Negative questions

NOVEMBER 24, 2010 -

Contracted and uncontracted negative questions have different word order. Uncontracted negative questions
are usually used in a formal style.

 Aren’t you coming? (Contracted – auxiliary verb + n’t + subject)

 Doesn’t he understand? (Auxiliary verb + n’t + subject)
 Are you not coming? (Uncontracted – auxiliary verb + subject + not)
 Does he not understand? (Auxiliary verb + subject + not)
Two meanings
A negative question can have two different kinds of meanings. It can, for example, be used to ask for
confirmation of something you believe to be true.

 Didn’t you see Ann yesterday? How is she doing? (= I believe that you saw Ann yesterday.)
You may also express your opinions in a more polite way by changing them into negative questions.

 Wouldn’t it be nice to paint that wall green? (More polite than ‘It would be nice to paint that wall
green.’)
A negative question can also be used to ask for confirmation of a negative belief. In this case the speaker is
surprised that something has not happened or is not happening.

 Hasn’t the postman come yet?

Polite requests, offers, complaints etc
Pressing offers and invitations often assume the form of negative questions. They usually begin Won’t
you…? Wouldn’t you…? or Why don’t you…?

 Wouldn’t you like something to drink?

 Why don’t you come and spend the evening with us?
In other cases we do not normally use a negative question to ask people to do things.

 Can you help me with my homework? (Ordinary question used as a request.)

Negative Questions
by The English Island | Jan 5, 2016 | Blog | 0 comments
A negative question is one that is worded in such a way as to require a “no” response for an affirmative
answer and a “yes” response for a negative answer. In other words, negative questions switch the “yes/no”
response order of regular, or positive, questions to a less intuitive “no/yes” order. The following is an example
of a negative question:
Would you mind driving me to my class at the English Island on Tuesday?
For this negative question, a “no” answer would indicate that the person being asked the question would be
able and/or willing to drive the person asking the question. A “yes” answer would mean that the askee is
unable/unwilling to drive the asker.
Native English speakers frequently answer negative questions with positive answers. Likewise, many are used
to receiving positive responses to negative questions. Because of this, you should always follow your “no/yes”
answer with a clarification or explanation of your answer:
No, I don’t mind driving you.
Yes, I do mind. I have an appointment at that same time.
In most cases, you can omit the “no/yes” entirely and simply answer with your clarification/explanation. This is
generally a good idea when your answer would be “yes,” as some native speakers consider the type of
response outlined above to be rude:
I don’t mind driving you.
Sorry, I have an appointment at that same time.
You can also answer the question as though it were a positive question, just as many native speakers do. If
you choose to answer in this manner, a clarification is absolutely essential to avoid a potential
misunderstanding:
Sure! I’d be glad to drive you.
Sorry, I can’t drive you. I have a doctor’s appointment.
Because negative questions can create the potential for misunderstandings, it is usually better to avoid using
them. Here are some common negative questions and positive versions of those same questions:
Negative: Aren’t you going to English class tomorrow?
Positive: Are you going to English class tomorrow?

Negative: Doesn’t she know that the report is due today?

Positive: Does she know that the report is due today?

Negative: Do you mind if I drink the last can of Coke?

Positive: May I drink the last can of Coke?

Negative: Didn’t you wash the dishes yesterday?

Positive: Did you wash the dishes yesterday?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43jTh1HiIcI / Learn Grammar: Negative Questions in English
Negative questions
Negative questions are of two kinds: contracted and uncontracted. They have different word order.
Note that uncontracted negative questions are usually formal.
Contracted negative questions
Form: auxiliary verb + n’t + subject
Didn’t she come?
Don’t you understand?
Weren’t you surprised?
Uncontracted negative questions
Auxiliary verb + subject + not
Did she not come?
Do you not understand?
Were you not surprised?
Non-auxiliary have and non-auxiliary be can begin negative questions.
She hasn’t any friends to help her. (negative statement – formal GB)
Hasn’t she any friends to help her? (contracted negative question)
OR Doesn’t she have any friends to help her?
She is not at home. (negative statement)
Is she not at home? (Uncontracted negative question)
Isn’t she at home? (Contracted negative question)
Two meanings
Negative questions can have two different kinds of meaning. For example, a negative question can ask for
confirmation of a positive belief. In this case it expects the answer ‘yes’.
Isn’t it true that she is going out with an old man? (I believe that she is going out with an old man. Now I
am just asking for confirmation.)
A negative question can also ask for confirmation of a negative belief. In this case it expects the answer ‘no’.
Aren’t they coming? (= Am I right in thinking that they aren’t coming?)
Note that the meaning of a negative question is usually clear from the context and situation.
I have found multiple questions touching on this but not a single one that has a
7down comprehensive answer. The information is all there but in little bits.
votefavorite  "Do you not" vs. "Don't you"
2  Why does "Why doesn't it work?" become "Why does it not work?"
  etc.
Exactly why is "Do not you sleep?" ungrammatical (except in poetry/with artistic license)? I
understand that not can't contract after you: "Do you not sleep?" because not can only
contract after a verb, and that it always does after do: "Don't you sleep?" but why does it
(why must it) contract if it's placed after the verb in a question?
 Don't you sleep? (common form)
 Do not you sleep? (ungrammatical)
 Do you not sleep? (less common form)
Don't you have any money?
It's a yes/no question but how should one answer the question without ambiguity?
When you answer "yes", does it mean "yes, I don't have any money"? or the other way "Yes, I do have
money"? the questioner may think you are agreeing to the negative, that yes, you do not have any money.
I know it's better to answer with "on the contrary" but is it possible to answer yes or no?

Negative questions

Posted by Manjusha You are here: Home -> English Grammar -> Negative questions

Negative questions are of two kinds: contracted and uncontracted. They have different word order.

Contracted negative question

Word order: auxiliary verb + n't + subject

 Why don't you listen to me?

 Don't you understand?

 Hasn't she any friends to help her?

 Aren't they ready?

Uncontracted negative questions

Uncontracted negative questions are more formal than contracted negative questions.

Word order: auxiliary verb + subject + not

 Why do you not listen to me?

 Do you not understand?

 Has she not any friends to help her?

 Are they not ready?

Contracted negative questions beginning with Won't you ...? Wouldn't you...? or Why don't you ...? are very

common in polite requests, invitations, offers, complaints and criticisms.

 Wouldn't you like a cup of coffee?

 Why don't you come and stay with us?

In a reply to a negative question, yes suggests a positive answer, and no suggests a negative answer.

 'Haven't you written to her?' 'Yes.' (= I have written to her.)

 'Haven't you told her about us?' 'No.' (= I haven't told her about you.)
Negative Questions
Posted by Larry.Zwier On July 14th, 2016 / No Comments
Defining Negative Questions
Negative questions begin with a negative form of an operator (the verb be, a modal, or an auxiliary verb). A
couple of contextually appropriate examples: Aren’t they more difficult than positive questions? Haven’t you
ever asked a student a question and then wondered whether his/her yes response means disagreement or
agreement?
Negative questions are most often used when the speaker wants to imply that he or she already knows the
answer and is looking for affirmation. In the example questions of the preceding paragraph, I, the asker,
expect a “yes” response. I’d just like you to agree with me.
Obstacles to Understanding
The tricky thing about negative questions is that language learners may misinterpret the meaning
of not (which often comes in the form of a contraction at the beginning of the sentence). Confusion
about not can lead to confusion about the appropriate answer. A good hint for students is this: In your mind,
link yes or no to the main verb. Think your answer out as a full sentence, even if you actually say only “yes” or
“no.”
Question: Aren’t you tired?
Possible answers: Yes [I am]. or No [I am not].
It is never *”Yes, I’m not” or *”No, I am.”
Here’s another example. From a purely grammatical point of view, Don’t you know that grammar is a
treat? can also be phrased as Do you know that grammar is a treat? But the rephrasing misses something, in
terms of discourse intentions. The original implies, I think grammar is a treat, and I assume you do as
well. The rephrasing lacks this implication.
One last point: Negative questions can also be used to show annoyance and/or surprise:
Didn’t you finish your homework last night? It was really easy to do. In this case, the questioner’s assumption
is not that I must have done it but that I should have done it.
Negative Sentences and Questions in English
The rules for forming negative and interrogative sentences using auxiliary verbs in English

Forming negative sentences and forming questions in English may seem complicated at first.
The relatively many English verb tenses use different auxiliary verbs that take part in the changes needed
when expressing negation and interrogation. Despite having seemingly different grammar rules
for each verb tense, there are actually a few simple grammar rules which are applied systematically
across all tenses and verb forms. To know more, read these sections of our review on
negation and question formation in English.

1. Auxiliary Verbs
2. Negative sentences
3. Yes / No questions
4. Wh questions
5. Wh Subject questions
6. Summary
1. Auxiliary Verbs
The verb forms used as auxiliary verbs in English are:
1. to be
am,is,are was,were be,been,being

2. to do

3. to have
have,has had having

4. The modal verbs

can,could shall,should must
may,might will,would
2. Negative Sentences
A negative sentence (or statement) states that something is not true or incorrect.
A negative adverb has to be added in order to negate or “cancel” the validity of the sentence.
This “negation” element is created according to the following general rule.

The Negation Rule: In English, in order to claim that something is not true,
you form a negative sentence by adding the word not after the first auxiliary verb in the positive sentence.
If there is no auxiliary verb in the positive sentence, as in the Present Simple and Past Simple tenses,
then you add one (in both these cases, the auxiliary verb do).

Watch out:
• When an auxiliary verb (including modals) is used, the main verb is not inflected (no s or ed ending),
meaning that either the base form or past participle is used.

• The verb to be uses a different negation pattern.

Review the following table for examples of negation in English. Some examples use the contracted forms
more used in informal writing and speech, and some others use the full forms.

Tense Negative Element Example

+ contracted forms
Present Simple do+not = don’t I do not play.
does+not = doesn’t She doesn’t play.
Past Simple did+not = didn’t I didn’t play.
Present Progressive am + not (*no amn’t) I am not playing.
is+not = isn’t He is not playing.
are+not = aren't We aren’t playing.
Past Progressive was+not = wasn’t I wasn’t playing.
were+not = weren’t They were not playing.
Present Perfect have+not = haven’t You haven’t played.
has+not = hasn’t She has not played.
Present Perfect have+not+been= haven’t been I have not been playing.
Progressive has+not+been = hasn’t been She hasn’t been playing.
Past Perfect had+not = hadn’t You hadn’t played.
Past Perfect had+not+been = hadn’t been She hadn’t been playing.
Progressive
Future Simple will+not = won’t I won’t play.
Future Perfect will+not+have = won’t have He will not have played.
Conditional would+not She wouldn’t play.
Conditional perfect would+not+have She wouldn’t have played.
Modals can + not = can’t or cannot (formal) I can’t play.
should+not = shouldn’t I cannot play.
We shouldn’t play.

Note:
In informal writing settings, you can contract the auxiliary verb with either the sentence subject or the word not.
In formal writing settings, refrain from contracting any words.
She is not playing. [formal]
She isn’t playing. = She’s not playing. [informal]
Questions
A question (interrogative sentence) asks about some missing information the speaker would like to have.
There are 3 types of questions in English, each asking about a different kind of requested information,
and having a different formation rule. Questions usually use a rising intonation towards the end of the sentence,
also in positive sentences used as questions.
You like ice-cream ?
[positive sentence intonated as a question]

Do you like ice cream ?

[yes/no question]
3. Yes / No questions
A Yes/No question is a closed question, meaning that it has one of two answers, yes or no.
It asks whether something is true or not, i.e., whether the original positive sentence is valid.
A question element needs to precede the subject in order to form this question.
The “question element” is formed according to the following rule:

The Y/N Question Rule: To form a yes/no question in English, transfer the first auxiliary verb that appears
before the main verb in the positive sentence to the position before the subject.
If there is no auxiliary verb, as in the Present Simple and Past Simple, then you add one (in both these cases,
the auxiliary verb do).

Watch out:
• When an auxiliary verb (including modals) is used, the main verb is not inflected (no s or ed ending),
meaning that either the base form or past participle is used.

• The verb to be uses a different yes/no question pattern

Review the following table for examples of yes/no questions in English.

 Tense Question Element Examples
Present Simple Do Do I play ?
Does Does she play ?
Past Simple Did Did I play ?
Present Progressive Am Am I playing ?
Is Is he playing ?
Are Are we playing ?
Past Progressive Was Was I playing ?
Were Were they playing ?
Present Perfect Have Have you played ?
Has Has she played ?
Present Perfect Have+Subject+been Have you been playing ?
Progressive Has+Subject+been Has she been playing ?
Past Perfect Had Had they played ?
Past Perfect Had+Subject+been Had she been playing ?
Progressive
Future Simple Will Will I play ?
Future Perfect Will+Subject+have Will he have played ?
Conditional Would Would she play ?
Conditional perfect Would+Subject+have Would she have played ?
Modals Can Can I play ?
Should Should I play
4. Wh questions
A Wh question is an open question, meaning that it can have any number of answers. It asks about some
missing information the speaker needs. This corresponds to the different sentence elements, such as the verb,
objects, manner, place, time, purpose, etc. Questions about the subject have a special form (see the next section).
A question element needs to precede the subject in order to form this question.
The “question element” is formed according to the following rule.

The Wh Question Rule: To form a Wh question in English, add a Wh question word before the corresponding
yes/no question.

Watch out:
• When an auxiliary verb (including modals) is used, the main verb is not inflected (no s or ed ending),
meaning that either the base form or past participle is used.

• The verb to be uses a different Wh question pattern.

Review the following table for examples of Wh questions in English.

Tense Question about: Example

Present Simple Place Where does she play ?
Past Simple Time When did they play ?
Present Progressive Manner How is he playing ?
Past Progressive Direct object What was he playing ?
Present Perfect Indirect object With whom have you played ?
Present Perfect Choice Which game have you been playing ?
Progressive
Past Perfect Reason Why had they played ?
Past Perfect Frequency How often had she been playing ?
Progressive
Future Simple Number How much will I play ?
Modals Possession Whose role can he play ?
Conditional Duration How long would it take ?
Conditional perfect Age How old would he have been ?
5. Wh Subject questions
A Wh Subject question is an open question, meaning that it can have any number of answers.
It asks about missing information the speaker needs about the subject of the sentence (performer of the action).
A question element needs to precede the subject in order to form this question.
The “question element” is formed according to the following rule.

The Subject Wh Question Rule: To form a subject Wh-question in English,

replace the subject with a question word, using who (for people) or what (for non-people) ?
The word order is that of a positive sentence.

Watch out:
• There is no auxiliary verb in Wh Subject questions in the Present Simple and Past Simple tenses.
The question word simply replaces the subject.

• In the present tenses, the verb is always in the third person singular, using the appropriate verb form.

Review the following table for examples of Wh Subject questions in English.

Tense Question about: Example

Present Simple People Who plays there every week ?
Past Simple Non-people What made all that noise ?
Present Progressive People Who is playing today ?
Past Progressive Non-people What was making all that noise ?
Present Perfect People Who’s written this essay ?
Modals People Who can help me ?
6. Summary
As this review has shown, the rules for negation and question formation are very systematic in English.
Each verb tense uses its specific auxiliary verbs and follows the same rules. Reviewing grammar rules is not
enough to make you use them properly. The more you pick them up in your reading, and more importantly,
use them in your English writing, the better you will use them.