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Hans51 Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
Usage of 'no' and 'not really'
I have learned that 'no' should be followed by 'not' like
A: Is it not ture?
B. No, it is not true.
But sometimes I feel like 'no' should not be followed by 'not' and it means what it is mentioned before is not true like
A: They do not lie to me, right?
B: No, they do sometimes.
Is this dialogue natural or correct?
And I also am curious about the expression 'not really'.
A:They can't solve the question, right?
B: Not really.
When B says, "Not really", can it mean what you said is not true, so it can mean a positive one like 'they can solve it'?
Or 'not really' also implies negative meanings so should it mean that they can't solve it?
Or could you give me any sentence in which 'not really' implies a positive meaning?
What do you native English speakers think? Thank you so much as usual in advance!
A: Is it not ture?
B. No, it is not true.
But sometimes I feel like 'no' should not be followed by 'not' and it means what it is mentioned before is not true like
A: They do not lie to me, right?
B: No, they do sometimes.
Is this dialogue natural or correct?
And I also am curious about the expression 'not really'.
A:They can't solve the question, right?
B: Not really.
When B says, "Not really", can it mean what you said is not true, so it can mean a positive one like 'they can solve it'?
Or 'not really' also implies negative meanings so should it mean that they can't solve it?
Or could you give me any sentence in which 'not really' implies a positive meaning?
What do you native English speakers think? Thank you so much as usual in advance!
Top answer
Hans51 A: They do not lie to me, right? B: No, they do sometimes. Is this dialogue natural or correct?
- Hans51 A: They do not lie to me, right?
- B: No, they do sometimes.
- Is this dialogue natural or correct?
- It's OK in respect of the point you are asking about, but as a whole the example is slightly unnatural.
- Here is a more natural example: A: They never tell lies, right?
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3 Answers
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Hans51A: They do not lie to me, right? B: No, they do sometimes. Is this dialogue natural or correct?It's OK in respect of the point you are asking about, but as a whole the example is slightly unnatural. Here is a more natural example:
A: They never tell lies, right?
B: No, they do sometimes.
"Yes" could also be used.
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GPY"Yes" could also be used.Thank you so much!
And do you mean that "Yes, they do sometimes." carries the same meaning as "No, they do sometimes."?
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Hans51And do you mean that "Yes, they do sometimes." carries the same meaning as "No, they do sometimes."?The main meaning is conveyed by "they do sometimes". "Yes" and "No" are in response to something previously said, but must be interpreted in such a way as to support or be consistent with "they do sometimes".
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