0
Anonymous Posted 9 years ago
Linguistics Studies

Status of the negation word "not"?

Hi there,

I have a question concerning the word "not". In the sentence "He did not have a dog" its relation towards the sentence is unclear to me.

Is "not" a particle or an adverb?

Is it part of the verb "did (not) have" or is it an adverbial by its own means on the level of the elements of clause structure intermitting the verb?

In how far is it part of the verb phrase?


Similarly, how do I have to understand adverbs like "already" in sentences like "He has already left"? Is there

any similarity to what "not" does in my example sentence at the top?

Which particular verb out of the verb phrase is modified by these intermittent adverbs? Is there any in specific or is it the whole phrase?


Does putting such a sentence into the question-form by inversion change anything what concerns the status of these adverbs in the sentence?


Thanks for your answers.

  

Top answer

Is "not" a particle or an adverb? An adverb. banana desk 59 Is it part of the verb "did (not) have" Yes.

— Mister Micawber

  • Is "not" a particle or an adverb?
  • An adverb.
  • banana desk 59 Is it part of the verb "did (not) have" Yes.
  • banana desk 59 intermitting the verb I have no idea what that means.
  • banana desk 59 In how far is it part of the verb phrase?
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

1 Answers
0
banana desk 59 In the sentence "He did not have a dog" its relation towards the sentence is unclear to me.Is "not" a particle or an adverb?

An adverb.

banana desk 59Is it part of the verb "did (not) have"

Yes.

banana desk 59intermitting the verb

I have no idea what that me

0

Related Questions