High School

Rewrite the underlined part of each sentence to make a meaningful negative alternative. There may be more than one way of rewriting some sentences.

0 I'll accept interruptions from you or anyone else while I'm speaking.
I'll accept no interruptions.
Or: I won't accept any interruptions.

1 We hope that the soldiers experience a lot of resistance when they enter the city.

2 After the images of the famine, Geldof urged the nation to turn their TVs off.

3 In English, the subjunctive is usually different from the past tense.

4 My brother's only just started his electronics degree, so he tried to repair the TV himself when it went wrong last week.

5 A great number of songbirds are seen these days, owing to the erosion of their natural habitats.

6 In this modern city you get an impression of life in the pre-Capitalist era.

7 I was willing to help the children, as they had to take responsibility for the schoolwork they brought home.

8 War crimes should be both commonplace and accepted in times of conflict.

9 The estimated fee for the project was unreasonable, but I decided to negotiate further.

10 I think that our company will be offering aid to the disaster zone this time.

11 Sarah has only had a few lessons on the guitar so she's a good guitarist.

12 The new twin-turbo engine generates a lot of noise but is especially powerful.

Answer :

To rewrite each of the underlined parts of the sentences as meaningful negative alternatives, you can approach it by including the opposite or negation of the original meaning. Here are possible rewrites for each:

  1. We hope that the soldiers experience a lot of resistance when they enter the city.

    • We hope that the soldiers experience no resistance when they enter the city.
    • Or: We hope that the soldiers don't experience any resistance when they enter the city.
  2. After the images of the famine, Geldof urged the nation to turn their TVs off.

    • After the images of the famine, Geldof urged the nation not to keep their TVs on.
  3. In English, the subjunctive is usually different from the past tense.

    • In English, the subjunctive is not usually similar to the past tense.
  4. My brother's only just started his electronics degree, so he tried to repair the TV himself when it went wrong last week.

    • My brother's only just started his electronics degree, so he didn't ask for help to repair the TV himself when it went wrong last week.
  5. A great number of songbirds are seen these days, owing to the erosion of their natural habitats.

    • A few songbirds are not seen these days, owing to the restoration of their natural habitats.
  6. In this modern city you get an impression of life in the pre-Capitalist era.

    • In this modern city you don't get an impression of life in the pre-Capitalist era.
  7. I was willing to help the children, as they had to take responsibility for the schoolwork they brought home.

    • I was not willing to help the children, as they didn't have to take responsibility for the schoolwork they brought home.
  8. War crimes should be both commonplace and accepted in times of conflict.

    • War crimes should neither be commonplace nor accepted in times of conflict.
  9. The estimated fee for the project was unreasonable, but I decided to negotiate further.

    • The estimated fee for the project was not reasonable, yet I decided not to avoid further negotiation.
  10. I think that our company will be offering aid to the disaster zone this time.

    • I think that our company will not be offering aid to the disaster zone this time.
  11. Sarah has only had a few lessons on the guitar so she's a good guitarist.

    • Sarah has only had a few lessons on the guitar so she is not a good guitarist yet.
  12. The new twin-turbo engine generates a lot of noise but is especially powerful.

    • The new twin-turbo engine doesn't generate a lot of silence although it is especially powerful.