MEETING III

(LISTENING)

NEGATIVE EXPRESSIONS

A. OBJECTIVES

After studying this material, students are able to:

1. Recognize and understand various types of negatives

2. Recognize and understand the negative expressions
found in short conversations

B. MATERIAL DESCRIPTION

1. INTRODUCTION

Negative expressions frequently appear in listening

test. The answers for this kind of question may appear
either in positive statement or in negative statement. But,
it can be said that they are mostly positive statements
which contains negative meaning words.

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 To gain better understanding on this topic, we firstly
need to divide types of negatives appearing in TOEFL
Listening. They are as following:

a. NEGATIVES

There are some negative markers or expression

you will find in listening section. To be clear, look at
this following table:

Examples Right answer /

Negative
meaning
Expressions
Robert couldn’t Could not pass =
Negative
pass the test. He fail
marker: not or
will try again.
n’t
Nobody likes rat. Everybody hates
Nobody, none,
Paul never rat.
nothing, never
makes his bed. Never makes his
bed = lazy

The staff was Irresponsible =

Negative
really ignorant
prefixes: un-, in-
irresponsible.
, dis-

Example 1: (File name EN1-M3-EX1)

Listen to the conversation and fill the blanks on the

script. Underline the words with negative expressions.
Then, pick your best answer.

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 Woman : “Mitch and Lynn ………… a lot …… since
they’re …………………...”

Man : “Oh, I …………… that Mitch was an

economics …………….”

Woman : “……… does the …… ………?”

a. He is aware that Lynn was studying economics.

b. He does not think they own something in common.
c. He knows Mitch better than he knows Lynn.
d. He is planning to learn economics by himself.

Discussion

Script:

Woman : “Mitch and Lynn must have a lot common

since they’re both economics major.”

Man : “Oh, I didn’t realize that Mitch was an

economics major too.”

Woman : “What does the man imply?”

 Look at again the negative statement from the 2nd

speaker ‘…didn’t realize that Mitch was an….”.
This indicates that he does not know Mitch studies
economics, just as Lynn does. The man doesn’t
know that they study the same major. Thus, the
answer for this question is B.

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 Exercise 3.1. (File name EN1-M3-Exercises3.1)

Now listen to these following short conversations. Try

to completely write down the scripts. Then, underline
the key words showing negative expressions. Finally,
pick up your best answer for every question!

1 Man: a. She will do it if she has

time.
b. It is not necessary to take
Woman:
out the trash.
c. She’s very busy.

Narrator: d. She has much free time.

2 Woman: e. What he is putting on to

the interview is influential.
f. He’s not concerned about
Man:
the interview.
g. The interview is very

Narrator: essential for him.

h. He has concerns on the
interview.

3 Woman: a. His attendance was

perfect.
b. He owns almost all of the
Man:
notes.

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 Narrator: c. He missed more than a
single psychology class.
d. He went to all the lectures
but one.

4 Woman: a. The library is closed at

6.00.
b. You cannot check out
Man:
more than 6 books in the
summer.

Narrator: c. They passed the library at

6.00.
d. In the summer, he library
starts at 6.00.

5 Woman: a. Water the plants one time

every day.
b. Give the plants no more
Man:
water.
c. Water the plants

Narrator: frequently when the man

is not there.
d. Provide the plants limited
water.

6 Man: e. Either the food or the

service was not satisfying.

Woman:

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 f. She considered the
restaurant’s service was
Narrator:
bad.
g. The service was better
than the food.
h. The service did not
dissatisfy her.

7 Woman: a. He left with the woman.

b. He told the kids to leave.
c. He honestly wanted the
Man:
woman to leave.
d. He was pranking the

Narrator: woman to leave his

house.

8 Woman: a. It is improbable to finish.

b. They are even not close
to completing the project.
Man:
c. The project is going to
take all their effort.

Narrator: d. They do not have other

things to do.

9 Man: a. She prefers to leave.

b. She would like to stay
more than one hour.
Woman:
c. She does not mind one
more hour.

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 Narrator: d. It is better to stay than to
leave.

10 Woman: a. The hotel’s service could

have been improved.
b. Its service was the same
Man:
as at the other hotels.
c. The hotel’s service wasn’t

Narrator: nice.
d. The hotel provided
excellent service for its
guests.

b. DOUBLE NEGATIVES

Just like in Mathematics, when a negative meets

a negative, it will result a positive. In English, the
existence of two negative words or markers will create
a positive meaning. For example:

It is not impossible = It is possible.

I don’t like uncomfortable sofa = I like comfortable
sofa.
I don’t hate chicken = I love chicken.

Look at this following table. This will provide you

where the double negatives can be formed.

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 Double Negatives

Examples Meaning
Situations
I can’t leave it I can leave it
Negative words,
unfinished tonight. finished.
ex:
Nobody isn’t at Everybody is at
No, not, none
home. home.
Negative
I did not disrespect I respected
prefixes:
you. you.
In-, un-, dis-
She doesn’t bring Implies that
Two negative
the ATM, so she she can
verbs
cannot withdraw. withdraw
money if she
brings the
ATM.

The shop won’t Both won’t

Neither or
open tomorrow, and open
not…either
neither the tomorrow.
restaurant.

Example 2 (File name EN1-M3-EX2)

Listen to the conversation and fill the blanks on the

script. Underline the words which indicates double
negative expressions. Then, pick your best answer.

Man : I’d like to ………. this …………… it’s too

……….. I ……………with me, though.

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 Woman : ……… could ……… the ……… for
…………... ……… you don’t ……………….., I
won’t be able to ………………….

Narrator : ………. does …………………. man?

a. He can only get a refund with a receipt.

b. The sweater isn’t available in a larger size.
c. He can get his money refunded.
d. The sweater fits him perfectly.

Discussion:

Script:

Man : “I’d like to return this sweater because it’s

too small. I don’t have the receipt with me,
though.”

Woman : “You could exchange the sweater for

another size. But if you don’t have the
receipt, I won’t be able to give you your
money back.”

Narrator :” What does the woman tell the man?”

 Listen and look at again what the 2nd speaker

says, “But if you don’t have the receipt, I won’t be
able to give you your money back”. This double
negative means if the man has the receipt, the
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 woman will allow him to have the money back or
to change the sweater with the right size.
Therefore, the answer for this question is A.

Exercise 3.2. (File name EN1-M3-Exercises3.2)

Now listen to these following short conversations. Try

to completely write down the scripts. Then, underline
the key words showing double negative expressions.
Finally, pick up your best answers!

1 Man: a. She really hopes for Ron’s

chances.
b. He will certainly be elected.
Woman:
c. The election is now
accomplished.

Narrator: d. It may occur.

2 Woman: a. Several parts of his games

were better than others.
b. His serves were better than
Man:
his volleys.
c. His both parts of the game

Narrator: were terrible.

d. He performed rather well in
the game.

3 Man: a. It is surprising that he was

prepared.

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 b. His strong preparation
came as no surprise.
Woman:
c. He set up a really big
surprise.
Narrator: d. As usual, he was not ready.

4 Man: a. She felt well enough to go

out.
b. She went out to get some
Woman:
medicine.
c. She felt like dancing, so

Narrator: she went out with

everybody.
d. Because of her illness, she
stayed home.

5 Woman: a. The others do not realize

her problems.
b. She knows that she has
Man:
been a problem.
c. She does not have a care

Narrator: in the world.

d. She has problems that
others are not aware of.

6 Man: a. Both Steve’s and Paul’s

papers were not complete.

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 b. Steve wanted to finish his
paper, and Paul did too.
Woman:
c. When Steve couldn’t finish
his paper, Paul wasn’t able
Narrator: to help.
d. Steve and Paul were busy
doing their papers term.

7 Man: a. George took responsibility

for the unpaid bill.
b. Bill wasn’t responsible for
Woman:
paying George’s rent.
c. George carelessly behaved

Narrator: by not taking care of the

bill.
d. George is not in charge to
pay the bill.

8 Man: a. It is good that he was not

admitted.
b. It is fortunate that he was
Woman:
accepted
c. It is too bad he was denied.

Narrator: d. Fortunately, the university

didn’t accept him.

9 Woman: a. The first essay was better

than the second one.

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 Man: b. The first and second drafts
could not be better.
c. The second draft of the
Narrator:
essays was much better
than the first one.
d. Both of the essays were
poorly written.

10 Man: a. Roger wasn’t the least bit

disturbed.
b. Roger’s been bothered.
Woman:
c. Roger has not been
disturbed.

Narrator: d. The problems have

affected Roger a little bit.

c. ALMOST NEGATIVES

Almost negative means that something is not

fully or not 100% negative. In English we can
recognize this by expressions such as hardly, seldom,
etc. For better understanding, look at this sentence:

She rarely goes home by bus.

 The word “rarely” means that she almost never
(not never) goes by bus.

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 Common Almost Negative Expressions

Meaning expression Example

Almost none Hardly, barely, There is hardly

scarcely, only any food in the
refrigerator.

Almost never Rarely, seldom He seldom books

flight by
Traveloka.

Example 3 (File name EN1-M3-EX3)

Listen to the conversation and fill the blanks on

the script. Underline the words which indicates almost
negative expressions. Then, pick your best answer.

Woman : Are you ………….. the ……..?

Man : Only ……….. have I ……. such

……… meat

Narrator : ………………mean?

a. This is the best meat he’s tasted in a long time.

b. He is willing to eat some meat from the
delicatessen.
c. Meat tastes delicious to him when it’s cooked rare.
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 d. He is not certain if the meat is delicious.

Discussion:

Script:

Woman : “Are you enjoying the

barbecue?”

Man : “Only rarely have I tasted such

delicious meat”

Narrator : “What does the man mean?”

 Look at again what the 2nd speaker says, “Only

rarely have I tasted such delicious meat”. The
word ‘rarely’ indicates that he almost never tastes
delicious meats. This means that this is his first
time to taste the best/most delicious meat in a
certain time. Thus, the answer for this question is
A.

Exercise 3.3. (File name EN1-M3-Exercises3.3)

Now listen to these following short

conversations. Try to completely write down the
scripts. Then, underline the key words showing almost
negative expressions (barely, rarely, only, etc). Finally,
pick up your best answers!

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 1 Man: a. When it is in July, it
rains hard.
b. In July, it rains hard.
Woman:
c. There is little rain in
July.

Narrator: d. In July, rain never

comes.

2 Woman: a. John was not

admitted.
b. Two were accepted.
Man:
c. All of them are not
going to the university.

Narrator: d. The university

admitted the three
students.

3 Man: a. Professor Frank didn’t

pass Mark on the
history exam.
Woman:
b. Mark had the highest
grade on the history

Narrator: exam.
c. Although he passed,
Mark’s exam grade
was not too good.

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 d. Mark failed his history
exam.

4 Man: a. He does no t mind

waiting for Dr.
Roberts.
Woman:
b. He often has long line
waiting for Dr. Robert

Narrator: in his office.

c. He must patiently wait
for Dr. Robert.
d. Dr. Robert is mostly
on time.

5 Woman: a. Betty prefers to take

vacation in winter.
b. A winter vacation is
Man:
rare for Betty
c. Generally, Betty works

Narrator: one week during

vacation.
d. Betty frequently takes
vacation in winter.

6 Man: a. He is a great
student.
b. He barely spends his
Woman:
time on his courses.

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 Narrator: c. His books are
always open.
d. He never studies.

7 Man: a. He couldn’t complete

the exam.
b. He finished the
Woman:
exam in much time.
c. He was scared if he

Narrator: couldn’t finish.

d. He used every single
possible minute to
finish.

8 Man: a. The meeting lasted

just until one o’clock.
b. The one staff-
Woman:
meeting should last
longer.

Narrator: c. This staff meeting

was very long.
d. In a long time, this
was the only staff
meeting they have.

d. Comparatives with Negatives

In short dialogue, negatives can be used with

comparatives. A sentence with a negative-
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 comparative results in superlative meaning. This
signifies strong stress on the sentence, which means
“superlative” may be replaced by other words such as
extremely, very, etc. Look at this example below:

I do not find naughtier kid than Tom in this class.

 The negative “do not” is followed by comparative

“naughtier” means that the Tom is the naughtiest
kid in this class. “the naughtiest” can also be
replaced by “extremely naughty” or “highly
naughty”, etc.

Comparatives with negatives

Nothing is more NFT is the most

more
expensive than NFT. expensive.
NFT is extremely
expensive.
NFT is incredibly
expensive.

John couldn’t be more John is the most

-er
thankful. thankful.
John is really
thankful.
John is extremely
thankful.

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 Example 4: (File name EN1-M3-EX4)

Listen to the conversation and fill the blanks on

the script. Underline the words which indicates almost
negative expressions. Then, pick your best answer.

Woman : “…… do …… you …… in the

………… in biology?”

Man : “…… could … been …………

than ………….”

Narrator : “…. does ……… mean?”

a. The exam had nothing difficult on it.

b. Nothing was very hard on the test.
c. The test wasn’t easy at all.
d. The test could not have been easier.

Discussion:

Script:

Woman : “How do you think you did in the

final exam in biology?”

Man :”Nothing could have been more

difficult than that exam.”

Narrator : “What does the man mean?”

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  Let’s see again the 2nd speaker statement ‘Nothing
could have been more difficult than that exam.’ It
has a negative marker ‘nothing’ and a
comparative marker ‘more difficult’. This means
that the final exam is the most difficult exam the
man took. Thus, the answer is C.

Exercise 3.4. (File name EN1-M3-Exercises3.4)

Now listen to these following short

conversations. Try to completely write down the
scripts. Then, underline the key words showing almost
expressions with negative comparative. Then, pick up
your best answers!

1 Man: a. She didn’t perform very

well on the test.
b. She is not very happy.
Woman:
c. She’s delighted with
the results.

Narrator: d. She could be

somewhat happier.

2 Woman: a. Paula made a strong

effort.
b. Paula could have tried
Man:
harder.
c. Paula is mostly lazy.

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 d. Paula didn’t try hard in
this semester.
Narrator:

3 Man: a. The prices could have

been lower.
b. Because of the prices,
Woman:
she didn’t buy much.
c. The prices were too

Narrator: expensive.
d. The prices were great.

4 Woman: a. He doesn’t recognize

her very well.
b. She always tells him
Man:
everything.
c. She is not so smart.

Narrator: d. She’s incredibly

intelligent.

5 Woman: a. It was necessary to

perform the surgery
immediately.
Man:
b. Surgery is absolutely
not needed by the

Narrator: patient.
c. The importance for the
surgery was
unquestionable.

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 d. The surgeon felt that
the operation was
important.

6 Man: a. They were not really

fortunate.
b. She wanted to have
Woman:
better luck.
c. No one got hurt.

Narrator: d. The accident was

unlucky.

7 Man: a. She did win the race.

b. She wasn’t quicker
than anyone.
Woman:
c. She was second in
the race.

Narrator: d. She was nearly the

slowest participant in
the race.

8 Man: a. Everyone else wants

that job as badly as
she does.
Woman:
b. She is not certain
about accepting the

Narrator: job.

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 c. She really wants that
job so much.
d. Nobody is going to get
the job.

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C. EXERCISES

Review Exercises: (File name EN1-M3-Review Exercise)

This is a review exercise. Listen carefully to the short
conversations and the questions. Complete the conversation
in the blanks. Pay attention, so you can see the negative,
almost negative, double negative, and negative with
comparative sentences. Then, choose your best answer and
be careful with the passive statement.

1 Man: a. She is impossible to do

anything else.
b. She’s able to try a bit harder.
Woman:
c. She does the best she can.
d. There is many more than she

Narrator: can do.

2 Man: a. Only on the trip was the bus

right on schedule.
b. The bus left on time only for
Woman:
once.
c. The bus was always late.

Narrator d. She’s always late for the bus.

3 Man: a. Everyone surrounding the table

had much soup.
b. There was not sufficient soup to
Woman:
go around.

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 Narrator: c. They had so much soup that
they could not finish it.
d. Everyone had one serving of
soup, but there was not enough
for the seconds.

4 Woman: a. It’s highly necessary for her to

go.
b. She really wants to see the
Man:
movie.
c. She really couldn’t move to

Narrator: Florida.
d. She’s not willing to go there
anymore.

5 Man: a. She could accomplish the

paper, but she didn’t turn it in.
b. The paper was completely
Woman:
messy, so she did not turn it in.
c. The paper was not finished.

Narrator: d. She handed the paper in right

on schedule.

6 Woman: a. Sylvia likes modern art less

than Tim does.
b. Sylvia cares for nothing on
Man:
What Tim does.
c. Sylvia and Tim share the same
opinions on modern art.

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 Narrator: d. Neither Tim nor Sylvia takes
care of Art.

7 Woman: a. They never feel hard to work in

the afternoon.
b. In the afternoon, they never
Man:
work.
c. They do not do much after

Narrator: lunch.
d. They mostly work hard in the
afternoon.

8 Man: a. When warm, he turns on the

AC.
b. The AC only works every time it
Woman:
is not needed.
c. He likes turning on the AC when

Narrator: it gets warm.

d. It’s difficult for him to work when
it is warm.

9 Man: a. He has felt worse before this.

b. He really poorly performed on
the test.
Woman:
c. He is not so unhappy with the
results.

Narrator: d. The test’s results couldn’t have

been better.

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 10 Woman: a. All the committed members
should not have decided the
issue.
Man:
b. Because so many members
were absent, the issue was not

Narrator: decided.
c. With so many present
members, the committee could
not reach an agreement.
d. The committee must have
waited until more and more
members were present.

D. REFERENCES

Phillips, Deborah. 2001. Longman Complete Course for the

TOEFL Test (Preparation for the Computer and Paper
Test). New York: Longman.

_____________. 2003. Longman Complete Course for the

TOEFL Test (the Paper Test). New York: Longman.

Rogers, Bruce. 1999. TOEFL PRACTICE TESTS (2ND Ed).

Princeton: Peterson’s Guide.

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