Negative Sentence Formation, Examples and Exercises

Negative Sentences Exercises

These exercises focus on Negative Sentences.

How to Form Negative Sentences

The structure of a negative sentence depends on the verb tense. The most common way to make a sentence negative is by using not with an auxiliary (helping) verb.

Tense	Positive Sentence	Negative Sentence
Present Simple (do/does)	I like coffee.	I do not (don’t) like coffee.
	She likes tea.	She does not (doesn’t) like tea.
Past Simple (did)	They visited Paris.	They did not (didn’t) visit Paris.
Present Continuous (am/is/are + -ing)	She is reading.	She is not (isn’t) reading.
Past Continuous (was/were + -ing)	We were watching TV.	We were not (weren’t) watching TV.
Present Perfect (have/has + past participle)	He has seen the movie.	He has not (hasn’t) seen the movie.
Future (will)	She will call you.	She will not (won’t) call you.

Negative Sentences with Different Verb Types

1. Negative Sentences with "Be" (am, is, are, was, were)

He is not at home. (NOT He doesn’t be at home. ❌)
They were not late. (NOT They didn’t be late. ❌)

2. Negative Sentences with Action Verbs (do, does, did)

She does not (doesn’t) like ice cream.
We did not (didn’t) go to the party.

3. Negative Sentences with Modal Verbs (can, could, must, should, etc.)

You cannot (can’t) park here.
He should not (shouldn’t) be rude.

4. Negative Sentences with "Have"

She does not have a car. (Present Simple)
He has not had lunch yet. (Present Perfect)

Negative Sentences in Different Tenses

Tense	Positive Sentence	Negative Sentence
Present Simple	She speaks French.	She does not (doesn’t) speak French.
Past Simple	I ate breakfast.	I did not (didn’t) eat breakfast.
Future Simple	They will help us.	They will not (won’t) help us.
Present Continuous	He is running.	He is not (isn’t) running.
Past Continuous	We were sleeping.	We were not (weren’t) sleeping.
Present Perfect	She has finished.	She has not (hasn’t) finished.
Past Perfect	They had left.	They had not (hadn’t) left.
Future Perfect	She will have arrived.	She will not have arrived.

Negative Sentences with Indefinite Pronouns

In negative sentences, use no- words instead of any- words:

Correct	Incorrect
Nobody came. ✅	❌ Anybody didn’t come.
Nothing happened. ✅	❌ Anything didn’t happen.

🔹 Examples:

No one was at home. ✅ (NOT Anyone wasn’t at home. ❌)
Nothing is ready yet. ✅

Common Negative Sentence Mistakes

❌ Incorrect	✅ Correct	Why?
He don’t like pizza.	He doesn’t like pizza.	Use "does not (doesn’t)" with he/she/it.
She didn’t went home.	She didn’t go home.	"Did" already shows past, so "go" stays in base form.
I no have a car.	I do not have a car.	Use "do not" for negatives in the present.
She isn’t like football.	She does not like football.	"Is" is not used with action verbs.

Examples of Negative Sentences in Everyday Use

1. Everyday Conversations

I don’t understand this question.
She isn’t feeling well today.
They haven’t finished their homework yet.

2. Talking About Rules

You can’t park here.
You must not smoke inside the building.

3. Expressing Preferences

I don’t like spicy food.
He doesn’t enjoy horror movies.

4. Making Plans

We won’t go to the party.
She isn’t coming with us.

FAQs About Negative Sentences

How do I make a sentence negative in the present simple?

Use do not (don’t) / does not (doesn’t) + base verb:
✅ She doesn’t like coffee. (NOT She doesn’t likes coffee. ❌)

Can I use two negatives in one sentence?

No, English does not allow double negatives:
❌ I don’t know nothing.
✅ I don’t know anything.

How do I make a negative sentence in the past?

Use did not (didn’t) + base verb:
✅ He didn’t go to school. (NOT He didn’t went to school. ❌)

What is the negative form of "will"?

Use will not (won’t):
✅ She won’t be late.

How do I use negative sentences with "have"?

Present: She does not have a car.
Past: She did not have a car.
Present Perfect: She has not had a car for years.