Converting a negative sentence to an interrogative sentence involves changing its structure, primarily by moving the auxiliary or modal verb to the beginning. This conversion can result in either an affirmative interrogative or a negative interrogative, depending on whether the negation ("not") is removed or retained.
Converting a negative sentence into a question requires adjusting word order and sometimes removing the negation. The key steps involve identifying the main verb, any auxiliary or modal verbs, and the word "not".
Understanding Sentence Structure
Before converting, it's helpful to recognise the typical structures:
- Negative Sentence: Subject + Auxiliary/Modal Verb + not + Main Verb (+ Rest of sentence)
- Interrogative Sentence (Affirmative): Auxiliary/Modal Verb + Subject + Main Verb (+ Rest of sentence)?
- Interrogative Sentence (Negative): Auxiliary/Modal Verb + Subject + not + Main Verb (+ Rest of sentence)? OR Auxiliary/Modal Verb + n't + Subject + Main Verb (+ Rest of sentence)?
Method 1: Converting to an Affirmative Interrogative
To form an affirmative interrogative from a negative sentence, you typically:
- Identify the auxiliary or modal verb.
- Move this auxiliary/modal verb to the beginning of the sentence.
- Remove the word "not".
- Place a question mark at the end.
Examples:
- Negative: They are not leaving.
- Auxiliary: are
- Conversion: Move "are" to the front, remove "not".
- Affirmative Interrogative: Are they leaving?
- Negative: She can not sing.
- Modal Verb: can
- Conversion: Move "can" to the front, remove "not".
- Affirmative Interrogative: Can she sing?
- Negative: He did not finish the work. (Here 'did' is the auxiliary for the past simple)
- Auxiliary: did
- Conversion: Move "did" to the front, remove "not". The main verb returns to its base form.
- Affirmative Interrogative: Did he finish the work?
Method 2: Converting to a Negative Interrogative
To form a negative interrogative from a negative sentence, you typically:
- Identify the auxiliary or modal verb.
- Move this auxiliary/modal verb along with the "not" (often contracted as "n't") to the beginning of the sentence.
- Alternatively, move the auxiliary/modal verb to the beginning and place "not" after the subject.
- Place a question mark at the end.
This form is used to ask questions where the speaker expects a positive answer or expresses surprise or mild irritation.
Examples:
- Negative: They are not leaving.
- Auxiliary + not: are not / aren't
- Conversion: Move "aren't" or "are not" to the front.
- Negative Interrogative: Aren't they leaving? OR Are they not leaving?
- Negative: She can not sing.
- Modal Verb + not: can not / can't
- Conversion: Move "can't" or "can not" to the front.
- Negative Interrogative: Can't she sing? OR Can she not sing?
- Negative: He did not finish the work.
- Auxiliary + not: did not / didn't
- Conversion: Move "didn't" or "did not" to the front. The main verb returns to its base form.
- Negative Interrogative: Didn't he finish the work? OR Did he not finish the work?
The Role of "Not" in Negative Interrogatives
When converting a negative sentence to a negative interrogative, the element of negation ("not") is crucial and is retained in the question structure. Regarding the formation of this type of question, it is noted that we add “not” in the sentence and it becomes a negative interrogative sentence. This highlights that the presence of "not" is essential for an interrogative sentence to carry a negative meaning. While the original negative sentence already contains "not", its positioning is adjusted within the new interrogative structure to form the question.
Summary Table
| Starting Sentence | Converted to... | Method | Example (from "He is not ready.") |
|---|---|---|---|
| Negative Sentence | Affirmative Interrogative | Move auxiliary/modal to front, remove "not". | Is he ready? |
| Negative Sentence | Negative Interrogative | Move auxiliary/modal + "not" (or "n't") to front, or place "not" after subject. | Isn't he ready? / Is he not ready? |
Understanding the position and role of the auxiliary or modal verb, and whether to keep or remove "not," are the key steps in transforming negative statements into questions.
