Stages of Negative Constructions

Question 1

❌ Stages of Negative Constructions

Answer 1

Children learn to express negation (saying “no” or “not”) in clear stages as their grammar develops.

1️⃣ Stage One – “No” at the Start or End
👶 Children use “no” or “not” but place it outside the sentence structure.

Examples:
“No drink.”
“Not teddy.”

➡️ No auxiliary verbs yet, and grammar is still simple.
struture is negative + rest of the sentences

2️⃣ Stage Two – “No”/“Not” Within the Sentence
🧒 They begin to insert negatives into the sentence but still don’t use auxiliary verbs properly.

Examples:
“I no want it.”
“She not go.”

➡️ Sentence structure is improving, but still non-standard.
struture is noun phrase + negative + rest of the sentence

3️⃣ Stage Three – Use of Auxiliary Verbs
👧 Children now use auxiliary verbs (do, is, can, etc.) correctly with negatives.

Examples:
“I don’t want it.”
“She isn’t going.”
“He can’t come.”

➡️ This shows mature grammar and full understanding of negative construction rules.
the order is noun phrase + auxiliary + negative + rest of the sentence