do+not+verb vs. verb+not

Question

Hi, I need your help.

There's a disputation between me and our english teacher.
She asserts that my sentence "She had not the book renewed" is ABSOLUTELY wrong and the only way how to say it is to use "Didn't have" instead of "had not".
She also asserts that NO english sentence can contain verb+not (like "fear not").

But I don't think so! About month ago I read Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and I found "Fear me not" in first act.
I know it's quite old thing, but there are many similar sentences all over the internet.
Even in lyrics of well known song Lady In Black: "I know not how she found me".

So please tell me, who is right

.
Thank you very much.

Seonaid · Accepted Answer

Hi Michael,

I'm afraid we don't usually use 'have + not' in modern English.

As you know, in the present simple tense we make the negative of 'be' by adding 'not' after the verb and we negative of other verbs by putting 'do not' or 'does not' before the verb. In the recent past, we could negate 'have' in the same way as 'be', but we don't really use it any more. (In fact occasionally in the UK you can hear older people say 'haven't', for example 'I haven't any coffee', but I've never heard anyone say 'I have not any coffee').

When Shakespeare was alive, many verbs were negated in this way. Now, we only do it to be funny or literary.

So perhaps your sentence isn't strictly speaking wrong, but it's not modern standard English.

Best wishes,

Seonaid

Michael.f · Answer

SeonaidHi Michael,

I'm afraid we don't usually use 'have + not' in modern English.

As you know, in the present simple tense we make the negative of 'be' by adding 'not' after the verb and we negative of other verbs by putting 'do not' or 'does not' before the verb. In the recent past, we could negate 'have' in the same way as 'be', but we don't really use it any more. (In fact occasionally in the UK you can hear older people say 'haven't', for example 'I haven't any coffee', but I've never heard anyone say 'I have not any coffee').

When Shakespeare was alive, many verbs were negated in this way. Now, we only do it to be funny or literary.

So perhaps your sentence isn't strictly speaking wrong, but it's not modern standard English.

Best wishes,

Seonaid

Thanks Seonaid! But it is at least possible, isn't it (older people are still people

). So this form is barely used, but used. If I wrote an official letter, would "verb+not" sound strange there too?

<edited only to fix formatting>

Seonaid · Answer

Hi Michael,

Even in a really formal letter, 'verb + not' would sound strange.

Best wishes,

Seonaid

BarbaraPA · Answer

Older people are indeed people, but if you can find one walking around who was alive in Shakespeare's day, send the film crews!

However, you will find sentences like this: I had not the time nor the inclination to continue the argument. In this case, you are referring to what the person actualy HAD (possessed). This is a very different meaning than your "had," which means "caused something to happen."

I had the car washed -- I didn't have the car washed. But there's no way that "I had not the car washed" works at all, in this erea.

I agree with your teacher that under the standard of current English usage, your sentence was wrong.

(P.S. - You had a dispute with your teacher.)

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks. Tomorrow I will probably say her something like: "but no-one ever told me we can't use earlier standards of english"

Have a nice day.

do+not+verb vs. verb+not

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions