Unit 85: Negatives

Level: A2
Coursebook Series: English Mastery

? Can-do Objective: I can identify and use negative words correctly in sentences and avoid using double negatives.

[IMAGE GENERATION PROMPT: A clean, modern classroom environment with a teacher pointing to a white board showing the distinction between single negative structures and incorrect double negative sentences.]

? Vocabulary Focus

Study the essential negative words below. Pay close attention to their Parts of Speech (Từ loại) and how they modify or replace elements in sentences.

Word & POS Definition & Translation Contextual Example
no
adjective		 not any
không		 There is no milk in the refrigerator.
barely
adverb		 hardly or scarcely
hầu như không		 I can barely hear the music from here.
nowhere
adverb		 not in or at any place
không nơi nào		 The lost cat was nowhere to be found.
nobody
pronoun		 no person
không ai		 Nobody helped me make my Halloween costume.
neither
pronoun		 not one nor the other of two people or things
cũng không (trong số 2)		 Neither of my brothers wants to wear a costume.
none
pronoun		 not any of a group of people or things
không ai/cái gì (trong số 3 trở lên)		 My little sister doesn’t like the candy none.
(Note: Used as an emphatic negative particle or absolute pronoun, e.g., “None of the options work.”)
nothing
pronoun		 not anything
không có gì		 There is nothing in the box.
never
adverb		 at no time in the past or future
không bao giờ		 I never forget to do my homework.

⚖️ Grammar Rules

1. Identifying Negative Words

Negative words are used to express the absence of something or to say that something is not true.

Typical Structure Negative word + Noun/Verb
Key Examples • Nobody is at the park today.
• There is no candy left in the jar.
• We have neither a dog nor a cat.
[IMAGE GENERATION PROMPT: A side-by-side illustration of an empty jar labeled ‘No candy left’ and a box containing absolutely nothing inside to visualize grammatical absence.]

2. Avoiding Double Negatives

In English, you should not use two negative words in the same sentence to express a single negative idea. Two negatives cancel each other out and create an affirmative meaning or result in incorrect grammar.

Correct Structure Negative Verb + Positive Word (any/anything/anybody)
Examples & Comparisons • I didn’t buy any candy. (CORRECT)
✗ Incorrect: I didn’t buy no candy.

• I can barely wait for the party. (CORRECT)
✗ Incorrect: I can’t barely wait.

• She doesn’t want anything. (CORRECT)
✗ Incorrect: She doesn’t want nothing.
[IMAGE GENERATION PROMPT: An abstract concept showing two math negative signs (-) colliding and turning into a green checkmark to represent how double negatives confuse meaning.]

? Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Vocabulary Matching

Match the negative word on the left with its appropriate definition or translation on the right.

  1. 1. Barely  —  A. Not any of a group of three or more things/people.
  2. 2. Nowhere  —  B. At no time in the past or future.
  3. 3. Nobody  —  C. Hardly or scarcely; almost not at all.
  4. 4. Neither  —  D. Not in or at any place.
  5. 5. None  —  E. No person; no one.
  6. 6. Never  —  F. Not one nor the other of two people or things.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1 – C: Barely means hardly or scarcely (hầu như không).
2 – D: Nowhere means not in any place (không nơi nào).
3 – E: Nobody means no person (không ai).
4 – F: Neither refers to not one nor the other of two (cũng không trong 2).
5 – A: None means not any of a larger group (không ai/cái gì từ 3 trở lên).
6 – B: Never means at no time (không bao giờ).
Exercise 2: Gap Fill

Complete each sentence using a word from the word bank. Do not use any word more than once.

no barely nowhere nobody neither nothing never
  1. 1. I looked everywhere for my keys, but they were ____________ to be found.
  2. 2. There is ____________ water left in this bottle; it is completely dry.
  3. 3. ____________ answered the door when I knocked, so I walked away.
  4. 4. I have ____________ eaten sushi before, so today is my very first time!
  5. 5. The whisper was so quiet that I could ____________ hear what she said.
  6. 6. ____________ of the two dresses fit her, so she didn’t buy either.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. nowhere: “Nowhere to be found” means cannot be found anywhere.
2. no: “No water” quantifies the noun modifying its absence.
3. Nobody: Acts as the subject pronoun meaning no person opened the door.
4. never: Denotes that the action has happened at zero points in past time.
5. barely: Means almost not able to hear due to the quietness.
6. Neither: Chosen because it specifies exactly “two dresses” (không cái nào trong hai).
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice

Choose the grammatically correct option to complete each sentence without forming a double negative.

  1. 1. She didn’t want ________ to eat because she felt sick.
        A. nothing     B. anything     C. no item
  2. 2. We couldn’t find ________ who knew the directions.
        A. nobody     B. anybody     C. no one
  3. 3. They haven’t ________ traveled outside their home country.
        A. never     B. barely     C. ever
  4. 4. I can ________ believe that the school year is already over.
        A. barely     B. can’t barely     C. don’t barely
  5. 5. He does not have ________ money to purchase a computer.
        A. no     B. any     C. none
  6. 6. There isn’t ________ in the storage room right now.
        A. nothing     B. nowhere     C. anything
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. B (anything): “Didn’t” is already negative; pairing it with “nothing” forms an incorrect double negative.
2. B (anybody): “Couldn’t” requires a positive pronoun like “anybody” to mean “không ai cả”.
3. C (ever): “Haven’t ever” equals “never”. “Haven’t never” is an ungrammatical double negative.
4. A (barely): “Barely” is inherently negative, so it must be paired with an affirmative verb (“can”).
5. B (any): “Does not have” is negative; “any” must follow to express zero quantity properly.
6. C (anything): “Isn’t” requires “anything” to mean there is an absence of items.
Exercise 4: True or False

Determine whether the following sentences are grammatically correct (True) or incorrect due to double negatives (False).

  1. 1. I don’t need no help from anyone.   (  T  /  F  )
  2. 2. Neither of the options looks correct to me.   (  T  /  F  )
  3. 3. He barely speaks any English during class.   (  T  /  F  )
  4. 4. We didn’t see nobody at the front desk.   (  T  /  F  )
  5. 5. She has no idea where her brother went.   (  T  /  F  )
  6. 6. I haven’t got none of the supplies you requested.   (  T  /  F  )
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. False: Contains “don’t” and “no” together. Correct: “I don’t need any help.”
2. True: “Neither” is correctly used as a singular negative subject without other negatives.
3. True: “Barely” (negative adverb) is paired correctly with the positive determiner “any”.
4. False: “Didn’t” and “nobody” is a double negative. Correct: “We didn’t see anybody.”
5. True: “Has no idea” is perfectly accurate syntax (Verb + No + Noun).
6. False: “Haven’t” and “none” creates a double negative. Correct: “I haven’t got any…”
Exercise 5: Sentence Reordering

Rearrange the words to make grammatically correct sentences that avoid double negatives.

  1. 1. candy / left / there / in / jar / is / no / the .
    __________________________________________________________________
  2. 2. projects / finished / of / neither / us / the .
    __________________________________________________________________
  3. 3. project / anything / he / about / knows / the / not / does .
    __________________________________________________________________
  4. 4. see / we / dark / could / the / barely / in .
    __________________________________________________________________
  5. 5. forgot / homework / my / bring / to / never / I .
    __________________________________________________________________
  6. 6. help / problem / nobody / with / the / me / would .
    __________________________________________________________________
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. There is no candy left in the jar. (Cấu trúc chỉ sự vắng mặt của sự vật).
2. Neither of us finished the projects. (Neither đứng đầu làm chủ ngữ chỉ cả hai đều không).
3. He does not know anything about the project. (Phải dùng anything đi kèm trợ động từ phủ định).
4. We could barely see in the dark. (Barely đứng sau trợ động từ khuyết thiếu và đứng trước động từ chính).
5. I never forgot to bring my homework. (Never đặt trước động từ chính ở quá khứ).
6. Nobody would help me with the problem. (Nobody làm chủ ngữ mang nghĩa không một ai).
Exercise 6: Grammar Selection

Read the sentences below. One sentence in each pair is incorrect. Underline or circle the correct option.

  1. 1. [A] I don’t know nothing about history. / [B] I know nothing about history.
  2. 2. [A] She can barely walk after the race. / [B] She can’t barely walk after the race.
  3. 3. [A] We have no bread left. / [B] We don’t have no bread left.
  4. 4. [A] Nobody told me about the meeting. / [B] Nobody didn’t tell me about the meeting.
  5. 5. [A] I haven’t never seen that movie. / [B] I have never seen that movie.
  6. 6. [A] Neither of them wants to go out. / [B] Neither of them don’t want to go out.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. B: “I know nothing” is correct. Option A is incorrect because “don’t” + “nothing” is a double negative.
2. A: “Can barely” is correct because “barely” conveys the negative meaning natively.
3. A: “Have no bread” is a proper negative sentence. Option B duplicates negatives via “don’t no”.
4. A: “Nobody told me” features a single negative subject pronoun, making option B’s added “didn’t” completely redundant.
5. B: “I have never seen” uses a single negative adverb safely. Option A introduces incorrect duplication.
6. A: “Neither” makes the clause negative, meaning a following negative auxiliary verb like “don’t” is forbidden.
Bài trướcBài sau