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Youngbuts Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Both A and B not VS A and B not

Hi~

I heard the sentence below is kind of partial negation.

Both Mary and Judy aren’t secretaries.

As I learned 'both A and B' is the same as 'A and B', I am wondering if the follwong could also have a possibility to be interpreted as a partial negaion.

Mary and Judy aren’t secretaries.

Please guide me.

Thanks.
  

Top answer

youngbuts Both Mary and Judy aren’t secretaries. That is an unnatural sentence. We would be more likely to say 'Neither Mary nor Judy is a secretary', though many would say, 'Neither Mary nor Judy are secretaries'.

— Fivejedjon

  • youngbuts Both Mary and Judy aren’t secretaries.
  • That is an unnatural sentence.
  • We would be more likely to say 'Neither Mary nor Judy is a secretary', though many would say, 'Neither Mary nor Judy are secretaries'.
  • youngbuts Mary and Judy aren’t secretaries.
  • There is nothing 'partial' about the negation there.
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2 Answers
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youngbutsBoth Mary and Judy aren’t secretaries.
That is an unnatural sentence. We would be more likely to say 'Neither Mary nor Judy is a secretary', though many would say, 'Neither Mary nor Judy are secretaries'.
youngbutsMary and Judy aren’t secretaries.
There is nothing 'partial' about the negation there.
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As a conj., both has a positive nature(both can act as other parts of speech, too).
The websters® 1913 dictionary defines it as:

conj. 1 As well; not only; equally.
The verb of your sentence is aren't.It doesn't denote an action, or a state.So both can't be used there.
Because equality needs comparison and comparison needs somet
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