Sentences in English in the affirmative form. English sentences: affirmative, negative sentences, questions in English

As has already been clarified, each sentence has a modality, i.e., the relation of the expressed thought to reality is always expressed in the sentence. This attitude is most clearly manifested in the affirmation and denial of the connection between the subject of speech and its attribute.

Affirmative sentences are those in which the connection between the subject of speech and its attribute is conveyed as existing, or the existence of an independent attribute is affirmed, or the existence of the object is reported.

For example: 1) The lights from the star float towards the star (Oshanin); 2) Fog again struck at night (Paustovsky); 3) Dewy evening coolness (Surkov).

Negative sentences are those in which the connection between the subject of speech and its attribute is denied, or the existence of an independent attribute, the existence of the object, is denied.

For example: 1) Poetry is not subject to planning (Prishvin); 2) Motherland, in the spiritual arsenal There are no shrines more sacred than you (Smirnov); 3) It was impossible to even think about the journey (Dostoevsky); 4) Now the painted sea could not be distinguished from the real one (Kataev).

As can be seen from the examples, the grammatical indicator of affirmative sentences is the absence of a negative particle not, there are no negative words, it is impossible, it is impossible. The presence of a particle not or the indicated words is an indicator of a negative sentence. All the above negative sentences contain complete negation, since they deny the feature called the predicate. Such sentences are called general negative.

Sometimes a generally negative type of sentence is formed by a particle neither or a union neither ... nor: 1) There is not a soul around here (Kazakevich); 2) No rain, no clouds with hail (Shesterikov). Such constructions are correlated with impersonal negative sentences in which the predicate is expressed by the word no: 1) There is not a soul around here; 2) There is neither rain nor clouds with hail. The particle neither, the union neither ... nor reinforce the negation.

Particularly negative sentences do not contain complete, but partial negation, which is expressed by using the particle not before any member of the sentence, except for the predicate: 1) It’s not the wind that rages over the forest, It’s not the streams that ran from the mountains ... (Nekrasov); 2) Such a sun does not always exist! (Zharov).

The particle is not sometimes used in affirmative sentences.

1. If there are two negatives in the predicate:

1) The breadth of his views could not but amaze me (Gorky);

2) It was impossible not to recognize him as good well-mannered person(Turgenev).

2. In exclamatory sentences with pronominal words who, what, what, like, etc.: I) Who does not consider them monsters of the human race! .. (Pushkin); 2) And what tests await them ahead! (Bondarev); 3. In interrogative sentences with a particle whether: Shall I give you drops? do you need peace? (Griboyedov).

Finally, it should be noted that in some cases, even without a particle, non-sentences have a negative meaning, for example, interrogative-rhetorical ones: What can be a mile of priceless native land? (languages).

From the point of view of the purpose of the statement in English language just like in Russian, you can form different types statements. English sentences are divided into declarative (affirmative and negative), interrogative (questions in English), exclamatory sentences and phrases in the imperative mood. To compose each of these types of sentences, there is a strict grammatical algorithm that must be observed, otherwise the construction of the structure will be incorrect. You can start with the most common affirmative sentences.

The order of constructing an affirmative sentence

Affirmative sentence (that's what this type is called) does not require any special particles in its formation. The main thing is to follow the standard order that is characteristic of the English language. To compose an affirmative sentence means to arrange the members of the sentence according to a certain scheme: subject, predicate and all other secondary members. It is worth remembering that some temporary forms (for example, Perfect or Future) have auxiliary verbs that are part of the predicate structure, which should also be used after the subject:

He has eaten too much today, it's time to stop - He ate too much today, it's time to stop
Alex will come in a few days, I suppose - Alex will come in a few days, I suppose

Note: when forming statements, there is an unspoken rule to use circumstances in a certain order: first adverbs of place, and then time. Sometimes this order may change, but these are the conditions for the author's expressiveness:
Sally went (1) to Scotland (2) last week - Sally went to Scotland last week

It is worth saying that simple English sentences that emphasize a statement and end with a dot at the end are called declarative sentences.

Negative sentences

Negative sentences in English are mostly formed in a standard way: the negative particle not comes to the rescue, which is placed either after the auxiliary tense verb or after the verb to be. It's no secret that the negative form of the verb to be is a construction that can be shortened, for example, is not = isn't, will not = won't, etc.

However, the not particle is not the only way to form a negative sentence. In general, in English, in addition to the particle not, there are several more methods for constructing negative sentences, namely:

adverbs that carry a negative meaning (both directly and indirectly) - nowhere, never, hardly/scarcely, seldom/rarely, etc.;
negative pronouns - nobody, nothing, no one, etc.;
negative prefixes (ir-, il-, un-, dis-, mis-, etc.) and the suffix –less.

Note: There cannot be two negatives in an English sentence! If such a situation is possible in Russian, then in English this cannot be allowed, it is necessary to convey a negative meaning differently, and sometimes this can be done in several ways:

I didn’t see anyone yesterday - 1. I did not anybody yesterday 2. I saw nobody yesterday

The negative form in English is possible even in an interrogative sentence, but this will be discussed a little further.

Types of interrogative sentences in English

It is important to remember that there is no single rule for composing questions in English, since there are six varieties of such sentences in total, and each of them is formed differently from the other.

Rule for the formation of a general question

A general question in English is a question that begins either with an auxiliary verb (have/has, do/does, did, etc.) or with desired shape(will get rid of doubts about the formation of certain temporary forms). Distinctive feature General questions - the answer to them can be the words "yes" or "no", that is, the person asking the question asks for some general information.

General questions in English are quite popular and, as a rule, do not carry much difficulty in education. The word order in the General question is special, as in almost all other sentences with a question. The answer to the question of how to ask a general question is quite simple: the verb to be or another auxiliary verb must be followed by the subject, and already after it the rest of the sentence structure:

· Does he appreciate his new job? - He appreciates his new job?
Have they already eaten donuts? Have they already eaten donuts?
Is she really as beautiful as they say? Is she really as beautiful as they say?

Special question features

A special question in English is so called because it puts a special interrogative word in the first place - when, how, where, why, etc. This is the main difference between Special questions and General questions, since the question word is followed by the same word order as general issues: in the first place is one of the auxiliary verbs, then the subject, and after it the secondary members of the sentence. In English, special questions have the following structure:

When did you return from Berlin? – When did you return from Berlin?
Why is he so lazy? Why is he so lazy?

With the exception of the beginning, the scheme of the special question completely repeats the general one and usually also does not cause difficulties for language learners.

English subject question

The question to the subject in English is considered by many to be the simplest in terms of education, and there is a fairly logical explanation for this. Such questions are somewhat reminiscent of special questions, but here the main interrogative words are who and what (hence the name). Questions are formed with who and what in an elementary way: a simple affirmative form with a subject at the beginning of the sentence changes very slightly and just who is put in place of the main member of the sentence (for animate nouns) or what (for inanimate), and that completes the transformation. Here are examples of how similar questions in English are formed:

Emily is the best cook in the world - Who is the best cook in the world?
· His work has influenced him greatly – What has influenced him greatly?

Do not confuse special questions in English with questions to the subject, since no auxiliary verbs need to be used here.

Note: There is a rule that allows what to be used with inanimate nouns. Translation of the phrase "What are you?" - "Who are you by occupation?" ("Who are you?" - "Who are you?", the name is implied).

Alternative question

An alternative question in English, in terms of the way it is formed, resembles a general one, but there is one nuance here. That is why it is called alternative, because the person who asks such a question does not just want to hear “yes” or “no” in the answer, but clarifies something, choosing from two objects, qualities, actions. These actions or objects are separated by an or particle, which introduces an alternative. These questions look like this:

Does he like meat or fish? Does he like meat or fish?
Will you come tomorrow or the day after tomorrow? Are you coming tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?

Conditions for the formation of a disjunctive question

These questions have several names: Disjunctive questions, Tag questions, and sometimes people simply refer to them as questions with a tail. Their essence is to ask again, clarify, interest the interlocutor. Separating questions are formed in English (this is their most common name in Russian) not quite usually: the main part is affirmative, and the whole question is enclosed in the so-called tail. Moreover, if there is no negation in the main part of the sentence, then it will appear in the tail, and vice versa. At the end, there should be the auxiliary verb that corresponds in time to the main part, and the subject should follow it. In fact, there is nothing complicated here:

· They are coming in a week, aren't they? They're coming in a week, aren't they?
She hasn't completed her task, has she? She hasn't finished her task yet, has she?

Note: in imperative sentences, the formation of such a question is non-standard:

Let's finish this work, shall we? Let's finish this job, okay?
Go and bring me my money, will you? “Go and get me my money, okay?

indirect questions

There is another type of question - indirect. To understand how to ask such questions, it is worth remembering that they are relevant, as their name implies, in indirect speech, when it is necessary to convey the words of the author. Here the union if appears, and the word order must be direct, since the sentence from the interrogative becomes narrative:

He worried if he will stay alive - He was worried if he would stay alive
I wonder if you want to come - I wonder if you want to come

Interrogative-negative sentences

Absolutely any tense can form the so-called interrogative-negative sentences in English. This means that both the question and the negation are included in the structure of the sentence, and from a grammatical point of view, this is quite acceptable. Such negative questions are translated in English using the constructions “Really?”, “Is not?”:

Didn't you find your book there? Didn't you find your book there?
Hadn't Jack finished his work before I called? Didn't Jack finish the job before I called?

Imperative sentences in English

Classification of sentences in English implies the presence of another type of sentence in addition to the above - these are imperative sentences, that is, imperative. Such structures are easy to form: the infinitive without the to particle is put in the first place, and, to put it even more simply, this is just the first form of the verb. Such sentences are used in the case when you need to give an order, ask for something, call for action, etc.:

Send me a letter as soon as you get there - Send me a letter as soon as you get there
Leave the room right now! “Get out of the room right now!”

Exclamatory sentences in English

Exclamatory sentences are designed to show emotions, and they are called exclamatory sentences. They often start with the word what and are used with an exclamation mark at the end:

What a catching story! - What a fascinating story!
What a shame! - What a shame!

All these types of sentences are actively used in the English language, and knowing how they are formed, it will be much easier to use them in your speech, and the language itself will become richer and more beautiful, because there will be much more ways to express certain emotions or thoughts.

Propositions affirmative and negative

The division of sentences into affirmative and negative is connected with the content of the relations of reality expressed in them.

The affirmative or negative nature of the sentences is a reflection of the relationship between the phenomena of reality.

Thus the sentences are called affirmative, if they contain connection between objects and their attributes in reality, and negative if they have this connection denied. Opposition according to the principle of affirmativeness - negativity purely semantic. It is not a reflection of the opposition according to the principle of real and unreal modality, but only superimposed on the meaning of objective modality expressed in the sentence. Both affirmative and negative sentences can have both real and unreal modality.

category of negation related to sentence structure, it can be structurally significant. O structural role of negation evidenced by the opposition of some types of sentences: when translating an affirmative sentence into a negative one, its structural type may change. In other cases, the category of negation does not affect the structure of the sentence.

Grammatically, negation is usually expressed by the particle not, and the assertion is its absence.

Denial can be full and partial.Complete negation is achieved by setting particlesnot before the predicate, such a proposal is called generally negative.

Particlenot in front of other members of the sentence expresses partial negation. Such proposals are called private negative, since as a whole they conclude the assertion.

Does not deprive the sentence of the general affirmative meaning and the negation worth before the subject, For example: I will not see your mighty late age ... (P.).

In this way, the category of negation is directly related to the category of predicability:“It is only the negation that stands with the predicate that makes the whole statement negative, while the negation that stands with any other member does not shake the general affirmative meaning of the statement”.

However, the particle not even with a predicate, it does not always serve as a sign of a negative sentence.

Sentence loses its negative meaning,

Firstly, when repeating a particlenot ; For example;

Secondly, when the particle acquires no other shades of meaning:

assumptions-Searched the world, don't you want to get married? (Gr.);

generalizations-Who hasn't cursed the stationmasters? (P.);

concerns-Whatever happens! (Ch.);

approval-Well, why not work!;

need-How can I not cry!

can act as a negative particle. particleneither , introducing an additional amplifying connotation of meaning:Not a soul in the living room (Ch.).

Particle neither on repetition functions as a union:He himself is neither rich, nor noble, nor smart (T.). Word neither here corresponds to the combination and not(connective union and negation).

Reinforcement of denial also achieved with negative pronouns and adverbs:Nothing foreshadowed bad weather (Ars.); The boy never got sick and never caught a cold (Inb.).

Particle neither does not always express a negative meaning: it can act and only as an intensifying particle when conveying an affirmative meaning. This is typical for parts of a complex sentence that have concessive connotation values: But no matter how the girls all over the world say, everything becomes sweet in their mouths (Fad.).

grammatical feature negative sentence can serve as a special negative wordNo , performing the function predicate in an impersonal sentence:There is no beast stronger than a cat (Kr.); He has no equal river in the world (G.).

Finally, negation can be expressed without the participation of special lexical means - with the help of intonation,word order,some emotional particles. Such constructions are characteristic of the colloquial style, accompanied by subjective-modal meanings. They are always expressive. For instance: So I'll be waiting for you! I also found a commander!

The position of A.M. Peshkovsky on the connection between the category of negation and predicability and his division of sentences accordingly into general negative and particular negative applicable specifically to the sentence as a unit of language, since it is the predicate that is the carrier of the main grammatical meanings of the sentence - modality and syntactic time. However, the same the category of negation at the level of the utterance, i.e. units of speech, manifests itself somewhat differently.

When a sentence (statement) is considered from the point of view of communicative needs (i.e. in speech), any component, and not just a predicate predicate, can become its center, since the statement is divided according to a different principle: into something given and new, reported on this given.

For example: offer Students went to practice from the point of view of communicative significance, it can include three messages:

students (and not anyone else) let's go to practice;

studentsgo (rather than going, say, on foot) to practice;

Students wentfor practice (not rest).

The component of the utterance, which is emphasized in each case, carries the new, i.e. the purpose of the message. If, according to this division, negative constructions are constructed, then the particle does not need to be placed just in front of these components:

Not students went to practice;

studentsdidn't go for practice;

Students wentnot for practice .

Logical stress in such cases accompanies the word form in which there is negation. This component contains the message center, ie. that for which the statement is made. In this case, the question of particular and general negation is removed.

Proposals are affirmative and negative.

In the semantics of PP, the most significant is the opposition of affirmation and negation. This division is connected with the nature of the relationship between the content of the proposal (reported) and reality. Correlating the reported (ᴛ.ᴇ. some sign) with reality, the speaker, based on the nature of the relationship of the reported to reality, either asserts the presence of the declared attribute in the object or in general in reality, or denies it. Sentence The patient visited the doctor denotes a real situation. The speaker claims that what is reported about the patient (sign - action visited) really refers to him, belongs to him, insofar as it corresponds to reality. Τᴀᴋᴎᴍ ᴏϬᴩᴀᴈᴏᴍ, S (P) - P (S). The proposal is affirmative. .Single-part proposal It's frosty outside the window is also affirmative, since the presence of an expressed feature is also affirmed here .

Denial of belonging of a feature to an object, most often expressed with the help of particles not and nor, makes negative sentences. Wed: The patient did not visit the doctor. Thus, the characteristics of this proposal coincide with the characteristics of the first 7 points. At the same time, the presence of a sign in the subject is not affirmed here, but, on the contrary, the existence of this relationship S (P) ≠ P (S) is denied. This is a negative suggestion.

The meaning of negation is usually expressed with the help of negative words, which are a structural feature, an indicator of a negative sentence. Absence of negative words - structural feature affirmative offer. The grammatical expressions of negation are: 1) negative particles ( I didn't sleep all night. Not a soul on the street.); 2) word no (He has no aptitude for languages.); 3) negative pronouns and adverbs, words of the state category, acting as the main member of a one-part sentence (I have nowhere else to hurry, I have no one else to love... You can't stay here).

Negative sentences are divided into general negative and particular negative.

In general negative sentences, the presence of a predicative feature in the subject is denied. In private negative sentences, negation to any member of the sentence (main or secondary). The patient did not come to the doctor. Not sick came to the doctor.

It should be noted that not always structural and formal features simple sentence(presence - absence of negative words) testifies to the corresponding semantics of negation or affirmation. So, affirmative sentences are sentences 1) in which, with the predicate, there are two negations ( He couldn't help but laugh.); 2) interrogative-affirmative sentences (What Russian doesn't like to drive fast?). On the contrary, interrogative-negative sentences should be recognized as negative, where there are no negative words (What hope! What is there to hope for?).

Proposals are affirmative and negative. - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Affirmative and negative proposals." 2017, 2018.