Negative Questions

Concept sheet | English Language Arts
Definition

Negative question are question used in the negative form.

Negative Question Uses

Rules

Negative questions are used to:

  • confirm information

  • express an opinion

  • make an offer or a request

  • ask about what did not happen or was not the case.

Negative questions use similar forms to regular affirmative questions. The difference is the addition of the function word not after the verb to be or the auxiliary verb used.

The contraction form of not — n’t — is generally used when asking negative questions.

Negative yes/no questions and information questions forms.
Examples

Confirming information
 

Dialogue in 2 panels.

Expressing an opinion

Dialogue in 2 panels

Making an offer or a request

Dialogue en 2 panels.

Asking about what did not happen or was not the case

Dialogue in 2 panels.
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