Scribd
Upload
67 views4 pages

Negative Question: English Report

Negative questions are questions phrased in a negative structure that expect a "yes" answer to affirm the question and a "no" answer to deny it. This switches the typical "yes/no" response order. Negative questions can be used to seek confirmation of a believed fact or express an opinion politely. However, they can also cause misunderstandings, so it is generally better to avoid negative questions or rephrase them as positive ones.

Uploaded by

تبارك حسين عبد الامير
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
67 views4 pages

Negative Question: English Report

Negative questions are questions phrased in a negative structure that expect a "yes" answer to affirm the question and a "no" answer to deny it. This switches the typical "yes/no" response order. Negative questions can be used to seek confirmation of a believed fact or express an opinion politely. However, they can also cause misunderstandings, so it is generally better to avoid negative questions or rephrase them as positive ones.

Uploaded by

تبارك حسين عبد الامير
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

‫‪ENGLISH REPORT‬‬

‫‪NEGATIVE QUESTION‬‬

‫وزارة التعليم العالي والبحث العلمي‬


‫الجامعة التقنية الجنوبية‬
‫الكلية التقنية الهندسية ‪ /‬البصرة‬
‫قسم ميكانيك الحراريات‬

‫االسم ‪ :‬تبارك حسين عبد االمير‬


‫الدكتور المشرف ‪ :‬بسام عبدهللا محمد‬
Introduction

Negative Questions
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.

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. 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.

Because negative questions can create the potential for misunderstandings, it is usually
better to avoid using them.

The Definitio Of Negative Question

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.
The rule of negative question

 (Contracted – auxiliary Auxiliary verb + n’t + (Uncontracted – auxiliary  (Auxiliary verb + subject
verb + n’t + subject) subject verb + subject + not) + 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?

You might also like