含蓄否定句

英語中有時可用never, seldom, rarely, hardly ever, scarcely ever (指次數極少) 以及barely, hardly, scarcely (=not just幾乎不) 等副詞組成否定句和近似否定句，含有這類詞或詞組的句子就叫“含蓄否定句”。如：

We never see them nowadays. 如今我們全看不到他們了。

We hardly (ever) / scarcely (ever) / rarely see them nowadays. 如今我們難得見到他們了。

We rarely stay in hotels, for we can’t afford it. 我們很少住旅館，因為我們住不起。

Nowadays, we drive down to the coast only rarely. 如今，我們可難得開車去海邊。

This soup is hardly / barely / scarcely warm (enough). 這湯不怎么 (夠) 熱。

She plays hardly / barely / scarcely well enough. 她演奏得不夠好。

It might stop raining, but I hardly / scarcely think it likely. 雨也許會停，可是我認為不大可能。

Jimmy barely knows his multiplication tables yet. 吉米還不太會背九九表。

You never / seldom work on Sundays, do you? 你從不 / 幾乎不在星期天工作，是嗎?

She had a lot of friends and was usually asked out in the evenings, so she seldom spent an evening at home.  她有很多朋友，晚上常被邀請外出，因此她晚上很少在家里呆著。

注意，由于hardly, barely和scarcely等本身是否定詞，所以不可與not或never 連用。