When you want to express the opposite meaning of a particular word or sentence, you can do it by inserting a negation. Negations are words like no, not, and never. If you wanted to express the opposite of I am here, for example, you could say I am not here.
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Below, you’ll find lists of common negative words used to negate ideas.
Negative words:
- No
- Not
- None
- No one
- Nobody
- Nothing
- Neither
- Nowhere
- Never
Negative Adverbs:
- Hardly
- Scarcely
- Barely
Negative verbs
- Doesn’t
- Isn’t
- Wasn’t
- Shouldn’t
- Wouldn’t
- Couldn’t
- Won’t
- Can’t
- Don’t
Remember, when using negatives, make sure you only use one at a time in reference to any particular idea. Otherwise, you will create a double negative, which is an error in English.
