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Longman Dictionary of Common Errors

Negative I Children School Words Seldom Verb Means

Header Using negative words
Entry
  • Do not use two negative words in a clause. No, nobody, nothing, etc. cannot be used with not, never, hardly, seldom, etc.
    • Nobody could see me. (NOT 'couldn't see')
    Nobody ever asks me for my opinion. (NOT 'never asks')
    I checked the essay for mistakes but couldn't find any. (NOT 'find none')
  • After negative words, you usually use any, anyone, anything, etc. (NOT some, someone, something, etc).
    • I hadn't seen anyone for over a week.
    Nobody is doing anything to help them.

    Follow the same rule if the context has a negative meaning.

    He managed to get on the train without anyone seeing him.
    By six o'clock I am too tired to do anything else.
  • As a general rule, use nobody/nothing etc. with an affirmative verb instead of everybody/everything etc. with a negative verb.
    • Nobody is allowed to wear shoes in the mosque. (NOT 'Everyone isn't')
    None of the children are at school today.

    Compare: 'All the children aren't at school today.' This means that some of the children are at school today, but not all of them.

  • When a sentence begins with never, hardly, seldom, rarely, scarcely, nowhere, no sooner, not only, only when, by no means, under no circumstances, etc. the subject and auxiliary verb change places.
    • No sooner had we arrived than it began to rain.
    Under no circumstances should you wait any longer.
  • When there is no auxiliary verb, use do:
    • Only then did I realize that I was completely alone.
    Rarely do you meet such polite children nowadays.

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