Understand precisely the difference between “not all are ~” (partial negation) and “none are ~” (complete negation).
Basic Rules
Partial negation: not is combined with all/both/every/always/necessarily/entirely, and so on. “It is not the case that all are ~”
“Not all students like math.” (Not all students like math.)
“I don't always agree with him.” (I do not agree with him all the time.)
Complete negation: use no/none/neither/never/nobody/nothing. “Not even one ~”
“Neither of them is right.” (Neither of them is correct.)
“None of them passed the exam.” (None of them passed the exam.)
Not every plan succeeds. (Not every plan succeeds.) ← Partial negation
I don't entirely agree with you. (I do not completely agree with you.) ← Partial negation
Nobody knows the truth. (Nobody knows the truth.) ← Complete negation
Neither answer is correct. (Neither answer is correct.) ← Complete negation
Points to Note
① Negation of Both A and B: “Not both A and B” (partial negation) vs. “Neither A nor B” (complete negation)
② not ~ at all / not ~ in the least: “not ~ at all” (emphasis of complete negation)
③ Translation: partial negation means “it is not necessarily the case that ~,” while complete negation means “not ~ at all / not even one ~”
- Partial negation: not + all/both/every/always → “it is not the case that ~”
- Complete negation: no/none/neither/never → “not ~ at all”
- Not both A and B (partial) vs. Neither A nor B (complete)
- not ~ at all: emphasis of complete negation
Practice
- Translate “Not all rich people are happy” into English using partial negation.
- Rewrite the following sentence as complete negation: Not both of them came to the party. (Make it mean that neither came.)
- Translate the following into Japanese, paying attention to whether it is partial or complete negation: I don't necessarily agree with everything he says.