Course on Negative Sentences - TOEIC® Preparation
In English, negation goes far beyond the simple word "not". The language offers various ways to construct negative sentences to express precise nuances or emphasize certain aspects. In this course, we will explore several negative adverbs and expressions, such as hardly, neither, nowhere, no-one, and many others.
It is important to note that a double negation constitutes a grammatical error. A single negation is sufficient to express a negative idea. Thus, "I don't know nothing" is incorrect, as the double negation makes the sentence incoherent. The correct formulation would be either "I don't know anything" or "I know nothing".
1. Hardly
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❌ She could hardly not hear the speaker over the noise.
✅ She could hardly hear the speaker over the noise. -
❌ He has hardly never finished a project on time.
✅ He has hardly ever finished a project on time.
2. Neither
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❌ Neither candidate isn't prepared for the position.
✅ Neither candidate is prepared for the position. -
❌ Neither Mark nor Emma didn't accept the invitation.
✅ Neither Mark nor Emma accepted the invitation.
3. Nowhere
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❌ There isn't nowhere better to relax than the beach.
✅ There is nowhere better to relax than the beach. -
❌ We didn't find her nowhere.
✅ We searched everywhere, but we found her nowhere.
4. No-one and Nothing
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❌ No-one doesn't enjoy working under such pressure.
✅ No-one enjoys working under such pressure. -
❌ There isn't nothing interesting on TV tonight.
✅ There's nothing interesting on TV tonight.
5. Seldom, Barely, and Rarely
-
❌ They don't seldom go out during the week.
✅ They seldom go out during the week. -
❌ I didn't barely catch the last train home.
✅ I barely caught the last train home. -
❌ She doesn't rarely forget her appointments.
✅ She rarely forgets her appointments.
6. Few and Little
-
❌ Not few people came to the event.
✅ Few people came to the event. -
❌ There isn't little time left to complete the project.
✅ There is little time left to complete the project.
7. Unless
- ❌ I won't go to the party unless you don't come with me
✅ I won't go to the party unless you come with me.
Conclusion
In English, a single negation is sufficient to express a negative idea. Double negation is considered a grammatical error. These distinctions are particularly important as they frequently appear in comprehension and grammar exercises of the TOEIC®.