Learn affirmative to negative sentence transformation with all the rules and a master chart: only, must, every, always, too…to, degree, and more, with 30 exercises and answers for SSC, HSC, admission, and job exams.
There is more than one way to say the same thing. “Only you can do it” and “None but you can do it” carry the exact same meaning, yet one is affirmative and the other is negative. Turning a sentence from affirmative to negative, without touching its meaning even slightly, is a favourite question in SSC, HSC, admission, and job exams. And here is the best part: the whole topic runs on a small set of fixed patterns. Learn the patterns, and you can transform almost any sentence, sometimes without even understanding what it says. This lesson gives you every rule, a master chart, better examples, and thirty exercises with answers.
একই কথা বলার একাধিক উপায় আছে। “Only you can do it” আর “None but you can do it” হুবহু একই অর্থ বহন করে, তবু একটি হাঁ-বোধক আর অন্যটি না-বোধক। অর্থ সামান্যও না বদলে একটি বাক্যকে affirmative থেকে negative এ পরিণত করা SSC, HSC, ভর্তি ও চাকরির পরীক্ষার একটি প্রিয় প্রশ্ন। আর সবচেয়ে ভালো ব্যাপার: পুরো বিষয়টি চলে কয়েকটি নির্দিষ্ট প্যাটার্নে। তুমি যদি এই Affirmative থেকে Negative করার নিয়ম এবং প্যাটার্নগুলো শেখো, তুমি প্রায় যেকোনো বাক্য পরিবর্তন করতে পারবে, কখনো বাক্যটি না বুঝেও। তাহলে চলো, শুরু করা যাক।
What is an Affirmative Sentence?
An affirmative sentence is a positive sentence used to describe a general action, event, statement, or feeling. This lesson is part of our complete transformation of sentences guide.
একটি affirmative sentence হলো একটি হাঁ-বোধক বাক্য যা একটি সাধারণ কাজ, ঘটনা, উক্তি বা অনুভূতি বর্ণনা করতে ব্যবহৃত হয়।
For example:
- I want to visit the place as soon as possible.
- We got the message from John a few days ago.
Structure of an affirmative sentence: Subject + verb + object + adjunct.
What is a Negative Sentence?
A negative sentence is used to express a negative idea about a daily action, event, or statement. To understand this fully, you should be clear about sentence structure.
একটি negative sentence একটি সাধারণ কাজ, ঘটনা বা উক্তি সম্পর্কে একটি নেতিবাচক ভাব প্রকাশ করতে ব্যবহৃত হয়।
For example:
- I do not want to visit the place right now.
- We did not get the message from John a few days ago.
Structure of a negative sentence: Subject + verb + not + object + adjunct.
Two Golden Principles
Keep these two ideas in mind throughout this lesson.
পুরো পাঠ জুড়ে এই দুটি কথা মাথায় রাখো।
- You must never change the meaning of the sentence. Only the structure changes. (অর্থ কখনো বদলিও না।)
- ‘Not’, ‘do not’, ‘does not’, and ‘did not’ are not the only signs of a negative sentence. English has many other negative words, such as no, never, none, nothing, nobody, and neither. (‘not’ ছাড়াও অনেক negative শব্দ আছে।)
The Basic Rule: Adding ‘not’
Before the special patterns, learn the simplest rule of all. To make a normal sentence negative, add ‘not’ after the auxiliary verb (is, are, was, will, can, must). If the sentence has only a principal verb, bring in ‘do’, ‘does’, or ‘did’ according to the tense, then add ‘not’.
বিশেষ প্যাটার্নের আগে সবচেয়ে সহজ নিয়মটি শেখো। একটি সাধারণ বাক্যকে না-বোধক করতে, auxiliary verb (is, are, was, will, can, must) এর পরে ‘not’ যোগ করো। বাক্যে শুধু principal verb থাকলে, tense অনুযায়ী ‘do’, ‘does’, বা ‘did’ আনো, তারপর ‘not’ যোগ করো।
Examples:
- Affirmative: She is happy. → Negative: She is not happy.
- Affirmative: He plays cricket. → Negative: He does not play cricket.
- Affirmative: They went home. → Negative: They did not go home.
Affirmative to Negative Rules
Affirmative থেকে Negative করার নিয়ম
Here is the master chart. Instead of memorising whole structures, just learn which words change. Everything else stays in place.
এই হলো master chart। পুরো গঠন মুখস্থ করার বদলে, শুধু শেখো কোন শব্দগুলো বদলায়। বাকি সবকিছু একই জায়গায় থাকে।
| Rule | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Only (শুধু) | None but (কেউ নয় বরং, ব্যক্তির ক্ষেত্রে) Nothing but (কিছু নয় বরং, বস্তুর ক্ষেত্রে) Not more than (এর বেশি নয়, সংখ্যা বা বয়সে) |
| 02 | Must (অবশ্যই) | Cannot but + base verb Cannot help + verb + ing (না করে পারে না) |
| 03 | Every (প্রতি) | There is no … but (এমন কেউ নেই যে না) There is no … without (ছাড়া কিছু নেই) |
| 04 | As soon as (যেই মাত্র) | No sooner had … than (মাত্রই … আর অমনি) |
| 05 | Always (সবসময়) | Never + the opposite word (কখনো না + বিপরীত শব্দ) |
| 06 | Both … and (উভয়ে) | Not only … but also (শুধু … নয় … ও) |
| 07 | Too … to (এতই যে) | So … that + subject + cannot could not + verb (এতটাই … যে … পারে না) |
| 08 | As … as (একইরকম) | Not less … than (কম নয় … চেয়ে) |
| 09 | Superlative / Comparative degree | Positive degree: No other … as … as (অন্য কেউ … এত … নয়) |
| 10 | Universal truth (চিরন্তন সত্য) | Negative interrogative: Aux + subject + not + verb …? (না-বোধক প্রশ্ন) |
The Rules with Examples
Now study each rule with a clear example. Notice the bold parts, because only those change.
এবার প্রতিটি নিয়ম একটি স্পষ্ট উদাহরণসহ পড়ো। মোটা অক্ষরের অংশগুলো লক্ষ্য করো, কারণ শুধু ততটুকুই বদলায়।
Rule 1: Only becomes None but / Nothing but / Not more than
- Here is what you do: the moment you spot ‘only’, ask yourself what it is pointing to. If it points to a person, replace ‘only’ with ‘None but’. If it points to a thing, use ‘Nothing but’. And if it points to a number or an age, use ‘Not more than’. The rest of the sentence you leave exactly as it is.
- এখানে তুমি যা করবে: ‘only’ দেখামাত্র নিজেকে জিজ্ঞেস করো এটি কার দিকে ইঙ্গিত করছে। যদি একজন ব্যক্তির দিকে হয়, ‘only’ এর বদলে ‘None but’ বসাও। যদি একটি বস্তুর দিকে হয়, ‘Nothing but’ ব্যবহার করো। আর যদি একটি সংখ্যা বা বয়সের দিকে হয়, ‘Not more than’ ব্যবহার করো। বাক্যের বাকি অংশ ঠিক আগের মতোই রেখে দাও।
Examples:
- Affirmative: Only Rahim can solve this problem. (a person)
- Negative: None but Rahim can solve this problem.
- Affirmative: He has only a pen in his bag. (a thing)
- Negative: He has nothing but a pen in his bag.
- Affirmative: He got only forty-five marks. (a number)
- Negative: He got not more than forty-five marks.
Rule 2: Must becomes Cannot but / Cannot help
- When you see ‘must’, you have two neat choices, and both mean the same thing. Either replace ‘must’ with ‘cannot but’ and keep the verb in its base form, or replace it with ‘cannot help’ and add ‘-ing’ to the verb. Pick whichever feels easier for that sentence.
- যখন তুমি ‘must’ দেখবে, তোমার দুটি সুন্দর উপায় আছে, আর দুটোরই একই অর্থ। হয় ‘must’ এর বদলে ‘cannot but’ বসাও এবং verb কে base form এ রাখো, নয়তো এর বদলে ‘cannot help’ বসাও এবং verb এ ‘-ing’ যোগ করো। যে বাক্যে যেটা সহজ মনে হয়, সেটাই বেছে নাও।
Examples:
- Affirmative: He must obey his parents.
- Negative: He cannot but obey his parents.
- Negative: He cannot help obeying his parents.
Rule 3: Every becomes There is no … but / without
- When a sentence begins with ‘every’, turn it around and start with ‘There is no’. In most sentences you use ‘There is no … but …’, but when the only verb is ‘has’ or ‘have’, you switch to ‘There is no … without …’ instead. Notice how ‘every’ disappears and the noun that followed it slides into place.
- যখন একটি বাক্য ‘every’ দিয়ে শুরু হয়, এটিকে উল্টে দিয়ে ‘There is no’ দিয়ে শুরু করো। বেশিরভাগ বাক্যে তুমি ‘There is no … but …’ ব্যবহার করবে, কিন্তু যখন একমাত্র verb ‘has’ বা ‘have’ হয়, তখন বদলে ‘There is no … without …’ ব্যবহার করবে। লক্ষ্য করো ‘every’ কীভাবে মিলিয়ে যায় আর তার পরের noun টি জায়গামতো বসে যায়।
Examples:
- Affirmative: Every mother loves her child.
- Negative: There is no mother but loves her child.
- Affirmative: Every rose has a thorn. (has is the only verb)
- Negative: There is no rose without a thorn.
Rule 4: As soon as becomes No sooner had … than
- When you meet ‘as soon as’, rebuild the first part with ‘No sooner had’ and turn the verb into its past participle. Then, in the second part, change ‘as soon as’ to ‘than’. The one thing to remember is that little change after ‘had’: the verb must become its past participle form.
- যখন তুমি ‘as soon as’ পাবে, প্রথম অংশটি ‘No sooner had’ দিয়ে গড়ো এবং verb কে তার past participle রূপে পরিণত করো। তারপর দ্বিতীয় অংশে ‘as soon as’ কে ‘than’ এ বদলাও। শুধু মনে রাখার বিষয় হলো ‘had’ এর পরের সেই ছোট পরিবর্তন: verb টি অবশ্যই তার past participle রূপ নেবে।
Examples:
- Affirmative: As soon as the bell rang, the students left.
- Negative: No sooner had the bell rung than the students left.
Rule 5: Always becomes Never + the opposite word
- When a sentence says ‘always’, replace it with ‘never’, and then, here is the important part, change the key word to its opposite. Students often stop at ‘never’ and lose the mark. Remember, ‘never’ alone is not enough; you must flip the word after it so the meaning stays exactly the same.
- যখন একটি বাক্যে ‘always’ থাকে, এটিকে ‘never’ দিয়ে বদলাও, আর তারপর, এই অংশটাই গুরুত্বপূর্ণ, মূল শব্দটিকে তার বিপরীত শব্দে পরিবর্তন করো। শিক্ষার্থীরা প্রায়ই ‘never’ পর্যন্ত থেমে গিয়ে নম্বর হারায়। মনে রেখো, শুধু ‘never’ যথেষ্ট নয়; অর্থ হুবহু একই রাখতে তোমাকে এর পরের শব্দটি উল্টে দিতে হবে।
Examples:
- Affirmative: The student is always late.
- Negative: The student is never punctual.
- Affirmative: He always tells the truth.
- Negative: He never tells a lie.
Rule 6: Both … and becomes Not only … but also
- When you see ‘both … and’, simply swap the pair for ‘not only … but also’. One thing to watch closely: keep ‘not only’ and ‘but also’ in matching positions. If ‘not only’ sits just before the first name, then ‘but also’ must sit just before the second name too.
- যখন তুমি ‘both … and’ দেখবে, সহজভাবে এই জোড়াটিকে ‘not only … but also’ দিয়ে বদলাও। একটি বিষয় ভালোভাবে খেয়াল রাখো: ‘not only’ ও ‘but also’ কে মিলিয়ে একই অবস্থানে রাখো। যদি ‘not only’ প্রথম নামের ঠিক আগে বসে, তবে ‘but also’ ও দ্বিতীয় নামের ঠিক আগে বসবে।
Examples:
- Affirmative: Both Rana and Karim won prizes.
- Negative: Not only Rana but also Karim won prizes.
Rule 7: Too … to becomes So … that
- When a sentence has ‘too … to’, rebuild it as ‘so … that’, and then add a subject followed by ‘cannot’ or ‘could not’ before the verb. Just match the tense: use ‘cannot’ for a present sentence and ‘could not’ for a past one.
- যখন একটি বাক্যে ‘too … to’ থাকে, এটিকে ‘so … that’ দিয়ে গড়ো, আর তারপর verb এর আগে একটি subject এবং তার পরে ‘cannot’ বা ‘could not’ যোগ করো। শুধু tense মিলিয়ে নাও: বর্তমান বাক্যে ‘cannot’ আর অতীত বাক্যে ‘could not’ ব্যবহার করো।
Examples:
- Affirmative: The old man was too weak to walk.
- Negative: The old man was so weak that he could not walk.
Rule 8: As … as becomes Not less … than
- When two things are compared with ‘as … as’, change that pair to ‘not less … than’. Keep the two things in the same order as before; only the comparing words change around them.
- যখন দুটি জিনিস ‘as … as’ দিয়ে তুলনা করা হয়, সেই জোড়াটিকে ‘not less … than’ এ বদলাও। তুলনা করা দুটি জিনিসকে আগের মতোই একই ক্রমে রাখো; শুধু তাদের চারপাশের তুলনার শব্দগুলো বদলায়।
Examples:
- Affirmative: Dhaka is as big as Chittagong.
- Negative: Dhaka is not less big than Chittagong.
Rule 9: Superlative or Comparative Degree becomes Positive Degree
- When a sentence praises someone with the superlative or the comparative degree, bring it down to the positive degree using a negative. Start with ‘No other’, keep the group in the middle, and end with ‘as … as’ plus the person being praised. The same negative pattern works whether the original was superlative or comparative. For a deeper look, see our lesson on degree change rules.
- যখন একটি বাক্য superlative বা comparative degree দিয়ে কাউকে প্রশংসা করে, একটি negative ব্যবহার করে এটিকে positive degree তে নামাও। ‘No other’ দিয়ে শুরু করো, দলটিকে মাঝে রাখো, আর ‘as … as’ এবং যাকে প্রশংসা করা হচ্ছে তাকে দিয়ে শেষ করো। মূল বাক্যটি superlative হোক বা comparative, একই negative প্যাটার্ন কাজ করে।
Examples:
- Affirmative: He is the best player in the team. (superlative)
- Negative: No other player in the team is as good as he.
- Affirmative: He is better than any other player in the team. (comparative)
- Negative: No other player in the team is as good as he.
Rule 10: Universal Truth becomes a Negative Interrogative
- When the sentence states a universal truth, a fact that is true for everyone, everywhere, turn it into a negative question. Move the auxiliary to the front, add ‘not’ after the subject, and finish with a question mark. Because the answer to that question is an obvious ‘yes’, the meaning stays exactly the same.
- যখন বাক্যটি একটি universal truth, এমন একটি সত্য যা সবার জন্য, সব জায়গায় সত্য, বর্ণনা করে, এটিকে একটি না-বোধক প্রশ্নে পরিণত করো। auxiliary কে সামনে আনো, subject এর পরে ‘not’ যোগ করো, আর একটি প্রশ্নবোধক চিহ্ন দিয়ে শেষ করো। যেহেতু সেই প্রশ্নের উত্তর একটি স্পষ্ট ‘হ্যাঁ’, অর্থ হুবহু একই থাকে।
Examples:
- Affirmative: The sun rises in the east.
- Negative: Does the sun not rise in the east?
More Rules for Higher Marks
Beyond the ten above, these extra patterns often appear in admission and job exams. Learn them too.
উপরের দশটি ছাড়াও, এই অতিরিক্ত প্যাটার্নগুলো প্রায়ই ভর্তি ও চাকরির পরীক্ষায় আসে। এগুলোও শেখো।
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Sometimes (মাঝে মাঝে) | Not always |
| For good / forever (চিরতরে) | Never |
| Many (অনেক) | Not a few |
| A few (অল্প কিছু) | Not many |
| Much (অনেক) | Not a little |
| Little (অল্প) | Not much |
Examples:
- Affirmative: She sometimes tells a lie.
- Negative: She does not always tell the truth.
- Affirmative: He has left the city for good.
- Negative: He will never come back to the city.
- Affirmative: Many students were present.
- Negative: Not a few students were present.
A useful extra pattern uses ‘never fail to’: “He always helps others” becomes “He never fails to help others.”
একটি কাজের অতিরিক্ত প্যাটার্ন ‘never fail to’ ব্যবহার করে: “He always helps others” হয় “He never fails to help others।”
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Do not change the meaning; only the structure changes. (অর্থ বদলিও না।)
- Do not forget the opposite word with ‘always → never’: “never late” must become “never punctual”. (‘never’ এর সাথে বিপরীত শব্দ দাও।)
- Keep ‘not only’ and ‘but also’ in balanced positions. (‘not only’ ও ‘but also’ সম অবস্থানে রাখো।)
- After ‘No sooner had’, use the past participle, and after ‘than’, use the past simple. (‘No sooner had’ এর পরে past participle।)
- Do not create a double negative that reverses the meaning. (অর্থ উল্টে যায় এমন double negative কোরো না।)
Practice Exercise with Answers
Part A: Change each affirmative sentence into negative. Part B: Change each negative sentence into affirmative.
নিজে চেষ্টা করার পরে নিচের উত্তরগুলো মিলিয়ে নাও।
Part A (Affirmative to Negative):
- Only Rahim can solve this problem.
- He must obey his parents.
- Every mother loves her child.
- As soon as the bell rang, the students left.
- She is always honest.
- Both Rana and Karim passed the exam.
- The boy is too weak to walk.
- Dhaka is as big as Chittagong.
- He is the best player in the team.
- The sun sets in the west.
- I speak English.
- She sometimes tells a lie.
- He has left the village for good.
- Many students were present.
- Only God can help us.
- We must respect our elders.
- Everybody wants to be happy.
- He is taller than Rahim.
- Iron is the most useful metal.
- Water is a great blessing.
- The old man is too tired to move.
- As soon as he saw the police, he ran away.
- She always keeps her word.
- Only a few people came to the meeting.
Part B (Negative to Affirmative): 25. None but the brave deserve the fair. 26. He cannot but accept the offer. 27. There is no rose without a thorn. 28. No sooner had she arrived than it started raining. 29. He is never late. 30. No other boy is as strong as Sohel.
Answers
Part A:
- None but Rahim can solve this problem.
- He cannot but obey his parents. (or cannot help obeying)
- There is no mother but loves her child.
- No sooner had the bell rung than the students left.
- She is never dishonest.
- Not only Rana but also Karim passed the exam.
- The boy is so weak that he cannot walk.
- Dhaka is not less big than Chittagong.
- No other player in the team is as good as he.
- Does the sun not set in the west?
- I do not speak English.
- She does not always tell the truth.
- He will never come back to the village.
- Not a few students were present.
- None but God can help us.
- We cannot but respect our elders.
- There is nobody but wants to be happy.
- Rahim is not so tall as he.
- No other metal is as useful as iron.
- Water is not a small blessing.
- The old man is so tired that he cannot move.
- No sooner had he seen the police than he ran away.
- She never breaks her word.
- Not many people came to the meeting.
Part B: 25. Only the brave deserve the fair. 26. He must accept the offer. 27. Every rose has a thorn. 28. As soon as she arrived, it started raining. 29. He is always punctual. 30. Sohel is the strongest boy.
A Tip for the Exam
The secret to this topic is to hunt for the signal word first. Scan the affirmative sentence for ‘only’, ‘must’, ‘every’, ‘as soon as’, ‘always’, ‘both…and’, ‘too…to’, ‘as…as’, or a degree word, and apply its pattern straight from the chart. If none of these appears, fall back on the basic rule: add ‘not’ after the auxiliary, or bring in do, does, or did. Change only the marked words, keep everything else in place, and never let the meaning shift. Do this calmly, and these transformation marks become some of the surest on your paper.
এই বিষয়ের রহস্য হলো আগে সংকেত-শব্দ খোঁজা। affirmative বাক্যে ‘only’, ‘must’, ‘every’, ‘as soon as’, ‘always’, ‘both…and’, ‘too…to’, ‘as…as’, বা একটি degree শব্দ খোঁজো, আর chart থেকে সরাসরি তার প্যাটার্ন প্রয়োগ করো। এদের কোনোটি না থাকলে, basic নিয়মে ফিরে যাও: auxiliary এর পরে ‘not’ যোগ করো, বা do, does, did আনো। শুধু চিহ্নিত শব্দ বদলাও, বাকি সব একই রাখো, আর খেয়াল রাখো যেন বাক্যের অর্থ পরিবর্তন না হয়। বাক্যের গঠন পরিবর্তন হবে অর্থ নয়।
Related Lessons
Keep learning transformation with these lessons:
- Transformation of Sentences: All Rules in One Guide
- Assertive to Imperative Sentence Transformation
- Assertive to Interrogative Sentence Transformation
- Assertive to Exclamatory Sentence Transformation
- Degree Change: Positive, Comparative, Superlative
- Voice Changing Theory in English Grammar
- Analysis of Sentences in English Grammar
- Kinds of Sentences in English Grammar
- Simple, Complex & Compound Sentences: How to Identify
- Simple to Complex Sentence Transformation
- Complex to Compound Sentence Transformation
- Simple to Compound Sentence Transformation
Frequently Asked Questions
What is affirmative to negative transformation?
It is changing a positive (affirmative) sentence into a negative one without changing its meaning, such as “Only you can do it” into “None but you can do it”.
What is the basic rule to make a sentence negative?
Add ‘not’ after the auxiliary verb (is, will, can, must). If there is only a principal verb, use do, does, or did according to the tense, then add ‘not’.
How does ‘must’ change in a negative sentence?
‘Must’ becomes ‘cannot but’ plus the base verb, or ‘cannot help’ plus the verb with -ing, as in “He must go” to “He cannot but go” or “He cannot help going”.
How does ‘only’ change?
‘Only’ becomes ‘None but’ for a person, ‘Nothing but’ for a thing, and ‘Not more than’ for a number or age.
Do I need to understand the sentence to transform it?
Not always. Because the rules change only fixed signal words, you can often transform a sentence correctly just by spotting the signal word and applying its pattern.