Non-affirmative words: anybody, ever, yet, etc

There are some words that are not often used in affirmative sentences – for example any, anybody, ever, yet. When we affirm or assert (that is, when we say that something is true) we normally use other words – for example some, somebody, once, sometimes, already. Compare:

• Somebody telephoned.
  Did anybody telephone?
• I’ve bought you something.
  I haven’t bought you anything.
• She’s already here.
  Is she here yet?
• I sometimes go to the theatre.
  Do you ever go to the theatre?
• I met the Prime Minister once.
  Have you ever met the Prime Minister?

Non-affirmative words are common not only in questions and negative sentences, but in other cases where we are not making affirmative statements – for example in if-clauses, after comparisons, and together with adverbs, verbs, prepositions, adjectives and determiners that have a negative kind of meaning.

• Let me know if you have any trouble.
• I wonder if she found anything.
• She writes better than anybody I know.
• He seldom says anything.
• I’ve hardly been anywhere since Christmas.
• He denied that he had ever seen her.
• Please forget that I ever told you anything about it.
• I’d rather do it without anybody’s help.
• It’s difficult to understand anything he says.
• Few people have ever seen her laugh.

note

For information about particular non-affirmative words, search the Index for the words in question..