When negatives are used in English, they typically appear next to the word being negated. For example, “I do not have my homework.” The not appears next to the verb being changed to a negative.

In American Sign Language, the negative sign is grammatically placed at the end of the sentence, with a few exceptions and additional rules. If a negative sign appears in a question, the W/H sign must be the last thing signed, therefore, the negative appears before W/H signs. Looking at the same example, the homework sentence in ASL would be, “HOME^WORK IX:(self) HAVE NOT.” Negatives can appear elsewhere in the sentence. However, it is imperative for ASL learners to practice the grammar rule now, so in the future they can accurately create comprehensible sentences.

Another unique feature of sign languages, is incorporation. This is when we take a base sign and incorporate the handshape of another sign. This is different than compounds signs, which take features of both signs and combine them into a new sign (e.g. HOME^WORK). Negative incorporation is different than numerical incorporation, which is the most common form of incorporation. Negative incorporation is when we take the verbs: LIKE, KNOW, or WANT and incorporate a new movement to create a singular sign with a negative connotation. These are the only three signs where a negative has been incorporated into it to make: DONT-WANT, DONT-KNOW, and DONT-LIKE.

Finally, remember there are three main negative signs: NO, NOT, and NONE. Be careful and know the meaning of each one. NO is only used in response to a YES/NO Question. NOT is typically used to make a statement negative. NONE is used when we need to indicate a lack of, zero, or having nothing.