Basic Details
Word: Negation
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The act of saying that something is not true, or of denying it. In grammar, negation means making a sentence negative, usually with not or never.
Synonyms: denial, contradiction, refusal
Antonyms: affirmation
How to Spell Negation
Syllables: ne - ga - tion
Tricky part: The vowels go e then a (ne-ga), and the ending is tion, not sion. Negate drops its final e before ion.
Watch out for: nigation, negasion, negeation
Memory tip: Start from negative, which you already know: keep the nega and finish with tion. Nega-tive, nega-tion.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Adding not to 'I like okra' is a simple example of negation.
Example 2: His silence was not a negation of the rumour, so people kept talking.
Example 3: Some languages use two words for negation, like ne and pas in French.
Fun Fact
In English, two negatives in one clause, as in 'I don't know nothing', are marked wrong in standard grammar, though many dialects use them for extra force.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. interrogative 2. imperative 3. negasion 4. affirmative
a) saying or showing that something is true
b) making a statement negative, for example by adding not
c) giving an order or instruction
d) asking a question
Show answer
b) making a statement negative, for example by adding not. Negasion is misspelt; like most nouns from verbs ending in ate, negation ends in tion.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
n_g_tion
a) e, a
b) i, a
c) a, a
d) e, e
Show answer
a) e, a. Think of negative: n-e-g-a, so an e and then an a.
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to negation as used in the sentence:
The minister's statement was a flat negation of everything the newspaper report had claimed.
a) denial
b) rejection
c) contradiction
d) affirmation
Show answer
d) affirmation. Negation is saying no; affirmation is saying yes, while the others mean denial.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sentence shows negation?
a) Rahul does not eat fish.
b) Rahul eats fish.
c) Eat the fish, Rahul.
d) Does Rahul eat fish?
Show answer
a) Rahul does not eat fish.
2. Negation is the noun of which verb?
a) negotiate
b) negate
c) neglect
d) need
Show answer
b) negate
