Overview
Passive negatives insert 'not' after the first auxiliary verb. Examples: The report was not finished on time. The email has not been sent. It will not be approved. Contractions: wasn't, hasn't been, won't be. Negative passives are common in formal contexts to report what did not happen.
Forming Passive Negatives
- ruleInsert 'not' after the first auxiliary verb.
- pastThe report was not finished on time.
- perfectThe email has not been sent yet.
- futureThe plan will not be approved.
- modalThis must not be repeated.
Contractions
- pastwasn't built / weren't informed
- perfecthasn't been done / haven't been told
- futurewon't be completed / won't be signed
- modalcan't be done / shouldn't be shared
- noteContractions are informal — avoid in formal writing.
Common Errors
- ❌ It was not approve → ✅ It was not approved.
- ❌ It has not send → ✅ It has not been sent.
- ❌ It not was finished → ✅ It was not finished.
When to use
Formal Reports
The procedure was not followed correctly.
Business English
The invoice has not been received.
News
The suspect has not been identified.
Legal Contexts
The contract must not be altered.