English Negatives & Not Quiz
Do you know when to use not, no, never, neither and nor in English? Test negative sentence forms, double negatives and negative prefixes across 20 practical multiple-choice questions.
Start the Quiz →What This Quiz Covers
Negation in English is more complex than it first appears. While the basic rule is simple — add not after the auxiliary verb — there are numerous patterns, distinctions and potential errors that trip up learners from A2 to B2 level. This quiz tests your ability to select the correct negative form across a wide range of sentence types and structures.
The 20 items cover: forming simple negatives with do not/don't, does not/doesn't, did not/didn't; negating be, modal verbs (cannot, mustn't, shouldn't), and the present perfect (haven't/hasn't); the difference between not (negates the verb), no (negates a noun phrase), and never (frequency adverb); double negatives and why they are non-standard in English; neither…nor and not…either structures; negative prefixes (un-, in-, dis-, im-, ir-, il-); and short negative responses in conversation (No, it isn't. / Neither do I. / Nor have we.).
What You Will Learn
- The rule for adding not to auxiliary verbs and the contracted forms used in informal speech and writing.
- How to distinguish between I don't have any money (verb negated with not + any) and I have no money (noun phrase negated directly with no) — both correct, but stylistically different.
- Why English does not use double negatives in standard usage: I don't know nothing is non-standard; I don't know anything or I know nothing are both correct alternatives.
- The neither…nor structure for negating two alternatives and the agreement rules it triggers with the verb.
- Common negative prefixes — un- (unhappy), in- (incorrect), im- (impossible), ir- (irresponsible), il- (illegal), dis- (dishonest) — and how to choose the right one for a given root word.
How to Prepare
A quick review of negative patterns in different tenses will help before you take the quiz. Write one negative sentence in each tense you know (present simple, past simple, present perfect, future, conditional) to confirm you can form them correctly. Then review negative prefixes: look at a list and notice which roots take which prefix — there are patterns based on initial sounds that make them easier to predict.
Practise further with the Complete the Sentence exercise and the English Questions Quiz, which covers the closely related topic of auxiliary verb inversion. Together, negatives and questions form the backbone of English sentence structure that all intermediate learners must master.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Place not directly after the auxiliary verb: She is not ready. / They do not agree. / He has not arrived. In informal speech and writing, use contractions: isn't, don't, hasn't. If there is no auxiliary in the positive sentence, add do/does (present simple) or did (past simple) and then not: She likes it → She does not like it. For the verb be, no do/does is needed: He is late → He is not late.
Not is used to negate a verb: I do not understand. No is used directly before a noun (without an article) to negate the noun phrase as a whole: I have no time. There is no reason to worry. Both I don't have any money and I have no money are correct and mean the same thing — but no before the noun often sounds more emphatic or formal. No cannot replace not before a verb: I no understand is incorrect.
Double negatives — using two negative elements in the same clause — are considered non-standard in modern standard British and American English. I don't know nothing is heard in some dialects but avoided in formal writing and exams. Instead, use either: I don't know anything (verb negated + any- word) or I know nothing (positive verb + no- word). The rule is: one negative per clause. Using not…any or a single no/never/nobody/nothing are both grammatically standard.
Never is a frequency adverb meaning "at no time" or "not at any time". It already contains a negative meaning, so it does not combine with not: I never eat meat (correct) / I don't never eat meat (double negative — incorrect in standard English). Not negates a specific verb in a specific instance. Never makes a generalisation about all occasions. Placement: never usually goes before the main verb but after auxiliary verbs: She has never been abroad. / He never arrives on time.
Neither…nor negates two alternatives simultaneously: Neither Tom nor Mary was at the party. It is the negative equivalent of either…or. Agreement: when both subjects joined by neither…nor are singular, the verb is singular. When one subject is plural, the verb agrees with the subject closer to it: Neither the teacher nor the students were happy. Do not use not with neither…nor — the structure is already negative. Also correct: I can't speak Spanish. Neither can I. / Nor can I.
The most common negative prefixes are: un- (unhappy, unlikely, uncomfortable, undo), in- (incorrect, invisible, incomplete), im- before roots starting with m or p (impossible, impolite, immature), ir- before roots starting with r (irresponsible, irregular, irrational), il- before roots starting with l (illegal, illogical, illiterate), dis- (dishonest, disagree, disorganised), non- (non-stop, non-profit), and mis- (misunderstand, misspell — meaning "wrongly" rather than "not"). Each prefix must be learned with its set of root words as the patterns are not perfectly regular.
Place not directly after the modal: cannot/can't, must not/mustn't, should not/shouldn't, will not/won't, would not/wouldn't, could not/couldn't, might not/mightn't. Note that mustn't and don't have to have very different meanings: mustn't = prohibition (it is forbidden), while don't have to = no obligation (it is not necessary but not forbidden). This is a common source of errors, particularly for learners whose first language uses a single negative modal for both meanings.
Use short answers with the auxiliary: Are you coming? No, I'm not. / Does she know? No, she doesn't. / Have they arrived? No, they haven't. To agree with a negative statement, use Neither + auxiliary + subject or Nor + auxiliary + subject: "I don't like jazz." "Neither do I." / "Nor do I." Avoid the common error of saying "Me neither" in formal contexts — use "Neither do I" instead, which is grammatically complete and appropriate for written English and exams.
When the verb is negated with not, the quantifiers in the sentence change from some- words to any- words: some → any, someone → anyone, something → anything, somewhere → anywhere, sometimes → ever/anytime. For example: I have some time (positive) → I don't have any time (negative). The alternative is to use no- words with a positive verb: I have no time. Nobody came. Nothing happened. I went nowhere. Both patterns are correct; the no- word pattern is often more emphatic.
Yes. Negative structures appear throughout IELTS and Cambridge exams. In IELTS Listening, negated statements in recordings are a common trick to confuse listeners who miss the negative word. In Writing, accurate use of negation — especially neither…nor, negative prefixes and the mustn't vs don't have to distinction — contributes to grammatical range and accuracy. In Speaking, using negative forms fluently and naturally — including short responses like Neither do I — demonstrates grammatical control at B2–C1 level.