English Verb Operators: Negation, Contraction, and Usage
Verb Operators
Operators are verbs used for clause negation or forming questions (interrogative clauses). To form a negative clause, the negative particle ‘not’ is inserted after the operator. In interrogative clauses, the operator is placed before the subject noun phrase (NP).
Major Categories of Operators
- The first auxiliary verb in the verb phrase (VP):
- Clause negation: He is not listening.
- Question formation: Is he listening?
- The copular ‘be’:
- Clause negation: You’re not serious.
- Question formation: Are you serious?
- The dummy auxiliary verb ‘do’:
- Clause negation: He doesn’t like eating fish.
- Question formation: Where does he live?
In simple present and past tenses when no operator is present, the dummy ‘do’ is inserted to form negative and interrogative clauses: I didn’t buy it. Does it look nice?
Operators Alone
Another function of operators is to omit everything in a clause after the operator, a form of final ellipsis. You’ve been working hard these days. Yes, I have (been working hard).
Negation
Clauses can be positive or negative. To make a clause negative, insert the negative particle ‘not’ or its contraction ‘-n’t’ after the operator.
Types of Clause Negation
- Not-negation: Formed with ‘not’ or ‘-n’t’. The negation is added after the operator. If there is no auxiliary verb and the main verb is not the copula ‘be’, the auxiliary verb ‘do’ has to be inserted as a dummy operator: I remembered it, but I didn’t remember… The negative of interrogatives or imperatives is formed similarly; most interrogative clauses have subject-operator inversion. If ‘not’ is contracted to ‘-n’t’, it is attached to the operator and comes before the subject: Didn’t she say…? If ‘not’ is in its full form, it is placed after the subject: Did she not say…? Negative imperatives with the copula ‘be’ are exceptional because ‘be’ does not serve as the operator for negation; instead, ‘do not’ or ‘don’t’ is inserted before ‘be’: Don’t be…
- No-negation: Formed with other negative words such as ‘no’, ‘nothing’, ‘none’, or by a non-assertive word like ‘any’, ‘either’… Non-assertive words can occur after ‘not’, where they often express the same meaning as no-negation: They had not/didn’t have any. When no-negation and not-negation are both possible, there’s sometimes a slight difference in meaning (statement vs. capability, e.g., She’s not a teacher/ She’s no teacher). Not-negation is more common than no-negation, which is especially rare in conversation but quite common in written registers.
Verb Contraction
Verb contraction occurs with the primary verbs ‘be’ and ‘have’, and also with modals ‘will’ and ‘would’. The contraction ‘’s’ can represent either ‘is’ or ‘has’, and ‘’d’ ‘had’ or ‘would’. The meaning becomes clear from context. Verb contraction needs a preceding “host” in the clause, which is normally a pronoun (I’m, you’d), but could be many other forms like full nouns, wh-words, and ‘there’: How’s, there’s, Lucy’ll. If the host doesn’t exist, there cannot be contraction, e.g., Is that true? *’s that true? Contraction is mostly used in conversation and least in academic writing. Some linguistic factors favor it. In conversation, ‘will’ and ‘be’ are normally contracted, ‘would’ rarely. The contraction ‘’m’ is more common than ‘’s’, ‘’re’. ‘Have’ is more commonly contracted as an auxiliary verb (We’ve got…) than as a main verb (I’ve no idea).
Negative Contraction
Negative contraction occurs when ‘not’ is reduced and attached to a preceding primary verb (as operator) or modal auxiliary verb (isn’t, won’t, can’t, mustn’t). There is no contraction for ‘am not’ (*amn’t).
Negative Contraction Compared with Verb Contraction
Negative contraction and verb contraction cannot co-exist in the same clause. When ‘be’ contraction is possible, it is strongly favored over ‘not’: you’re/you aren’t. In the case of I’m not, we find the marginally acceptable I ain’t or aren’t I. With the verbs ‘have’, ‘will’, and ‘would’, there is a very strong preference for negative contraction: I haven’t.
Aren’t I and Ain’t: Two Rogue Contractions
- Aren’t I: It sometimes substitutes the non-existent *amn’t in conversation.
- Ain’t: It can substitute all negative contractions of ‘be’ or the auxiliary ‘have’: there ain’t/I ain’t.
Use and Non-use of Dummy ‘Do’ in Negation
Six verbs have variation between acting as a lexical verb with dummy ‘do’ and acting as operator themselves.
- Have as a lexical verb: 1. ‘do’ construction: She doesn’t have… 2. ‘have’ as operator: I haven’t a clue (old-fashioned, rarely used).
- The semi-modal ‘have to’: More common as ‘do’-construction: They do not have, than ‘have’ as operator: I hadn’t to go shopping.
- Need and dare (can function as modal auxiliary or like main verb). In auxiliary use, they function as the operator for negation as in 2. 1. ‘do’-construction: They do not need… 2. auxiliary construction: need not or daren’t.
- Used to and ought to (rare negative contractions: usedn’t and oughtn’t). 1. ‘do’-construction: didn’t. 2. auxiliary construction: used not, oughtn’t to.
Multiple Negation
When more than one negative word occurs in the same clause, we find:
- Dependent multiple negation: Generally considered non-standard: You never thought nothing of her. There ain’t nothing…
- Independent multiple negation (considered standard): Negations are not integrated into the same clause: No, not tomorrow / You can’t not eat.