Negative questions:Structure, Meaning, Polite requests

1 Structure

auxiliary verb + n't + subject...

• Doesn't she understand?


• Haven't you booked your holiday yet?

auxiliary verb + subject + not...

• Does she not understand?


• Have you not booked your holiday yet?

The forms with not are formal.

2 Meaning

When we ask a negative question, we often expect the answer yes.

• Didn't you go and see Helen yesterday? How is she?

Negative questions are common in exclamations and invitations.

• Isn't it a lovely day!


• Won't you come in for a minute?

We can use negative questions to show that we are surprised that something has not happened, or is not happening.

• Hasn't the postman come yet?


• Aren't you supposed to be working ?

3 Polite requests

We do not usually use negative questions to ask people to do things for us.

• Can you help me? (ordinary question: used for a request)


• You can't help me, can you? (negative statement + question tag: common in spoken requests)


• Can't you help me⁹ (negative question: has a critical meaning — like Why can't you help me?)

4 yes and no

We answer negative questions like this.

• Haven't you written to Mary?
  ' Yes ' ( = I have written to her.)
  No ' ( = I haven't written to her.)


• Didn't the postman come?'
  Yes.' ( = He came.)
  No ' ( = He didn't come.)