?

A:

Aren’t you coming with us?

B:

I guess not. Rosie’s not keen.

With think, we usually use I don’t think so rather than I think not, which is much more formal and rare:

In short replies to yes-no questions, we use not after adverbs like probably, maybe, certainly to express degrees of certainty:

A:

Do you think she’ll remember to come at five instead of six?

Not: contrast

We often use not after but to express a contrast. We often leave out the verb phrase or part of it in the second clause:

You can look but not touch. (You can look but you can’t touch.)

Write the instructions in capitals but not in bold. (Write the instructions in capitals but don’t write them in bold.)

There were a few problems but not too many. (There were a few problems but there weren’t too many problems.)

Not + —ing and not + to

We use not before an -ing clause in more formal styles:

Not knowing what to say, she started to walk towards the door.

Not being heard or listened to is something that elderly people can find frightening.

She didn’t want to admit to not knowing what the Emerald Isle was. (‘The Emerald Isle’ is another name for Ireland.)

We use not to negate a to-infinitive clause. We can use not before or after to, but some people consider ‘split infinitives’ (when not comes between to and the verb) to be incorrect:

She tried not to offend people.

… she wanted to stay for a long time, to not think, to not be afraid, to not be so, so lonely.

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