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Negative Sentences: Understatement As A Miscellaneous Problem in Usage

The document defines negative sentences and discusses ways to form them, including by adding "not", using words like "no" and "none", and negating interrogative sentences. It also covers double negatives and the concept of litotes as a form of understatement through negative statements. Examples are provided to illustrate negative sentence formation and the use of litotes in literature.

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209 views

Negative Sentences: Understatement As A Miscellaneous Problem in Usage

The document defines negative sentences and discusses ways to form them, including by adding "not", using words like "no" and "none", and negating interrogative sentences. It also covers double negatives and the concept of litotes as a form of understatement through negative statements. Examples are provided to illustrate negative sentence formation and the use of litotes in literature.

Uploaded by

57jt4dqyn7
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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NEGATIVE

SENTENCES
UNDERSTATEMENT AS A
MISCELLANEOUS PROBLEM IN USAGE

Presented by: Danna Mae M. Alim


OBJECTIVES:
This discussion aims to:

Define negative sentence;


Identify the formation of a negative sentence;
Examine a sample negative sentence.
What is a negative sentence?
A negative sentence is one that indicates that
some action is not happening, something no
longer exists or that a subject does not possess a
particular quality.
What is a negative sentence?
In most scenarios, it can be easily identified by
the words ‘not’, ‘no’, ‘nobody’, ‘nothing’,
‘nowhere’ ‘no one’ and ‘none’.
How to Form a Negative
Sentence? – Different Ways
and Points to Remember
Forming Negative Sentences by Adding ‘Not’
When verb forms of ‘to be’ and ‘do’ are used as main
verbs, the word ‘not’ can be added immediately after the
verb.

For example:
She is not a teacher.
I do not like anything sweet.
Forming Negative Sentences by Adding ‘Not’
When modal verbs such as can, could, will, would, shall,
should, must, need, may, might, etc. are used in a
sentence, the word ‘not’ should be placed after these verbs.
For example:
I cannot help you with your homework as I
would be late.
You must not be brooding over this.
Forming Negative Sentences by Adding ‘Not’
When verb forms of ‘have’, other regular or irregular verbs
appear as main verbs in sentences, all you have to do is use
the verb forms of ‘do’ followed by ‘not’ and then the verb in
its base form.

For example:
I do not have an extra pencil to lend you.
She does not know anything about the change in
the seating allocation.
Forming Negative Sentences by Adding ‘Not’
When verb forms of ‘have’, other regular or irregular verbs
appear as main verbs in sentences, all you have to do is use
the verb forms of ‘do’ followed by ‘not’ and then the verb in
its base form.

For example:
I do not have an extra pencil to lend you.
She does not know anything about the change in
the seating allocation.
Forming Negative Sentences by Adding ‘Not’
According to the tense of the sentence, the forms of the
‘do’ verb changes.
For example:
They do not go walking every evening.
Sheetal does not have food from the cafeteria
anymore.
Ishaan did not agree to dance with us for the hostel
day programme.
Forming Negative Sentences by Adding ‘Not’
Sentences denoting all other tenses will have one or more helping
verbs and a main verb. In these cases, the word ‘not’ is added after
the first helping verb followed by the main verb or the second
helping verb and the main verb.

For example:
Olivia is not eating anything though we have been trying to
get her to do it for more than half a day.
He has not cut the call yet.
They have not been marking their attendance regularly.
Forming Negative Sentences Using ‘No’,
‘Nothing’, ‘Nobody’, ‘None’, ‘Nowhere’

Example 1:
Everyone had gathered in the auditorium.
(Affirmative sentence)
No one had gathered in the auditorium.
(Negative sentence)
Forming Negative Sentences Using ‘No’,
‘Nothing’, ‘Nobody’, ‘None’, ‘Nowhere’
Example 2:
We had asked everybody for their opinion on the newly
implemented policies. (Affirmative sentence)
We had asked nobody for their opinion on the newly
implemented policies. (Negative sentence)
We had not asked anybody for their opinion on the
newly implemented policies. (Negative sentence)
Negating Interrogative Sentences

To form negative interrogative sentences, what you can


do is either use ‘not’ after the subject or using the
contraction of the verb in the beginning of the
interrogative sentence. Here are a few examples that you
can refer to.
Negating Interrogative Sentences
Example 1:
Have you not read ‘The Tale of Two Cities’?
Haven’t you read ‘The Tale of Two Cities’?
(Negative interrogative)
Example 2:
Does she not teach Hindi anymore?
Doesn’t she teach Hindi anymore?
(Negative interrogative)
Double Negatives

The usage of two negative words in the same


sentence is called a double negative. The usage of
double negatives makes the meaning of the
sentence positive rather than negative.
Double Negatives
Examples:
Pritam was not an irresponsible boy.
(Pritam was a responsible boy)
This will not be unexpected.
(This will be expected)
I believe we have not seen anything yet.
(I believe we have seen nothing yet)
Understatement as a
Miscellaneous Problem in
Usage
Litotes: As a Form of Understatement
Litotes is a form of verbal irony that uses a negative
statement to express the opposite of what is meant. It is used
to ironically understate what is being said, making
something seem less than/smaller than what it actually is.

Example:
The weather isn't too terrible.
Litotes: As a Form of Understatement
Litotes can also be used to understate a negative situation.

Example: That film is not my favourite.


This implies that the person doesn't like the film.
Example: She doesn't seem the happiest.
This suggests that she is unhappy.
Example: She wasn't the smartest.
This implies that she was not smart.
An example of literary litotes in a sentence is apparent in
Shakespeare's Hamlet (1609) during the speech of King Claudius.
In this speech, he is referring to Fortinbras, the Prince of Norway:

“He hath not failed to pester us with


message".
In this example, 'hath not failed' s used to imply that he has
been successful in pestering King Claudius with messages.
Another example is seen in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
(1813) when Elizabeth is considering leaving home to visit her
sister Charlotte:

“...with such a mother and such


uncompanionable sisters, home could
not be faultless, a little change was not
unwelcome for its own sake."
Here, litotes is used in a humorous way to politely indicate
that home is becoming intolerable for Elizabeth; her home
does in fact have faults. As a result, she'd be happy to
welcome change and leave her home.
Let’s check your understanding!
Example: That's not too shabby.

Example: He's not unlike his dad.

Example: I can't disagree with what you said.

Example: I'm not unfamiliar with that book.


Litotes: As a Form of Understatement
Example: That's not too shabby.
This indicates that something is actually good.
Example: He's not unlike his dad.
This suggests that he is similar to his dad.
Example: I can't disagree with what you said.
This implies that the person agrees with what was said.
Example: I'm not unfamiliar with that book.
This means that the person actually knows a lot about the book.
References
Forlini, G., et al., 1990, Prentice Hall grammar and composition,
Prentice Hall, Pennsylvania State University
BYJU, 2023, Negative Sentences: definition, formation and examples
Retrieved from https://byjus.com/english/negative-sentences/
End of slides!
DO YOU HAVE ANY CLARIFICATIONS?

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