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Meaning & use

negation words

phrase·Everyday

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UK/nɪˈɡeɪʃən wɜːdz/
US/nɪˈɡeɪʃən wɝːdz/

Meaning

  1. phraseplural

    Words such as no, not, never, and none that make a sentence or phrase negative.

    Grammar: Always plural; use it when talking about this group of words in grammar.

    Patterns

    • use negation words
    • negation words like 'not'
    • a list of negation words

    In English, 'not', 'no', 'never', and 'nothing' are common negation words.

    The teacher asked us to underline all the negation words in the paragraph.

    Negation words can change the meaning of a sentence completely.

Common combinations

double negation
In some dialects, double negation is used for emphasis, as in 'I don't know nothing.'
negative word
'Never' is a negative word that often comes before the main verb.
negation in English
Negation in English often uses 'not' after an auxiliary verb.
words of negation
Words of negation like 'no' and 'none' can stand alone as answers.

Synonyms and how they differ

negative words
A more general term that can also include words with negative meaning, not just grammatical negation.
negators
A technical term used in linguistics for words that express negation.

Opposites

affirmation wordspositive words

Word family

negate verb
To make something ineffective or to deny its truth.
negation noun
The act of saying no or making something negative.
negative adjective
Expressing 'no' or containing a word like 'not'.

Commonly confused: negation words or negative words?

negation words vs negative words

Often used interchangeably, but 'negative words' can also refer to words with unpleasant meanings (e.g., 'sad'), while 'negation words' specifically make a clause negative.

Practice

Which of the following is a negation word?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “negation words”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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