就辭彙而言，英語中表示否定的詞比中文多；否定句也是英語中最常見的句型；翻譯的時候一定要讀懂人家的意思，不可只看字面翻譯。 

•      She is not a dancer. 她不是舞蹈家。（事實）

•      She is no dancer. 她算不上舞蹈家。（貶抑）

•      It』s not an easy task. 這不是件容易的事。（客觀評估）

•      It』s no easy task. 這可不是輕而易舉的事。（主觀強調）

•      It』s not a joke. 這不是玩笑。

•      It』s no joke. 這決不是開玩笑的事情。

通常有all, both, each, every, everybody, everyone, everything在否定句中做主詞時，意義都是部份否定，不是全都否定。 

•      All that glitters is not gold. 閃亮的不都是金子。

•      None that glitters is gold. 凡是閃亮的都不是金子。

•      Each side of the street is not clean. 並非接到兩邊都乾淨。

•      Neither side of the street is clean. 街道兩邊都不乾淨。

•      I don』t want everything. 我並非什麼都要。

•      I don』t want anything. 我什麼都不想要。

否定句中如果有always, wholly, entirely, completely, totally, altogether, everywhere, often, quite, enough，通常表示只有部份否定。

不過凡事都有例外，這也只是一種可能意義。 

•      He is not always at home on Sundays. 他星期天不一定會在家。

•      I do not wholly agree with you. 我不完全同意你的意見。

•      This kind of trees cannot be seen everywhere. 這種樹並不多見。

•      We do not often do morning exercise now. 現在我們很少做早操了。

•      The water is not hot enough. 水還不夠熱。

•      You have not entirely forgotten me. 你還沒完全忘記我。

句子如果出現hardly/scarcely, rarely/seldom, few/little都表示幾乎完全否定。

 •      I could hardly recognize you. 我差點不認識你了。

•      He scarcely knew the accident. 他對這次事故幾乎一無所知。

•      Meetings are seldom held recently. 最近很少開會。

•      Few of the films are interesting. 那些電影沒幾部有趣的。

•      There is little ink in my pen. 我的鋼筆幾乎沒水了。

英語有些句子裡面否定詞和其他詞連成固定的搭配，表面上看似否定，但實際上卻是肯定，也有表面肯定，但是卻又是否定。切忌望文生義，而是翻譯成一般肯定或甚至強勢肯定句。 

•      We cannot estimate the value of modern science enough. 現代科學實在是太寶貴了。

•      We cannot be too careful in doing experiments. 我們做實驗要越小心越好。

•      I cannot praise him enough. 我對他的讚賞說都說不完。

•      It is a wise man that never makes mistakes. 再聰明的人也會犯錯誤。 

•      Well, if it isn』t beautiful. 哇，太漂亮了。

•      I』ll teach you how to behave, see if I don』t. 我來教你規矩，我說話算話。

•      What has Tom not suffered? 什麼樣的苦湯姆沒受過？（什麼樣的苦湯姆都受過）

•      They did not praise him slightly. 他們對他大加讚賞。

•      He was not a little surprised. 他大吃一驚。

英文中還有許多含蓄的否定（就是字面上沒有否定的字眼，如no or not，但是事實上骨子裡卻是否定的，要讀清楚唷。 

•      The patient is too weak to be operated on. 病人太虛弱了，不能動手術。

•      He was too tired to go any further. 他累得再也走不動了。

•      Over my dead body! 我決不容許。

•      As if I care! 我才不在乎。

•      That is more than I can do. 那是我辦不到的。 

•      He is the last man to accept a bribe. 他是決不會接受賄賂的。

•      You are the last person I』d expect to see here. 我絕對想不到會在這裡遇見你。

•      Mercy! If ever I heard the like from a lady. 天哪，一位小姐說出這種話來，真是不可思議。

•      He would have killed himself before surrendering. 他寧可自殺也不會投降。 

•      If you had come to my place, I would have told you about it. 那天你要是來我這兒，我就會告訴你這件事。（看起來假設句，但是故做慷慨）

•      If you had worked with great care! 你更仔細一些多好！（看起來假設句，但是其實是在怪你）

•      If only you had told me before. 早告訴我就好了。（看起來假設句，但是其實是在遺憾）

•      If only he did not drive so fast. 他要是沒開快車就沒事了。（看起來假設句，但是其實是在表達遺憾）

•      Am I your slave? 我才不是你的奴隸！（不是問問題，而是否定）

•      Who knows? 誰知道！沒人知道！

•      Am I a child? 別把我當小孩！

•      What』s the good of asking a favor of her? 求她是沒用的！

•      When have you ever seen him here? 他幾時來過這兒！（從來沒有）

別讀錯了－－

•      I suspect she will do it. 我覺得她應該會做

•      I doubt she will do it. 我不認為她會肯做