Negation, and the rules

To negate is to answer in the negative, to deny and can be expressed in different ways:

- by negating the verb: He did not pay.
- by negating the subject: Noone paid.
- by negating the object: He paid nothing.

a) You can negate e.g. by using
- adverbs: not, never, nowhere, noway, not...any:
I'm not happy./ I've never been to Canada./ I have not been to Canada./ He doesn't have anything.
- indefinite pronouns: noone, nothing, none
Do you have money? I have none, nothing. Noone saw him.
- conjunctions: neither ... nor
I will neither drink a coffee nor a tea.

b) You can also negate a word by adding a prefix:
safe -> unsafe / happy -> unhappy / substantial -> insubstantial
I'm unhappy. This place is unsafe.

c) and you can negate individual aspects in a sentence by intonation, depending on what you want to express:
e.g.: Jacob won't go to town tomorrow.

"Jacob" won't go to town tomorrow.
--> It isn't Jacob who will go to town tomorrow, maybe Peter wants to.
Jacob "won't" go to town tomorrow.
--> Jacob won't go anywhere.
Jacob won't "go" to town tomorrow.
--> He will certainly take the train.
Jacob won't go "to town" tomorrow.
--> He will go to the farm.
Jacob won't go to town "tomorrow".
--> He will go today.


Well, this is a bit confusing -> maybe one of the teachers can help you out better...