5

This question here asks about answering negative questions:

I have a completely different question. I want to know:

  • how do we agree or disagree with negative statements in English.

Example:

––This is not a duplicate question.

––Yes, it is a new one.

or

––This is not a duplicate question.

––No, it is a new one.

Community
  • 1
schremmer
  • 151
  • 1
  • 4
  • 2
    I do not know how to explain how my question is different other than how I stated it. Please read the title: This is NOT a duplicate because the first person is NOT asking a question but is making a negative statement with which the second person wants to agree. – schremmer Apr 28 '16 at 02:47
  • I completely agree with your comment. This is not a dupe. Have voted to reopen. – Araucaria - Not here any more. Apr 28 '16 at 09:48
  • Your question is now reopened! :) – Araucaria - Not here any more. Apr 28 '16 at 12:30
  • 1
    I appreciate very much the edit and I learned something. (Even though I had rather expected the "duplicate question" issue to come up, I did not dare be that explicit and the closer I had thought I could come was to use the example as a hint.) – schremmer Apr 28 '16 at 12:40

1 Answers1

5

The standard way is to clarify your answer by rephrasing the question rather than only saying "no" or "yes".

A - This is not a duplicate question.
B - Yes, it is [a duplicate question].

A - This is not a duplicate question.
B - No, it is not [a duplicate question].

Catija
  • 25,400
  • 4
  • 63
  • 95
  • @ Catija Actually, I should have stated my question the way I just edited it. Sorry about that. – schremmer Apr 27 '16 at 19:50
  • @ Catija I agree that this would clarify but I would like to know which of the two answers I gave would be properly understood---if at all, because, to compare, I asked the same question on French Language. (http://french.stackexchange.com/questions/18904/comment-exprimer-son-agr%C3%A9ment-avec-une-n%C3%A9gation-par-oui-ou-par-non) – schremmer Apr 28 '16 at 12:47