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Jackson6612 Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

''did she not'' and ''didn't she''

0In grammar books interrogative sentences are written this way:02br
02br
01b00102b00: 01font00Does she not tell a lie?02font02br
02br
01b00202b00: 01font00Have you not been there?02font02br
02br
01b00302b00: 01font00Did she not tell a lie? 02font02br
02br
00In above sentences 01i00subject02i00 is followed by 01i00not02i00. But most of the time above sentences are written and spoken in this way:02br
02br
01b001a02b00: 01font00Doesn't she tell a lie?02font02br
02br
01b002b02b00: 01font00Haven't you been there?02font02br
02br
01b003c02b00: 01font00Didn't she tell a lie?02font02br
02br
00In above sentences 01i00subject02i00 is preceded by 01i00not02i00 (01i00n't02i00) rather than being followed by 01i00not02i00.02br
02br
01font01b00Are sentences 1a, 2b, and 3c grammatically correct?02b02font0-
  

Top answer

0 I'd say that 1a, 2b and 3c are the only ones grammatically correct! To be honest, I've never seen interro-negative sentences constructed like the first three ones. 02br 00But could it be that I'm wrong?

— Silver Willow

  • 0 I'd say that 1a, 2b and 3c are the only ones grammatically correct!
  • To be honest, I've never seen interro-negative sentences constructed like the first three ones.
  • 02br 00But could it be that I'm wrong?
  • If I were, that would mean that we never stop learning!
  • So, speak your mind!
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3 Answers
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0 I'd say that 1a, 2b and 3c are the only ones grammatically correct! To be honest, I've never seen interro-negative sentences constructed like the first three ones. 02br
00But could it be that I'm wrong? If I were, that would mean that we never stop learning! So, speak your mind! 0-
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0 01blockquote
01cite10Silver Willow12cite10I've never seen interro-negative sentences constructed like the first three ones. 12br
10But could it be that I'm wrong?12br
12blockquote
11b01i00Have you not made an universal shout...02i02b02br
00Julius Caesar, William Shakesp
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0 Hi Jackson02br
02br
00The sentences in your first group sound more emphatic and/or more formal than the sentences in your second group. The grammar is fine in all of them.02br
02br
00However, the ability to use either 1a or 1b grammatically would be extremely limited due to the use of the simple present tense and the reference to only01b00 on
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