15 January
Affirmative sentence
An affirmative sentence or declaration is positive e.g. : “Birds fly,” “Rabbits run,” and “Fish swim” are all affirmative sentences where the subjects are actively doing something, thereby making a positive statement about the noun in motion. An affirmative word or sentence is usually contrasted with a negative sentence, which commonly includes the negative particle “not.” e.g. “Rabbits don’t fly”.
Meaning of “Affirmative”
An affirmative word, phrase, or sentence expresses the validity or truth of a basic assertion, while a negative form expresses its falsity. The sentence, “Joe is here” would be an affirmative sentence, while “Joe is not here” would be a negative sentence. It can also refer to the process of expressing agreement or consent as well as assenting.
Using Affirmative Sentences
Although not essential to conveying clear thought, it would be rather odd if you spoke in mainly negative sentences, arriving at a point only by denying all other options—such as saying, “The person isn’t a boy,” when you really mean, she’s a girl, or “The house pet is not a bird, reptile, fish, or dog” when you really mean it’s a cat. Using the negative in these cases convolutes the sentences; it’s better to simply make affirmative statements: “She’s a girl,” or “The house pet is a cat.”
The January 2019 Language Rule
Communicate simply and clearly
Thank you for reading my blog.
Gordon
