Positive and negative sentences Worksheet Practice Exercises with Answers

Question 1. What are positive sentences?
Answer: Positive sentences are statements that express facts or actions in their standard form, without the word "not". They show what is true or what happens. Examples include: "I will think about it," "Timothy has called her," and "The teacher was listening."
In simple words: A positive sentence tells you something is true or is happening. It doesn't use the word "not".

Exam Tip: Recognize that positive sentences are the base form before negation — they set the condition that will be reversed by adding "not".

Question 2. What are negative sentences?
Answer: Negative sentences are statements that use the word "not" to reverse or deny the meaning of a positive sentence. They show what is not true or what is not happening. Examples include: "I will not think about it," "Timothy has not called her," and "The teacher was not listening."
In simple words: A negative sentence uses "not" to say that something is not true or is not happening.

Exam Tip: The key marker of a negative sentence is the presence of "not" — watch for its placement in relation to the helping verb.

Question 3. Where is "not" placed when a sentence has one helping verb?
Answer: When a sentence has one helping verb, "not" is placed right after the helping verb. Examples: "I am not going there next week," "That phone might not work," and "She has not written to me often." The helping verb comes first, then "not," then the rest of the sentence.
In simple words: Find the helping verb. Put "not" right after it. That's where it belongs.

Exam Tip: Always spot the first helping verb — "not" goes immediately after it, never before it or in any other position.

Question 4. Where is "not" placed when a sentence has more than one helping verb?
Answer: When a sentence has more than one helping verb, "not" is placed after the first helping verb only. Examples: "That phone should not have worked," "She has not been writing to me often," and "Those people should not have been attending the conference." Even though there are multiple helping verbs, the negative word stays in the same spot — right after the first one.
In simple words: Count the helping verbs. Put "not" after the very first one. Skip over any other helping verbs.

Exam Tip: The rule stays constant: "not" always follows the first helping verb, regardless of how many helping verbs the sentence contains.

Quick Tip 53.1

A sentence is made negative by adding "not" after the first helping verb.

Question 5. How do you make sentences negative using the "Test Yourself 53.1" format? Make these sentences negative: (i) Nate has been busy lately (ii) You might ask your father (iii) Interest rates are going up (iv) It could have been a hurricane (v) I will be playing soccer tomorrow
Answer:
(i) Nate has not been busy lately.
(ii) You might not ask your father.
(iii) Interest rates are not going up.
(iv) It could not have been a hurricane.
(v) I will not be playing soccer tomorrow.
In simple words: Find the first helping verb in each sentence. Insert "not" right after it. The rest of the sentence stays the same.

Exam Tip: Check that you've placed "not" after the first helping verb only — don't move it elsewhere in the sentence.

Question 6. How do you make sentences negative when there is no helping verb?
Answer: When a sentence has no helping verb, you must add a form of "do" (do, does, or did) as a helping verb, then place "not" after it. The tense information moves from the main verb to the form of "do". Examples: "She writes to me often" becomes "She does not write to me often," and "I went there last week" becomes "I did not go there last week." The main verb then stays in its base form.
In simple words: If there's no helping verb, add one using a form of "do". Put "not" after it. Move the tense to the "do" verb, and the main verb becomes its simple form.

Exam Tip: The tense always stays with the first verb — when you add "do," the tense goes with "do", not with the main verb.

Question 7. What is the exception to using "do" in negative sentences?
Answer: The verb "be" is an exception. Even when a sentence has no helping verb and only the main verb "be," you do not use a form of "do" to make it negative. Instead, you simply add "not" after the form of "be". Examples: "She is awake now" becomes "She is not awake now," and "The judges were in their chambers" becomes "The judges were not in their chambers."
In simple words: The verb "be" is special. You don't need to add "do" with "be". Just put "not" right after the form of "be".

Exam Tip: Remember that "be" stands alone — it never takes a "do" form in negative sentences, unlike all other main verbs.

Question 8. How do you make sentences negative using the "Test Yourself 53.2" format? Make these sentences negative: (i) This path will lead you to the stable (ii) Frank had been walking for hours (iii) Mr. Clay returned as soon as he could (iv) The principal of this school is thinking about retiring (v) They have a swimming pool
Answer:
(i) This path will not lead you to the stable.
(ii) Frank had not been walking for hours.
(iii) Mr. Clay did not return as soon as he could.
(iv) The principal of this school is not thinking about retiring.
(v) They do not have a swimming pool.
In simple words: For sentences with helping verbs, put "not" after the first helping verb. For sentences without helping verbs, add a form of "do" and then put "not" after it.

Exam Tip: Check each sentence: Does it have a helping verb? If yes, use "not". If no, add a form of "do" before adding "not".

Quick Tip 53.2

In negative sentences, we use a form of "do" as the helping verb if the sentence does not have any other helping verb. Example: He does not like spaghetti.

To Enhance Your Understanding

The verb "do" has several different uses in English:

• As a helping verb: "I did not study."
• As a main verb: "I did it."
• For emphasis: "I did think of it!"