Transformation of Sentences

 Affirmative and Negative Sentences

Rules of transforming Affirmative into Negative Sentences or vice versa:

1. Sentences with ‘only/alone’, changes into ‘none but/nothing but/not more than/not

less than’

Examples:

a. Affirmative: A brave man alone can do this.

Negative: None but a brave man can do this.

b. Affirmative: I need a book only.

Negative: I need nothing but a book.

c. Affirmative: I need ten taka only.

Negative: I don’t need more than ten taka.

2. ‘Must/have to/can’ turns into ‘cannot but’

Examples:

Affirmative: You have to drink clean water.

Negative: You cannot but drink clean water.

3. ‘And/both’ becomes ‘not only ..but also’

Example:

Affirmative: He ate eggs and vegetables.

Negative: He ate not only eggs but also vegetables.

4. ‘Every’ becomes ‘there in no ...but’

Example:

Affirmative: Every mother loves her child.

Negative: There is no mother but loves her child.

Note:

In case of ‘everybody’, an affirmative sentence can also be changed into negative using

‘nobody’ and ‘opposite of verb/adjective’:

Example:

Affirmative: Everybody likes flowers.

Negative: Nobody dislikes flowers.

5. ‘Always’ in affirmative becomes ‘never + opposite word’ in negative statements:

Example:

Affirmative: I am always against of smoking.

Negative: I am never in favour of smoking.

6. Universal truths are changed into ‘interrogative negative sentences’:

Example:

Affirmative: Knowledge is power

Negative: Isn’t knowledge power?

7. Many affirmative can be changed into negative by using negative word ‘Not’ and an

‘opposite word’ of the verb:

Example:

Affirmative: I missed the train.

Negative: I could not catch the train.

8. ‘Sometimes’ in affirmative becomes ‘not always’ in negative:

Example:

Affirmative: The poor are sometimes happy.

Negative: The poor are not always happy.

9. ‘Many’ becomes ‘not a few’:

Example:

Negative: I don’t have many dolls.

Affirmative: I have a few dolls.

10. ‘Too..to’ in affirmative becomes ‘so ... that ...+ cannot + verb’:

Example:

Affirmative: He is too weak to walk.

Negative: He is so weak that he cannot walk.

11. ‘As soon as’ in Affirmative becomes ‘No sooner had...than’ in Negative:

Example:

Affirmative: As soon as he came, the students stood up.

Negative: No sooner had he came than the students stood up.

12. ‘As+ adjective + as’ in affirmative becomes ‘not less + adjective... than’ in negative

sentence:

Example:

Affirmative: Rahim is as good as Karim.

Negative: Rahim is not less good than Karim.

Exceptional:

Affirmative: Where there is smoke, there is fire.

Negative: There can be no smoke without fire.

Affirmative: All must die.

Negative: None can escape death.

Affirmative: I come here for the last time.

Negative: I will never come here again.

Exercise A

Change the sentences into negative:

1. He is honest.

2. I will never forget you.

3. Where there is fire, there is smoke.

4. Jamil is the best student.

5. As soon as the teacher arrived, the noise stopped.

Exercise B

Change the sentences into affirmative:

1. The old man is so weak that he cannot walk.

2. None but the brave deserve the fair.

3. No sooner had I reached the station than the train left.

4. Nobody likes a liar.

5. Not only Rina but also Rahim will go there.

Answer Key

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A

1. He is not dishonest.

2. I will always remember you.

3. There is no fire without smoke.

4. No other student is as good as Jamil.

5. No sooner had the teacher arrived than the noise stopped

B

1. The old man is too weak to walk.

2. Only the brave deserve the fair.

3. As soon as I reached the station, the train left.

4. Everybody dislikes a liar.

5. Both Rina and Rahim will go there.