英语中的否定

英语中的否定

一、否定概念

1．否定的基本特征：含有否定词（语）。例如：

⑴ not, never, seldom, hardly, nor,

⑵ no, few, , neither,

⑶ none, nothing, nobody,

⑷ without, but, except

含有否定词缀的词，也是一种否定意义的表达手段。但不属于否定结构或否定句。

2．否定范围

否定范围指否定意义在句中涉及的范围。一般讲，从否定词开始到句末，或到表示停顿的标点为止。在口语中，句末用升调，表示修饰形状语在否定范围之内，反之则在范围之外。下列句子的划线部分是否定范围：

（1）I didn’t see Jack in the cinema yesterday.

（2）None of them passed the exam.

（3）I didn’t go there because I was afraid of him.

（4）I didn’t go there, because I was afraid of him. （我没去那儿，因为我怕他。）

句（3）在书面语中意义不明确：可能是“我没去那儿，因为我怕他”； 也可能是“我去那儿并不是因为怕他”。所以最好避免，或改写成句（4）和句（5）两个意思不同但明确的句子。

（5）I did go there not because I was afraid of him.

3. 否定转移

从结构上看， not通常用于否定动词。但实际意义上讲，not真正要否定的焦点可能是否定范围中的其他成分。这种情况称为否定转移。例如：

（6）Shut up. I didn’t come to listen to your stupid excuse.

= (7) I came here not to listen to your excuse.

(8) I don’t think it will rain tomorrow.

= (9) I think it will not rain tomorrow.

(10) I do not go to school by bike everyday.

= (11) I go to school by bike at times, but not everyday.

二、常见的否定手法

1．全句否定和局部否定 （也称“一般否定和特指否定”）

1．1 全句否定(general negation)：结构上not, never否定谓语或no否定名词。

（12）They are not interested in these subject.

(13) You can’t take these books out of the reading-room.

(14) There is no time to be lost.

1．2 局部否定(special negation)：not 置于某个特定对象之前。

（15）You must always remember not to become conceited.

(16) The moon gives no light of its own.

局部否定用得很少，通常采用全句否定形式。但可以通过否定转移来达到局部否定的目的。例如，句（17）比句（18）更自然：

（17）I won’t stay here for long.：

（18）I will stay here but not for long.

但有时用全句否定会产生歧义：

（19）It didn’t rain all the month.

句末用升调，表示否定转移至状语：是下雨了，但没有整整下一个月。

句末用降调时，not否定rain：整整一个月没下雨。

如果将状语置于句首，原句改为All the month it didn’t rain，则all the month处于否定范围之外，not 只能否定rain，意思也就明确了。采用局部否定也可避免类似的歧义。例如：

（20）It rained not all the month but for part of the month.

有时全句否定和局部否定意义全然不同：

（21）He didn’t try to mention it to Tom. 他不想对Tom提起这件事情。

(22) He tried not to mention it to Tom. 他尽量不对Tom提这件事。

△ 否定的前缀、后缀也是一种局部否定，但从结构上讲，不属于否定句结构。因此，在含有这类词的句子后，附加疑问句中用否定。如：It is unimportant, isn’t it?

2．全体否定和部分否定

2．1 全体否定(absolute negation)

含有no, none以及neither, never等否定词，或every, all与带有否定词缀的词连用时，均为全体否定：

(23) No one can do it.

(24) Neither of the sisters is good-looking.

(25) All these stars are invisible to naked eyes.

(26) Every plan he has made in impossible to carry out.

（27）I looked everywhere for the cell phone, but it could be found nowhere.

2．2 部分否定(partial negation)

not与下列词语连用时，具有部分否定意义：both, all, every, every-, always, entirely, wholly等。例如：

(28) I don’t wholly agree with you.

_(29) All that glitters is not gold.

(30) Both of his parents are at home.

(31) Not everything he says is right.

但这些词语否定的前缀连用时，意为全部否定。如：

（32）All this is unnecessary.

3．双重否定和重复否定

3．1双重否定（double negation）

双重否定时止，同一结构中用一个否定词否定另一个否定词（也包括否定前缀词）。两个否定词互相抵消。双重否定通常强调一个肯定的意思。

（33）He doesn’t lend his books to nobody.

(34) I did’t do it for no reason.

(35) We are not unprepared for the outcome of the conference.

(36) He never came without asking for money.

(37) I can not but admire his courage.

(38) They couldn’t help laughing at the joke.

3．2重复否定(repeated negation)

重复否定是指用两个（以上）的否定词连续否定一个意思，所以就加强了否定的意义。其一般形式是：否定的谓语+否定的宾语；否定的主语+否定的谓语：

（39）I don’t know nothing about the matter. (=I don’t know anything about it.)

(40) We won’t lose nothing by it. (=We won’t lose anything)

(41) Nobody hardly took notice of him. (=Nobody took notice of him)

重复否定在早期英语里很普遍，因为词的重复是正常的修辞手段。在现代英语里，不是标准语言。但在口语中仍不少。尤其是教育程度不高的人群中。

4．延续否定（resumptive negation）

△ 用 not…not /neither / nor

(42) I’ll not do such a thing, not I. (同一主语)

(43) You cannot do it, nor can I, nor can anyone else. （不同主语）

(44) But Oliver did not come that day; nor the next day,; nor the next after that; nor for many ,many days after. （连续否定多个状语）

(45) It was not surprise, nor disappointment, nor anger, not any of the expressions that Della had been prepared for.

△ 用 to say nothing of, not to mention, not to speak of, let alone, still less, much less +名词(后三个短语也可接动词)， 表示“（连…都不…，）更别说…了。”

(46) He doesn’t like music, still less dancing.

(47) He does not speak English well, to say nothing of German or French.

(48) She can't afford to buy a bicycle, let alone a car. （CIDE）

(49) "Are you getting a new car this year?" "You must be joking! I can't afford to pay my bills, let alone buy a new car!" (CIDE)

(50) At the age of fourteen I had never even been on a train, much/still less an aircraft.

5．半否定(semi-negation)

用hardly, seldom, rarely, scarcely, few, little, almost not / no;

(51) He seldom went out on Sundays.

(52) It is hardly possible, is it?

(53) Few believed it, did they?

(54) He is interested in almost nothing except computer games.

6. 排除否定 (excluded negation)

用all…but, every…but, anything but等。

(55) All the people at the meeting agreed but Jack.

(56) I ‘d like to do everything except housework.

(57) He is anything but a good teacher.

在否定句中用but/except则成了肯定的意思：Nobody except Bill can do it.

7. 强势否定（emphatic negation）

强势否定实际上就是加强否定的语气。

7．1 使用副词：certainly, simply, just, absolutely等用于否定结构之前。

You just don't listen, do you? I told you you'd burn yourself if you touched that pan, didn't I?

No one wants to buy these toys - we just can't sell them.

Look here, my (dear) boy, this simply won't do.

It is absolutely impossible to finish the work within a week.

7．2 使用介词短语：in no way, by no means, at no time等。

It is by no means certain that we will be able to move to our new office in June.

I would like to point out that I am in no way connected with them.

At no time and under no circumstance will China be the first to use nuclear weapons.

7．3 在not后使用single, at all, a bit, in the least, the slightest 等表示“微量”的词语。

He didn’t have a single word about it.

I am not in the least tired.

If an accident happens to him I will not surprised at all.

7.4 用the last表示“最不…”。

He is the last person to do such a thing. 他是最不可能做这种事情的人。

Housework is the last thing that I want to do.

Bill was the last person that Kate wanted to see.

三、否定结构中的用词问题

1． 非肯定词

英语中有些词义相近的词语，有的只用于肯定结构，称为“肯定词（assertive words）”；有些只用于非肯定结构，称为“非肯定词(non-assertive words)”。如：

注：

⑴ 非肯定结构指：否定，疑问，条件。

⑵ ever可用在以下的肯定意义中： This is the most beautiful city that I have ever been to. ⑶ 非肯定词用于含有not, never, hardly等词的否定句时，不可置于否定词之前。以下是误句：（葛著DEU）

Either of them is not a doctor. (应改为：Neither of them is a doctor.)

Anybody cannot do it. (应改为：Nobody can do it. )

2．情态动词may, can, must

这三个词用于否定句时，意思大相径庭。

He may not come this afternoon. （他可能不来）

He cannot come this afternoon. （他不可能来）

He mustn’t come this afternoon. （不准他来）

3．almost和nearly

almost后可接nobody, nothing等否定词，nearly则不行；可以说not nearly（远非），但almost前不能用否定词。

There was almost nothing in the fridge.

There is almost no possibility of our winning the lottery.

There's not nearly enough (= There is much too little) food for all these people!

She's not nearly as beautiful as you said she was.

4．在非肯定句中用 long，在肯定句中用（for）a long time

Have you been waiting long?

I waited (for) a long time.

She seldom stay out long.

He didn’t speak for long. (PEU)

It takes a long time to get to her house. 一个疑问：在否定句中，for long与long是否等同? PEU的例句似乎表明等同，但叙述时似乎并没有等同的态度。

△ 注意以下特殊情况

⑴ long与too, enough, so, as等词连用时，可用于肯定句：

I have been working here too long.

You can stay as long as you like / want.

⑵ 在否定句中如果用for a long time,意思就有了区别：

She didn’t speak for a long time. 她好久没讲话。= For a long time she didn’t speak. She didn’t speak long. 她的讲话不长。

5．在非肯定句中用 far，在肯定句中用a long way

How far did you walk?

We walked a long way.

与 too, enough, as, so搭配时，far用于肯定句。

6．在否定句中，besides与except, but意思相同：

Mark Twain had no other ties besides / but / except this one.

7．still, yet; ever

still要用于否定词之前，因为它是个肯定词须用在否定范围之外；yet和ever是非肯定词，须用于非肯定结构中。

She still didn’t know the result of the discussion.

Have you finished the work yet?

I have not ever been to Beijing. (not ever=never)

8．含有not和含有never的固定短语

not to mention 更不必说

believe it or not 信不信由你

not to say 简直

It would be unwise, not to say stupid, to leave your first job after only six

months.

never mind

never say die 永不言败