在英语中有些句子，若从形式上看是肯定的，而其含义确是否定的。这是由于英语中有许多表示否定意义的词、词组及固定句子。 
　　一、表示否定意义的副词：little， hardly， rarely， scarcely， barely， seldom， never等 
　　She little knows. 她一点不知道。 
　　It was so dark that I could hardly see. 天那么黑，我简直看不见了。 
　　Big ben has rarely gone wrong. 大笨钟很少出差错。 
　　He can scarcely have said so. 他决不会这么说。 
　　They had barely time to catch the train. 他们差一点就没赶上火车。 
　　The children are seldom ill. 这孩子很少生病。 
　　She never stays at home alone. 她从不一个人在家。 
　　二、表示否定意义的形容词：few， new， free， ignorant， strange， open， clear， last等 
　　Few people like snakes. 几乎没有人喜欢蛇。 
　　He was new to the town， he had never been there before. 他对这个城镇不熟，他从前没有去过那儿。 
　　The secretary was free from all blame for the errors. 这些失误完全不能怪秘书。 
　　She is very ignorant about his own country. 她对自己的国家很不了解。 
　　We all know he is strange to compliment of any kind. 我们都知道他不爱听任意恭维的话。 
　　The lake is open. 这个湖是不冻的。 
　　The highways are clear of snow now. 高速公路已没积雪。 
　　He would be the last man to do such foolish things. 他决不会干这种蠢事。 
　　三、表示否定意义的介词from， off， above， beyond， past， beside， below， but for， out of等 
　　We were prevented by heavy smog from seeing anything. 浓雾使我们看不到任何东西。 
　　He’s off his food. 他吃不下饭。 
　　He is above reproach. 他是无可责难的。 
　　It’s quite beyond me why she married such a heavy smoker. 我实在无法理解为什么她会嫁给这样一个烟鬼。 
　　This car is obviously past repair. 这车显然无法再修了。 
　　To build another skyscraper in the city is beside the point. 在该城市再盖一座摩天大楼的问题不必谈了。 
　　Most comets are extremely faint objects， far below the limit of the unaided eye. 大多数彗星都是很暗淡的物体，肉眼是看不到的。 
　　But for my brother’s help， I would not have finished. 要不是我兄弟帮助，我是无法完成的。 
　　The ball was out of reach. 我够不着这个球。 
　　四、表示否定意义的连接词：before， but that， only that等 
　　He’d die of hunger before he would steal. 他宁愿饿死也不偷窃。 
　　He would have escaped but that the police caught her in time. 要不是警察当场抓住他，他就逃了。 
　　She would probably do well in the examination， only that she gets rather nervous. 她想可能考不好，只因她太紧张。 
　　五、表示否定意义的句子结构would rather/ sooner... than...， had rather/ sooner... than...， would as soon... as..， prefer to do... rather than do...， prefer... to...， let alone...， It’s... since... 
　　Would rather die than surrender. 宁死不投降。 
　　I would just as son stay as go with him. 我宁愿留下来也不跟他去。 
　　I prefer to listen to the radio rather than watch TV./ I prefer listening to the radio to watching TV. 我宁可听收音机也不愿看电视。 
　　He hasn’t enough money for food， let alone amusements. 他连吃饭钱都不够，就更别说玩的钱了。 
　　It is eight months since he lived/left here. 他已经八个月没在这儿住了。 
　　I haven’t heard from him since he was in/left China. 他离开中国后，我再也没有他的消息。