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Syntactic Theory

The Negative Marker Not

• Can follow a finite auxiliary to negate a sentence, but not a finite verb.
  1. I should not have said that.
  2. * I not slept well last night.
• Can precede any major phrase for so-called constituent negation.
  1. NP: Pat read not [NP: this book] but the other one.
  2. VP: Chris is likely not [VP: to get the scholarship]
  3. PP: Sandy put the book not [PP: on the shelf] but next to it.
• Forms: not, n't (when cliticised to an auxiliary)

Categories: Glossary