Practice Makes Perfect: Exploring Grammar - Muschla Gary Robert 2010

Dangerous Lizard
Negative words and double negatives
Adverbs

A negative word is a word that means “no.” Some negative words are used as adverbs. Some negative words are contractions of verbs and the word not. The following are common negative words.

✵ Use only one negative word in a sentence. Using two usually makes the sentence incorrect. Such a sentence is called a double negative.

I have no pet. (correct)

I do not have a pet. (correct)

I do not have no pet. (double negative, incorrect)

✵ To correct a double negative, drop one of the negative words. You may also change one of the negative words to a positive word.

I don’t have no pencils. (double negative)

I have no pencils. (correct)

I don’t have any pencils. (correct)

6.7 Dangerous Lizard

This poisonous lizard is found in the desert regions of the southwestern United States. What is its name?

To answer the question, find the negative word in each set of words below. Write the letter of each negative word in the space above its line number at the bottom of the page.