肯定还是否定
甘肃省民乐县第一中学王碧涛734500Tel:136********
Ⅰ英语的否定句一般都有no,not,never,nothing,few,little,hardly,scarcely 等否定词。然而有相当多的句子从字面上看并没有否定词或词组，实际上却有否定意义。这是由于英语的习惯用法所致，是不能以形式判断正负的。这个问题有过叙述，现择其中一部分略作介绍：
⑴a far/long cry from迥然不同
The state of affairs in Industry is a far cry from what it was last year.工业界的现状与去年的情况大不相同。
⑵anything but绝不是;一点也不
The little bridge is anything but safe.那座小桥一点也不安全。
⑶at one’s wit’s(wits’)end不知所措，没办法
With all three children at home all day,the mother was at her wit’s end trying to keep the house clean.有三个孩子整天都在家，母亲没法使屋子整洁。
⑷beneath不值得；不相称
His book is beneath criticism.他的书不值一评。
Such behaviour is beneath you.这种行为与你的身份不相称。
⑸beside/off the point不切正题；无关紧要
The judge told the witness that his remarks were beside the point.法官告诉证人，他的话与案子无关。
⑹between ourselves/you and me(and the post)不要说出去；别对外人讲
Between you and me and the post,sir,it will be a very nice portrait too.不要说出去，先生，那会是一张非常漂亮的肖像。
⑺beyond无
Good advice is beyond price.忠言是无价的。
⑻beyond/outside one’s ken不知道；不在知识范围之内
What happens on Mars is beyond our ken.火星上发生的事情我们无法知道。
⑼but for,but that要不是；如果没有
But for your help we should not have finished in time.要不是你帮助，我们不会及时干完的。
He would have said no but that he was afraid.要不是他害怕，他就会说不。
⑽Fancy+V+ing(用于惊叹句)真想不到
Fancy meeting you here!想不到竟然在这儿碰到你了!
⑾for/from want of因没有
The houses were falling to pieces for want of care.那些房子因不常维修快要倒塌了。
⑿foreign to与……无关；不合适
He’s a very good person;unkindness is foreign to his nature.他人很好，刻薄不是他的本性。
⒀hide one’s light under a bushel才能不外露
Mr Smith is an expert in many fields,but most people think he is not very smart because he hides his light under a bushel.史密斯先生是多方面的专家，不过许多人不认为他能干，因为他才能不外露。
⒁if anything要说有什么不同的话
If anything,he is a littler better today.如果说有什么不同，他比昨天略微好一点。
⒂in the air不定的；未定的
My plans are still quite in the air.我的计划还没定下来。
⒃in the dark不知道
We are still in the dark about the cause of the fire.我们还不知道失火的原因。
⒄leave much to be desired不令人满意；还有不够的地方；不足之处特多
This book leaves much to be desired.这本书写得缺点不少。
⒅more than…can简直不可能more…than…can达到不可能的程度
The beauty of the place is more than I can describe.那地方景色之美，简直是笔墨所不能形容的。
He has more books than he can read.他藏书多到他不可能读完的程度。
⒆or(else)否则；不然(用于命令+or)
Hurry up or(else)you’ll be late.快点，不然你要迟到了。
⒇the last最不可能的；最不愿意的；最不合适的
He is the last man I want to see.他是我最不愿见的人。
Ⅱ有些句子有no,not,never等不定词，但句义可译成肯定的。常见的有：
⑴and what not等等
The causes of his death were overwork and injustice done him and what not.他的死是由于过度劳累，受屈，受伤等原因。
⑵as likely as not很可能；也许；多半
He’ll forget all about it as likely as not.他多半会把这事全忘了。
⑶as often as not,more often than not经常；多半
As often as not,she thinks before she speaks.她常常想好了才说。
During foggy weather the trains are late more often than not.有雾的时候火车常常误点。
⑷as soon as not(很)愿意
I’d go there as soon as not.我很乐意去那里。
⑸cannot/never/don’t fail to,without fail一定；必定；务必
You cannot fail to follow your doctor’s advice.你一定要听从医生的劝告。
He never fails to come on Sunday.他星期日准来。
Don’t fail to ring me up.务必给我打电话。
I shall bring you that book without fail.我一定会把那本书给你带来。
⑹cannot…too越……越好；无论怎样……都不为过
You cannot be too careful in your work.工作越仔细越好。
⑺doubt/wonder whether+not表示肯定)
I doubt whether he will not come soon.我想他很快会来。
I wonder whether he did not see you.我想他看见过你。
⑻if not(if后接否定动词，只用于感叹句，表示沮丧，惊奇等)
Well,if I haven’t left my umbrella in the train!真倒霉，我把雨伞丢在火车上了!
⑼in no time,in nothing flat很快；立刻
Take this medicine and you will feel better in no time.我马上就会把吃的东西做好。
⑽leave no stone unturned千方百计；想尽办法
The police will leave no stone unturned in their search for the bank robbers.警察将千方百计搜捕抢劫银行的强盗。
⑾never…but/without必定；必然；总是
It never thunders but it lightens.打雷必有闪电。
He never moved a thing without replacing it exactly.他挪动过的东西总是要放还原地的。
⑿no better than几乎等于；简直是
He is no better than a fool.他简直是个傻子。
⒀no/not/never…but无不；都
There is no knowledge but domes through practice.知识都来自实践。
⒁no end非常
I enjoy the concert no end.我非常欣赏那音乐会。
⒂no end of很多
We met no end of interesting people.我们遇到很多有趣的有。
⒃no less…than和……一样
She is no less active than she used to be.她和以前一样活跃。
⒄no more than(后接名词)只；仅仅
He is no more than a puppet.他仅仅是个傀儡。
⒅none but只有；只
None but the aged and the sick stayed at home.只有老年人和病人留在家里。
⒆none other than正是；恰恰就是
The new arrival was none other than the President.刚到达的就是总统本人。
(20)none the less仍然
He is old,none the less he works like a young man.他上了年纪，干起活来仍然像个年轻人。
(21)no sweat很容易地；轻而易举地
The job was no sweat;we finished it in half an hour.这工作很容易，我们半小时就完成了。
(22)not bad,not so bad,not too bad,not half bad相当好；很好
The party last night was not bad.昨晚的宴会很好。
It was not so bad,as inexpensive vacations go.就省钱的度假而言，这是够好的了。
What do you think of these cakes?----Not half bad.你觉得这些饼的味道怎么样？----好极了。
(23)not born yesterday有经验；老练
You know that my eyes are pretty sharp,and that I wasn’t born yesterday.你知道我的眼力很敏锐，而且经验丰富。
(24)not but that/what虽然
I can’t come,not but that I’d like to.虽然我很想来，可是我不能来。
(25)not half非常
Do you like beer?Oh,not half.你爱喝啤酒吗？----非常爱喝。
(26)not half as bad好多了
We didn’t feel half as bad when we got there.到了那里，我们觉得好多了。
(27)nothing but只是
It is nothing but a joke.这只是一个笑话而已。
(28)nothing else than仅仅；完全的；完全地
His failure was due to nothing else than his own carelessness.他的失败完全由于他自己的疏忽所致。
(29)nothing if not格外地；非常地
He is nothing if not optimistic.他很乐观。
(30)nothing less than,nothing short of.简直是；完完全全是
He is nothing less than a tyrant.他简直是个暴君。
The setting up of this plant in three months is nothing short of a miracle.三个月就建成了这座工厂，简直是个奇迹。
(31)not least部分地；相当重要地
Trade has been bad,not least because of the increased cost of rubber.生意一直不好，相当重要的因素是橡胶价格上涨了。
(32)there are no flies on someone(某人)很机灵
There are no flies on old Tom.老汤姆是个很机灵的人。
(33)You don’t say(so)!是真的吗？(表示惊异)
“she was graduated from college at sixteen.”“You don’t day so!”“她16
岁就大学毕业了。”“是真的吗？”
以上两类句子：一类是无否定词却有否定意义，另一类是有否定词而无否定意义。这是形式和内容的矛盾。只有在阅读时，从上下文中仔细地体会，才会避免因只顾字面形式而造成对内容的误解。