Affirmative & Negative

Affirmative	Negative	Example
As soon as	No sooner had …than	Aff: As soon as the thief saw the police, he ran away. Neg: No sooner had the thief seen the police than he ran away.
Scarcely …when	No sooner had …. Than	Aff: Scarcely had the thief seen the police when he fled away. Neg: No sooner had the thief seen the police than he fled away.
Hardly ….when	No sooner had … than	Aff: Hardly had the bird seen the hunter when it flew away. Neg: No sooner had the bird seen the hunter than it flew away.
As ….as	Not less …than / no less … than	Aff: My father is as wise as our teacher. Neg: My father is not less wise then our teacher.
Less … than	Not as …. as	Aff: My father is less wise then our teacher. Neg: My father is not as wise as our teacher.
Both ….and	Not only …but also	Aff:He both a student and a player. Neg: He is not only a student but also a player.
Too ….to	So ….that	Aff: He is too weak to walk. Neg: He is so weak that he cannot walk.
Only (person)	None but	Aff: Only God can help us. Neg: None but God can help us.
Only (things)	Nothing but	Aff: He likes only sweet. Neg: He likes nothing but sweet.
Only (age)	Not more than/ Not less than	Aff: He is only ten. Neg: He is not more than ten.
Alone (person)	None but	Aff: God alone can save us. Neg: None but God can save us.
Must	Cannot but / cannot help+verb+ing	Aff: You must obey your parents. Neg: You cannot but obey your parents. / You cannot help obeying your parents.
Have to	Cannot but / Cannot help+verb+ing	Aff:We have to leave this beautiful world. Neg: We cannot but leave this beautiful world. / He cannot help leaving this beautiful world.
Has to	Cannot but / Cannot help+verb+ing	Aff: He has to run his family. Neg: He cannot but run his family. / He cannot help running his family.
Had to	Could not but / could not help+verb+ing	Aff: I had to join the study tour. Neg: I could not but join the study tour. / I could not help joining the study tour.
Need to	Cannot but / cannot help+verb+ing	Aff: I need to go there. Neg: I cannot but go there. / I cannot help going there.
Needed to	Could not but / could not help+verb+ing	Aff: I needed to go there. Neg: I could not but go there. / I could not help going there.
Many	Not a few	Aff: I have many friends. Neg: I have not a few friends.
A few	Not many	Aff: I have a few friends. Neg: I have not many friends.
A little	Not much	Aff: I have a little rice. Neg: I have not much rice.
Much	Not a little	Aff: He has much money. Neg: He has not a little money.
Every + noun Every teacher Every student	There is no + noun+but+verb / There is no … who does not+verb	Aff:Every teacher loves his child. Neg: There is no teacher but loves his child. / There is no teacher who does not love his child.
Sometimes	Do not always/ Does not always/ Did not always/ Not always	Aff: Ram sometimes comes to our house. Neg: Ram does not always come to our house.
Always	Never + adjective’s antonym	Aff: Sita was always punctual. Neg: Sita was never late.
For the last time	Never …again	Aff: He came here for the last time. Neg: He never came here again.
For good	Never ….again	Aff: He has given up smoking for good. Neg: He will never smoke again.
For ever	Never ….again	Aff: He has left the village for ever. Neg: He will never come to his village again.
Affirmative word	Not + adjective’s antonym	Aff: The man is happy. Neg: The man is not unhappy.
Universal truth	Negative Interrogative (auxiliary + not)	Aff: Health is wealth. Neg: Is not health wealth.?