By Verbs, Negations

Just to expand a bit on temico's reply - it's the "did" portion of the verb that gets inverted with the subject to form a question, and also links with "not" to form a negation. So we say: Did you eat breakfast? I didn't eat breakfast. (NOT "ate you breakfast?" "I ate not...

In English you can say "I eat breakfast every morning". When you ask it to somebody, you say "Do you eat breakfast every morning?". Here "do" is an auxiliary verb used for question and negation. When you talk about a past event of eating breakfast, you say "I ate breakfast this morning". When you...

The whole thing is mine. No quotes. To expand: According to many linguists, a sentence with a modal actually splits into two parts - the modality and the proposition. Sometimes the word "residue" is used instead of "proposition". "The neighbors may want this old refrigerator." The modality...

Hello again Mr.pedantic 'absence of reason' is this a definition via negation, hence without any pragmatic value?

"kempt" is an old past tense and past participle form of the verb "to comb". The noun 'comb' has originally been "kamb", a verb "kambjan" has been derived. The "j" caused Umlaut a--->e, the Old English form of the verb became 'kemban', pt and pp: 'kempt'. Later on 'kemban' was replaced by the...

This is a problem of messing-up "need" which is a) a full verb and b) a modal helping verb. a) As a full verb, "need" means "require, lack sth" or also "have to". In this case, need conjugates like all the other 'normal' verbs: 3rd person singular with -s, followed by an infinitive with "to",...

I agree: "I had not time..." Is somewhat archaic, but with the negation adverb abridged: "I hadn't time..." Still sounds okay to me. Would like your opinion on this Mr.P NON C

The use of the interrogative negative requests confirmation of the speaker's expectations. So, sentences such as: "Is it not heavy?" " Don´t you leave in Madrid?" Are in reality synthesis for: "I think it must be heavy, is it" " I expect you to live in Madrid, do you?" It...

I see. By the way, This is called 'transferred negation', Taka, and is common with verbs of opinion (think, believe, appear, seem, expect, etc.) So it is not a matter of the modal, or of any particular verb in the subordinate clause, but a matter of the verb in the main clause. Yes, I know...

I think I did with my last post, but 'yes', Taka. The negation is simply transferred to the main verb. There is no change in the meaning, and both are acceptable; it is just that transferring the negation is very common, and so might be considered more 'natural'.