Language Structures — Part 3: Building Blocks / 5f


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3.5c — Negative, Interrogative Forms

Place the appropriate forms of auxiliary verb to do before the verb in the predicate.

Available "to do" forms are: do, do not (don't), does, does not (doesn't), did, did not (didn't). Examples:

  • Positive:
    I eat too much.
  • Negative:
    I do not eat too much.

  • Affirmative:
    They knew the truth.
  • Interrogative:
    Did they know the truth?

  • Positive, affirmative:
    We believe that story.
  • Negative, interrogative:
    Do we not believe that story?
Other forms

Not is added to to be, to have(1) and modals in order to turn the clause into negative, and subject is moved past those verbs to obtain the interrogative form.

  • Positive:
    She is Katrin.
  • Negative:
    She is not Katrin.

  • Affirmative:
    William can stand disappointment.
  • Interrogative:
    Can William stand disappointment?

  • Negative, interrogative:
    May I not see your photographs?
Compound tenses follow the same pattern. Examples:
  • Sylvia is not studying right now. Go and see her.
      Auxiliary "to be" in progressive form
  • Have you spent all your money already?

    •   Auxiliary "to have" in past tense, indicative mode

    [See Alexander's grammar, Chapter 13, for details.]

Short forms are: 'm (for "am"), 're (for "are"), 've (for "have"), 's (for "is" and "has"), 'd (for "had"). An abbreviation to be avoided in formal language is ain't, which replaces "am not", "has not", "have not", "is not", "are not".

Unlike Italian ("Non ho visto niente"), English does not allow double negation (I haven't seen anything), although that might be found in colloquial language (I ain't seen nothing).

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FOOTNOTES
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1) — When "to have" is not used as an auxiliary, it can be replaced by the "to do" form.
Both ways are acceptable:

  • Have you 5 minutes for me?
  • Do you have 5 minutes for me?