Negative Questions in Present and Past Tense

Negative Questions in Present and Past Tense

When forming negative questions in both present and past tenses, the structure changes slightly depending on the tense.

Let’s break it down with examples and explanations.

1. Negative Questions in Present Tense (Do/Does + not)
In the present tense, we use do or does at the beginning of the sentence, while not stays after the subject.

Example 1:
Statement: She does not like coffee.
Negative Question: Does she not like coffee?

Example 2:
Statement: I do not know him.
Negative Question: Do I not know him?

Example 3:
Statement: They do not speak French.
Negative Question: Do they not speak French?

Explanation:
In all these cases, when forming the negative question, do or does is placed before the subject, while not remains after the subject.

2. Negative Questions in Past Tense (Did + not)
For past tense, did is placed at the beginning, and not stays after the subject.

Example 1:
Statement: He did not call me.
Negative Question: Did he not call me?

Example 2:
Statement: She did not attend the meeting.
Negative Question: Did she not attend the meeting?

Explanation:
When forming negative questions in the past tense, we use did at the start and follow it with the subject, then not.

3. Contraction use in Negative Questions (Informal Speech)
In everyday conversation, we often use contractions to make sentences sound more natural. Here’s how negative questions work with contractions:

Do not → Don’t
Does not → Doesn’t
Did not → Didn’t

Example 1:
Statement: She does not like tea.
Negative Question (informal):

Doesn’t she like tea?

Example 2:
Statement: He did not attend the party.
Negative Question (informal):

Didn’t he attend the party?

Explanation:
Contractions are commonly used in informal contexts to make speech more fluid and conversational.