4.2.2.2.8. Denying and forbidding

All of the types of statements you can now understand can be negated. I'm sure that by this point you'll have already run into negation, but I mention it here for the sake of completeness. The negation of “This is a man” is “This is not a man.” There are also negative commands and instructions. “Don't sit down” is the negative counterpart of “Sit down”.

Techniques: Think of the example above of learning the names of rooms in the house using a sketch of the floor plan. Suppose the LRP says “Where is the verandah?” and you point to the entrance way by mistake. The LRP can naturally correct you in the language by saying “No. That is not the verandah. That is the entry way. This is the verandah.” Likewise, if during TPR the LRP says “Turn to the right” and you turned to the left by mistake, then she can gently correct you, “No. Don't turn to the right. Turn to the left.” If the LRP frequently makes such natural comments in negative forms, you will easily learn to comprehend negative sentences.