Part 208

He has not written the letter.

§ 11. In questions +=nicht=+ sometimes stands =before= the =accusative=; as—

+Haben Sie ~nicht~ meinen Brief erhalten?+

Have you not received my letter?

§ 12. In general the negation +=nicht=+ stands before that part of the sentence which it affects; as—

+Ich bin ~nicht~ krank gewesen.+

I have not been ill.

+Wir sprechen ~nicht~ von ihm, sondern von seinem Vetter.+

We do not speak of him, but of his cousin.

+Die Natur hatte sie ~nicht~ mit Schönheit ausgestattet.+

Nature had not endowed her with beauty.

II. INVERTED CONSTRUCTION.

§ 13. The ordinary way of arranging the words is to place the =subject= and its adjuncts =first=, and the =predicate= with its adjuncts =after=; as—

+Der gute Vater+ (subj.) +ist heute Morgen mit seinen drei Töchtern nach London abgereist+ (predicate with adjuncts).

The good father has left this morning for London with his three daughters.

=But this construction is sometimes inverted, so as to place the predicate, or a part of the predicate, before the subject.= This is the case:

(a) =In interrogative clauses=; as—

+~Kommt~ der Mann heute?+

Does the man come to-day?

+~Ist~ der Vater nach London abgereist?+

Has the father left for London?

+~Hat~ er kein Geld bei sich?+

Has he no money about him?

(b) =In imperative clauses=; as—

+Senden Sie diesen Brief zur Post!+

Send this letter to the post-office!

(c) =In exclamatory clauses=; as—

+~Hätte~ er auf mich gehört!+