Grammatically correct or not?

Hi,
I have a dispute. A student had to write the opposite of "it may be later than you think". His teacher says the opposite is, "it may not be later than you think". I said, "it may not be as late as you think". Which is correct?

I like your teacher's version bette than yours. But my first thought

I had the same opinion as Clive. (especially the "earlier" version).

But perhaps you were reading more into it. For example, is this your line of reasoning?

A is less than B.

The grammatical opposite: A is not less than B.
The mathematical (logical) opposite is: A is not less than or equal to B.

Hi Clive,

thanks for your feedback. Surely 'it may be earlier thank you think' is the same as 'it may not be as late as you think"? To me 'it may not be later than you think' is double-dutch? Can anyone clarify this for me?

Linda

Hi Linda;

It's true that 'it may be not be later than you think' might not be the first choice of native speakers, but it still is grammatically correct, and a strict negation of the given sentence.

There are many ways to express an idea. Your sentence is very close in meaning, and somewhat more natural.
If I were your teacher, I would accept all three versions as the sem

Hi,

Let me ask you this.

What's the opposite of It's late?

Would yo choose It's not late or It's early?

Clive