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Unusual negatives?
Message de tidus posté le 03-10-2008 à 18:17:15 (S | E | F)
Why is it right to say "It matters not" or "she/he loves me not"?
Can anyone give me further explanations,please?
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Modifié par tidus le 03-10-2008 20:51
Message de tidus posté le 03-10-2008 à 18:17:15 (S | E | F)
Why is it right to say "It matters not" or "she/he loves me not"?
Can anyone give me further explanations,please?
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Modifié par tidus le 03-10-2008 20:51
Réponse: Unusual negatives? de TravisKidd, postée le 03-10-2008 à 19:34:27 (S | E)
It's not right.
It should be "It doesn't matter" and "He/she doesn't love me."
For literary effect the archaic way of forming the negation (putting "not" after the verb) is sometimes used. But this construction is not correct in modern English.
Réponse: Unusual negatives? de tidus, postée le 03-10-2008 à 20:55:44 (S | E)
Thanks for your help
Réponse: Unusual negatives? de cecilward, postée le 19-10-2008 à 16:06:31 (S | E)
As was mentioned earlier, these forms are used for special effect when a speaker wishes to be archaic. Here is an example where an archaisms is preserved in fixed expressions -
"He/She loves me" then "he/she loves me not" - a pair of sayings repeated in tuen by a child when pulling each petal from a daisy (an old game).
But in certain common short-form sentences we use a postposed "not" after a verb
"Should we go with them?"
"I think NOT." - note that this means "I say that we should not go with them"; not "I do not think" (not ="my brain is not working").
This is in alternative to saying "I don't think so", "I don't think we should". etc.
Further examples:
"Have you ever been to Paris?
No, I'm afraid I have not/haven't."
"Have you ever kissed a goat?
No, I certainly have NOT!"
"Is this plane likely to crash?
I certainly hope not."
The latter one does not mean "I do not hope", it means "I hope that it does not crash".
"I suppose we'd better take that dog and see if we can find his owner.
Second thoughts, perhaps (we'd [="we had"]) better not, he's pretty scary-looking."
Notice that the following are ungrammatical
Have you ever been to Paris?
*No, I'm afraid I don't have.
Is this plane likely to crash?
*I certainly don't hope.
