Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

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539 Glossary for any unfamiliar terms

Negation | 733

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An affirmative tag follows an affirmative or negative imperative. The tag is usually

formed with will for second person imperatives and shall for first person

imperatives:

Be quiet, will you!

Do

n’t put the rubbish out yet, will you.

Let’s 

not argue, shall we.

A negative tag following an affirmative imperative is rather formal:

Come again tomorrow, won’t you.

Exclamative clauses can also have negative tags which function to seek

confirmation:

What a storm that was, 

wasn’t it!

How lovely to be going home, 

isn’t it!

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300 Question tags and 98 Questions and tags for further description of the

formation of question tags and other tags

A–Z

69 Right, rightly for right as a tag

NEGATION AND MENTAL PROCESS VERBS (BELIEVE, THINK)

437

When mental process verbs such as believe, imagine, suppose, think are used to

express uncertainty, it is more usual for the negation to be placed on these verbs

rather than on the complement clause:

We 

don’t imagine there are sufficient funds to expand the business this year.

(preferred to: We imagine there are not sufficient funds …)

I 

don’t think dinner’s ready yet. 

(preferred to: I think dinner’s not ready yet.)

Exceptions are the verbs hope and wish, where the negation is placed in the

complement clause:

I 

hope you aren’t going to make a mess in the kitchen.

(I don’t hope you’re going to make a mess in the kitchen.)

We’re 

hoping England don’t lose their first match against Norway.

I 

wish he wouldn’t make so much fuss.

When mental process verbs are used in affirmative short replies, so is added:

Will Tim be at the party?

I’m afraid so.

I guess so.

I hope so.

I think so.

I suppose so.

734 | Negation

Cambridge Grammar of English

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If the reply is negative, there are different patterns. Not is used with be afraid,

guess

, hope. With think, the usual form is I don’t think so; I think not is a more

formal alternative. With suppose, both forms are possible:

Will Tim be at the party?

I’m afraid 

not.

I guess 

not.

I hope 

not.

I 

don’t think so./I think not.

I 

don’t suppose so./I suppose not.

NEGATIVE CLAUSES WITH ANY, ANYONE, ANYTHING, ANYWHERE, ETC.

438

Words such as some, somebody, someone, something, somewhere are not normally

used following not. Any, anybody, anyone, anything, anywhere are used instead:

There is 

some room at the front of the train.

There is

n’t any room at the front of the train.

(There isn’t some room at the front of the train.)

There’s 

someone in the garden.

There is

n’t anyone in the garden.

(There isn’t someone in the garden.)

I’ve found 

somewhere to stay tonight.

I’ve 

not found anywhere to stay tonight.

(I’ve not found somewhere to stay tonight.)

Following verbs with a negative meaning such as decline or refuse, anything is

preferred to something:

I 

refused to have anything to do with him.

(I refused to have something to do with him.)

After affirmative verbs no is used, and with negated verbs any is used. Compare the

following two sentences, both of which mean the opposite of We had some money:

We had 

no money.

We did

n’t have any money.

Although these sentences both mean the same, the structure with not … any is

normally preferred in informal contexts. The structure with no is more emphatic

and more associated with formal contexts.