Affirmative and Negative Sentences
Rules of transforming Affirmative into Negative Sentences or vice versa:
1. Sentences with ‘only/alone’, changes into ‘none but/nothing but/not more than/not less than’
Examples:
a. Affirmative: A brave man alone can do this.
Negative: None but a brave man can do this.
b. Affirmative: I need a book only.
Negative: I need nothing but a book.
c. Affirmative: I need ten taka only.
Negative: I don’t need more than ten taka.
2. ‘Must/have to/can’ turns into ‘cannot but’
Examples:
Affirmative: You have to drink clean water.
Negative: You cannot but drink clean water.
3. ‘And/both’ becomes ‘not only ..but also’
Example:
Affirmative: He ate eggs and vegetables.
Negative: He ate not only eggs but also vegetables.
4. ‘Every’ becomes ‘there in no ...but’
Example:
Affirmative: Every mother loves her child.
Negative: There is no mother but loves her child.
Note:
In case of ‘everybody’, an affirmative sentence can also be changed into negative using
‘nobody’ and ‘opposite of verb/adjective’:
Example:
Affirmative: Everybody likes flowers.
Negative: Nobody dislikes flowers.
5. ‘Always’ in affirmative becomes ‘never + opposite word’ in negative statements:
Example:
Affirmative: I am always against of smoking.
Negative: I am never in favour of smoking.
6. Universal truths are changed into ‘interrogative negative sentences’:
Example:
Affirmative: Knowledge is power
Negative: Isn’t knowledge power?
7. Many affirmative can be changed into negative by using negative word ‘Not’ and an ‘opposite word’ of the verb:
Example:
Affirmative: I missed the train.
Negative: I could not catch the train.
8. ‘Sometimes’ in affirmative becomes ‘not always’ in negative:
Example:
Affirmative: The poor are sometimes happy.
Negative: The poor are not always happy.
9. ‘Many’ becomes ‘not a few’:
Example:
Negative: I don’t have many dolls.
Affirmative: I have a few dolls.
10. ‘Too..to’ in affirmative becomes ‘so ... that ...+ cannot + verb’:
Example:
Affirmative: He is too weak to walk.
Negative: He is so weak that he cannot walk.
11. ‘As soon as’ in Affirmative becomes ‘No sooner had...than’ in Negative:
Example:
Affirmative: As soon as he came, the students stood up.
Negative: No sooner had he came than the students stood up.
12. ‘As+ adjective + as’ in affirmative becomes ‘not less + adjective... than’ in negative sentence:
Example:
Affirmative: Rahim is as good as Karim.
Negative: Rahim is not less good than Karim.
Exceptional:
Affirmative: Where there is smoke, there is fire.
Negative: There can be no smoke without fire.
Affirmative: All must die.
Negative: None can escape death.
Affirmative: I come here for the last time.
Negative: I will never come here again.
Exercise A
Change the sentences into negative:
1. He is honest.
2. I will never forget you.
3. Where there is fire, there is smoke.
4. Jamil is the best student.
5. As soon as the teacher arrived, the noise stopped.
Exercise B
Change the sentences into affirmative:
1. The old man is so weak that he cannot walk.
2. None but the brave deserve the fair.
3. No sooner had I reached the station than the train left.
4. Nobody likes a liar.
5. Not only Rina but also Rahim will go there.
Download the PDF file
Take a quiz quiz for practice
Affirmative and Negative Sentences
Rules of transforming Affirmative into Negative Sentences or vice versa:
1. Sentences with ‘only/alone’, changes into ‘none but/nothing but/not more than/not less than’
Examples:
a. Affirmative: A brave man alone can do this.
Negative: None but a brave man can do this.
b. Affirmative: I need a book only.
Negative: I need nothing but a book.
c. Affirmative: I need ten taka only.
Negative: I don’t need more than ten taka.
2. ‘Must/have to/can’ turns into ‘cannot but’
Examples:
Affirmative: You have to drink clean water.
Negative: You cannot but drink clean water.
3. ‘And/both’ becomes ‘not only ..but also’
Example:
Affirmative: He ate eggs and vegetables.
Negative: He ate not only eggs but also vegetables.
4. ‘Every’ becomes ‘there in no ...but’
Example:
Affirmative: Every mother loves her child.
Negative: There is no mother but loves her child.
Note:
In case of ‘everybody’, an affirmative sentence can also be changed into negative using
‘nobody’ and ‘opposite of verb/adjective’:
Example:
Affirmative: Everybody likes flowers.
Negative: Nobody dislikes flowers.
5. ‘Always’ in affirmative becomes ‘never + opposite word’ in negative statements:
Example:
Affirmative: I am always against of smoking.
Negative: I am never in favour of smoking.
6. Universal truths are changed into ‘interrogative negative sentences’:
Example:
Affirmative: Knowledge is power
Negative: Isn’t knowledge power?
7. Many affirmative can be changed into negative by using negative word ‘Not’ and an ‘opposite word’ of the verb:
Example:
Affirmative: I missed the train.
Negative: I could not catch the train.
8. ‘Sometimes’ in affirmative becomes ‘not always’ in negative:
Example:
Affirmative: The poor are sometimes happy.
Negative: The poor are not always happy.
9. ‘Many’ becomes ‘not a few’:
Example:
Negative: I don’t have many dolls.
Affirmative: I have a few dolls.
10. ‘Too..to’ in affirmative becomes ‘so ... that ...+ cannot + verb’:
Example:
Affirmative: He is too weak to walk.
Negative: He is so weak that he cannot walk.
11. ‘As soon as’ in Affirmative becomes ‘No sooner had...than’ in Negative:
Example:
Affirmative: As soon as he came, the students stood up.
Negative: No sooner had he came than the students stood up.
12. ‘As+ adjective + as’ in affirmative becomes ‘not less + adjective... than’ in negative sentence:
Example:
Affirmative: Rahim is as good as Karim.
Negative: Rahim is not less good than Karim.
Exceptional:
Affirmative: Where there is smoke, there is fire.
Negative: There can be no smoke without fire.
Affirmative: All must die.
Negative: None can escape death.
Affirmative: I come here for the last time.
Negative: I will never come here again.
Exercise A
Change the sentences into negative:
1. He is honest.
2. I will never forget you.
3. Where there is fire, there is smoke.
4. Jamil is the best student.
5. As soon as the teacher arrived, the noise stopped.
Exercise B
Change the sentences into affirmative:
1. The old man is so weak that he cannot walk.
2. None but the brave deserve the fair.
3. No sooner had I reached the station than the train left.
4. Nobody likes a liar.
5. Not only Rina but also Rahim will go there.
Download the PDF file
Take a quiz quiz for practice
