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Falconer Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Negative questions
Greetings.
I looked through a few threads related to this, but as I couldn't find a conclusive answer, I thought I'd ask for some clarification. I was taught that the answer does not depend on the question, but rather on whether the answer is positive or negative, as in the following examples:
Do you like to read books?
Yes (Yes, I like to read books).
No (No, I don't like to read books).
Don't you like to read books?
Yes (Yes, I do like to read books).
No (No, I don't like to read books).
Ideally, you'd probably want to clarify things when you answer a negative question, but this is basically how it's meant to work. Back in primary school, our teacher used the following example to illustrate this*:
Looking for some bananas, a woman walked into a local store. Unable to find any, she asked a clerk, "Don't you have any bananas?"
He responded, "Yes, we have no bananas."
This sounded ridiculous then, and it sounds equally ridiculous now. Ignoring the reference, is this really good English?
* It's paraphrased, of course, since I don't recall the exact wording.
I looked through a few threads related to this, but as I couldn't find a conclusive answer, I thought I'd ask for some clarification. I was taught that the answer does not depend on the question, but rather on whether the answer is positive or negative, as in the following examples:
Do you like to read books?
Yes (Yes, I like to read books).
No (No, I don't like to read books).
Don't you like to read books?
Yes (Yes, I do like to read books).
No (No, I don't like to read books).
Ideally, you'd probably want to clarify things when you answer a negative question, but this is basically how it's meant to work. Back in primary school, our teacher used the following example to illustrate this*:
Looking for some bananas, a woman walked into a local store. Unable to find any, she asked a clerk, "Don't you have any bananas?"
He responded, "Yes, we have no bananas."
This sounded ridiculous then, and it sounds equally ridiculous now. Ignoring the reference, is this really good English?
* It's paraphrased, of course, since I don't recall the exact wording.
Top answer
Falconer Ignoring the reference, is this really good English? Yes, it is grammatical, and quite common: There is no joy in Mudville. I have no idea about that.
- Falconer Ignoring the reference, is this really good English?
- Yes, it is grammatical, and quite common: There is no joy in Mudville.
- I have no idea about that.
- We have no intention of coming.
- We have no plans for the future.
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5 Answers
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FalconerIgnoring the reference, is this really good English?Yes, it is grammatical, and quite common:
There is no joy in Mudville.
I have no idea about that.
We have no intention of coming.
We have no plans for the future.
Have no fear!
There is no money in the jar; we spent it all.
You have no business being here.
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AlpheccaStarsYes, it is grammatical, and quite common:I'm not sure if I'm misunderstanding you or if you misunderstood
There is no joy in Mudville.
I have no idea about that.
We have no intention of coming.
We have no plans for the future.
Have no fear!
There is no money in the jar; we spent it all.
You have no business being here.
00
Of course, the most logical answer is as you have said, and the positive answer (yes, we have no bananas) sounds quite strange. But it is grammatically correct and that's why it sounds like a joke.
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AlpheccaStarsOf course, the most logical answer is as you have said, and the positive answer (yes, we have no bananas) sounds quite strange. But it is grammatically correct and that's why it sounds like a joke.Is it, though? I was taught that it isn't, and I've recently tried to find a source on this. For once I've failed to locate one, so if you could cite
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Hi;
It is a kind of non-sequitur. It's funny because some customer service people are drilled in the mantra "never say no" to any customer. (I added another line.)
Looking for some bananas, a woman walked into a local store. Unable to find any, she asked a clerk, "Don't you have any bananas?"
He responded, "Yes, we have no bananas. They would be right over there."
It is a kind of non-sequitur. It's funny because some customer service people are drilled in the mantra "never say no" to any customer. (I added another line.)
Looking for some bananas, a woman walked into a local store. Unable to find any, she asked a clerk, "Don't you have any bananas?"
He responded, "Yes, we have no bananas. They would be right over there."
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