Talk:not

Thanks for all the work you've been doing - I really enjoy reading your contributions. But please don't use the heading "None". I'd rather you put "Noun or Adjective" or something that sounds vague. "None" makes it sound like it belongs to no part-of-speech. &mdash; Hippietrail 14:33, 23 Apr 2004 (UTC)


 * Thank about correction before copy-pasting it more.. :) -- Aulis Eskola

"I believe not"
I removed this as an example of the meaning "Negates the meaning of the modified verb.". This is NOT "not" acting as a simple negation marker. Rather, this is a distinct pattern that warrants its own meaning in my opinion for a few verbs, namely "believe", "think", "afraid", and maybe "fear". Think about it -- when you say "I am afraid not", you ARE afraid, you are afraid that the answer is no. Similar with "believe" and "think". The analogous construction in Spanish for "I believe not" represents this clearly, "Creo que no" -- literally "I believe that no." When you say "I believe not", you DO believe something in modern English -- that the answer is no.


 * This is another instance that can be compared to the difference between I want not to and I do not want to.
 * "I believe not" can be interpreted in multiple ways:
 * (poetic/dated) I do not have such belief or I do not believe.  — compare to dated/poetic imperative usage Example:  "Do you have faith in a God?"  "No.  I believe not."
 * I believe that [the assertion] is not true or I believe that the answer is "no".  Examples:  "I heard that Sandra will be arriving today, is that right?"  "I believe not."  or "Is Sandra arriving today?"  "I believe not."
 * Could these examples alternatively be explained as I do not believe that [the assertion] is true or I do not believe that the answer is "yes"? I think those readings are less apt (as the OP indicated too).  This can be illustrated by use of a different adverb.  Example:  "How does an aardvark move?"  "I believe slowly." — slowly is evidently not modifying the explicit verb (believe) but rather the implicit, ellipted verb (move).
 * —DIV (1.129.111.153 13:50, 17 May 2024 (UTC))

About that imperative rule.
In the usage notes it says: "In the imperative, all verbs, including be, take do not. Don't do that. Don't be silly. (not *Be not silly.)" This is troubling me because I am constantly encountering verses which say the opposite: Be not confident in a plaine way.(Ecclesiasticus 32 ,21) And the Angel of the Lord said vnto Elijah, Goe downe with him, be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went downe with him vnto the king. (Kings 2, 1:15) But be not thou farre from mee, O Lord; O my strength, hast thee to helpe me. (Kings 2, 19:6) And Isaiah said vnto them, Thus shal ye say to your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the wordes which thou hast heard, with which the seruants of the king of Assyria haue blasphemed me. (Psalms 22:19) Hitherto I have not found any grammarian who says something about this. Do anyone know about this usage? L.T.G (talk) 12:21, 24 August 2017 (UTC)
 * Yes. It's 400 years old. It's what they said in Middle English. --46.226.49.236 12:03, 24 August 2017 (UTC)

Actually it is early modern English, just like Shakespeare's writing. So it is not Middle English. L.T.G (talk) 12:21, 24 August 2017 (UTC) I wrote this to show that this usage was part of a relatively close early modern English, and thus is to be mention at least as archaic or obsolete usage. By the way, this negation without do-support occurs with regular verbs also: 	Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17) Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? (Ecclesiastes 5:6) Since these quotes are from the standard text of 1769, which is clearly not Middle English, it will not be harmful to mention this in parentheses or something, but I am not sure. Should we mention this? L.T.G (talk) 21:30, 24 August 2017 (UTC)


 * Could additionally be marked as poetic usage. Example: Seek Not My Heart.  —DIV (1.129.111.153 13:29, 17 May 2024 (UTC))

Not to..., but
What meaning is used in not to sound like a total douche, but there's a spring in my step ? --Backinstadiums (talk) 17:44, 29 November 2019 (UTC)

-n't may have either “high attachment” or “low attachment”, depending primarily on the verb
-n't reads: "it may have either “high attachment” or “low attachment”, depending primarily on the verb". Isn't this true also of not? --Backinstadiums (talk) 11:58, 22 February 2020 (UTC)

n't
How's its contraction n't pronounced? --Backinstadiums (talk) 12:33, 2 July 2020 (UTC)


 * Correct way to ask this question is to put the "rfp" (request for pronunciation) template on the page. Equinox ◑ 13:31, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

[~ + "a/one" + noun]
(used before a singular count noun) not even one (expressing emphasis about the lack of something): [~ + a/one + noun] ''He had not a penny Not a single missile got through. Not one student could.'' https://www.wordreference.com/definition/not --Backinstadiums (talk) 11:24, 27 July 2020 (UTC)

not even
Even less than She was standing not three feet in front of me --Backinstadiums (talk) 16:15, 26 November 2020 (UTC)

yes-no question
[https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/questions-yes-no-questions-are-you-feeling-cold We form negative yes-no questions with not. We usually use the contraction n’t. If we use not in its full form, the question sounds very formal] --Backinstadiums (talk) 09:37, 3 February 2021 (UTC)

auxiliary + not + subject
When using the full form not, the order auxiliary + subject (s) + not is more common than auxiliary + not + subject: [the very formal Is not that the oldest building on this street?] --Backinstadiums (talk) 09:40, 3 February 2021 (UTC)

notta
As in Musta Notta Gotta Lotta --Backinstadiums (talk) 14:16, 10 May 2021 (UTC)
 * And private roads named Notta Way as a more clever and perhaps more polite alternative to a big rude KEEP OUT sign. But Im ambivalent on whether this really is a standalone word, since it can stand for not have (your example) or not a (mine).  — Soap — 19:32, 11 March 2023 (UTC)

We shall be not sorry though the man die tonight
Is not here modifyig shall or be ? --Backinstadiums (talk) 10:06, 29 May 2021 (UTC)


 * I would vote for be, purely based on positioning. BTW, if you really want to be comprehensive, then you also have to consider the possibility that it is modifying sorry.  I can't see a difference in meaning either way, so to be definitive I think you'd need to find a phrase in which the options would imbue the phrase with different meanings.  —DIV (1.129.111.153 13:59, 17 May 2024 (UTC))

RFV discussion: June 2021
The obsolete contraction for "ne wot" (not to know). The given citation is from Chaucer and should therefore be under Middle English, not modern. (It also appears to use the spelling "noot".) Equinox ◑ 10:44, 19 June 2021 (UTC)
 * Moved to . Leasnam (talk) 22:13, 21 June 2021 (UTC)

Usage note
I wanted not to go (Note the difference between this and I didn't want to go, where want is the verb being negated) Any difference in meaning ? --Backinstadiums (talk) 18:03, 24 August 2021 (UTC)


 * Yes, the meanings are distinctly different.
 * "I wanted not to go to the party" = I actively desired to avoid the party
 * "I didn't want to go to the party" = I didn't have a (moderate) desire to attend the party.
 * This could (often) mean the person wants to avoid the party: e.g., "I didn't want to go to the party, because I was afraid the bullies there would beat me up!"  In that case, the intended meaning would align with the literal meaning of "I wanted not to go to the party".
 * This could (sometimes) mean the person is not inherently against attending the party, but it isn't their highest preference: e.g., "I didn't want to go to the party, because the Scorpions were playing the Snakes in the semifinal that night, and I preferred to watch the match live."  Or, "I didn't want to go to the party, because it had been a long day and I was comfortable just sitting on the couch at home.  I just couldn't really be bothered driving there."
 * This could (occasionally) mean the person was indifferent to attending the party, or hadn't sought to go: e.g., "I didn't want to go to the party.  What I mean is, I didn't end up at the party because I wanted to go:  I had fallen asleep in the car after the movie, and my friends decided to drive to the party.  But I didn't really mind one way or the other; it was fine with me."  This may be more common in other contexts.  E.g., suppose a referee is challenged about the way that they'd tossed a coin:  "I didn't want the coin to come down 'heads';  for that matter, I didn't want the coin to come down 'tails' either.  I just flipped it high up in the air, and the outcome was pure chance.  Don't blame me!"
 * This could (rarely) mean the person intensely desires to attend the party: e.g., "I didn't [merely] want to go to the party, I was craving to go to the party!  I was burning up with anticipation.  This was to be my Big Night where I hoped to finally hook up with you-know-who."  Off topic:  shouldn't this be you-know-whom???
 * The difference is akin to
 * "You cannot go" = "You are unable to go" = Attendance is not possible; only absence is possible.
 * "You can not go" = "You are able to not go" = Absence is possible; attendance is not disallowed.
 * —DIV (1.129.111.153 14:11, 14 May 2024 (UTC))

not very = not at all
I'm not very (= not at all) impressed. --Backinstadiums (talk) 17:14, 29 August 2021 (UTC)

Only before short adjectives
You can make a positive statement by using not in front of an adjective that already has egative meaning. When you use a and a short adjective in statements like these, you put not in front of a. With long adjectives, you can put not either in front of a or after it. It's not a bad idea. https://www.wordreference.com/EnglishUsage/not --Backinstadiums (talk) 16:23, 2 September 2021 (UTC)