Exercices C1 : les nuances de négation en anglais (corrigé)

Ces exercices vous permettent de mettre en pratique les subtilités de la négation en anglais abordées dans le cours : double négation, *negative words*, négation partielle et expressions temporelles.

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Exercice 1 — Compléter avec le bon mot négatif

Complétez chaque phrase avec le *negative word* approprié (neither, nor, barely, scarcely, hardly) pour exprimer la nuance négative correcte.

1. She had ___ finished her sentence when he interrupted her.
2. I could ___ believe what he was telling me — it sounded completely absurd.
3. ___ the manager nor the assistant was informed about the change in policy.
4. He ___ ever speaks in meetings, which makes it hard to gauge his opinion.

Correction

1. She had barely finished her sentence when he interrupted her.
2. I could scarcely believe what he was telling me — it sounded completely absurd.
3. Neither the manager nor the assistant was informed about the change in policy.
4. He hardly ever speaks in meetings, which makes it hard to gauge his opinion.

Exercice 2 — Corriger les erreurs de négation

Chaque phrase contient une erreur liée à la négation (double négation incorrecte, mauvais placement ou confusion de *negative words*). Réécrivez la phrase correctement.

1. I don't know nothing about what happened during the meeting.
2. Neither of the proposals were not accepted by the board.
3. No sooner had she arrived when the argument started.
4. He barely didn't manage to catch the last train home.

Correction

1. I don't know anything about what happened during the meeting.
2. Neither of the proposals was accepted by the board.
3. No sooner had she arrived than the argument started.
4. He barely managed to catch the last train home.

Exercice 3 — Choisir la négation exacte

Choisissez la réponse qui exprime le mieux la nuance négative requise par le contexte.

1. The new regulation affects ___. No exceptions were made for any group.
2. We had ___ time to review the contract before they asked us to sign it.
3. ___ had the announcement been made ___ rumours began to spread across the office.
4. The partial negation in 'Not all employees agree with the new policy' means ___.

Correction

1. The correct answer is b) no one whatsoever, because the sentence explicitly states that no exceptions were made, implying the regulation affects no one without exception — or more precisely, no group was spared from its scope.
2. The correct answer is d) scarcely any, because it conveys a nuanced near-zero quantity, implying time was critically insufficient rather than completely absent.
3. The correct answer is a) No sooner / than, because the fixed expression 'no sooner… than' is used to indicate that one event immediately followed another.
4. The correct answer is c) Some employees agree and some do not agree with the new policy, because 'not all' is a partial negation that excludes universal agreement without implying total disagreement.