Why? or Why not?

I don't know. I would say "why not?"

Thank you very much, Vorpar! It's from an ESL textbook by Oxford University Press, probably they made a mistake.

Maki

The exchange is okay. The sense is as follows:

A: I can't stand horror movies.

B: Why (don't you like horror movies)? (I like them. Most people like them. We like them because) they're fun.

Most of the words B means are left out for the sake of brevity and are understood from the context. This is ellipsis, which is very often encountered in English.

I've learned you say "why not" when the other person says a negative sentence. Which is more common, "why not" or "why", when somebody says "I can't stand horror movies."?


Thank you.

MakiasanWhich is more common, "why not" or "why", when somebody says "I can't stand horror movies."?

Both seem natural enough to me.

Thank you so much, fivejedjon. I'd like to ask one more.

A) I don't read books.

B) Why?

C) Why not?


Are there any differences between "why" and "why not" in the above conversation?

If you think the person A should read books, would you say "why not?"?

Or no differences?


Thank you.