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Doesn't is the contraction for does not.

From my knowledge, the sentence Doesn't Tom like Sally? is legitimate.

Why is this so?

If I expand the sentence, it becomes Does not Tom like Sally? which starts to not make sense.

SrJoven
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iridescent
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3 Answers3

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The modern grammar requires that not must be contracted with the auxiliary verb in order to move from its normal position. If it is not contracted, it must stay in the same position it's in in a normal declarative sentence:

  1. Tom does not like Sally (normal negative sentence)
  2. Does Tom not like Sally (no contraction, not in normal declarative sentence position)
  3. Doesn't Tom like Sally (contracted with auxiliary, n't appears in pre-subject position)
Araucaria - Him
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    +1 - Learning something new every day. – anongoodnurse Nov 03 '14 at 18:06
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    "Is not that so? It is." ( http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/dbanach/apology.htm ) – Kris Nov 04 '14 at 10:28
  • See also: http://praxeology.net/alcibiades2.htm http://books.google.co.in/books?id=9vgrEwY3UBwC&pg=PA162&lpg=PA162&dq=%22is+not+that+so%22+-%22isn%27t+that+so%22&source=bl&ots=6BT4Q_MVEf&sig=xQAcbKVrwwrTwksqSheCNjtK_5w&hl=en&sa=X&ei=s6lYVJDWBJHJuATF4YCQBw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22is%20not%20that%20so%22%20-%22isn%27t%20that%20so%22&f=false – Kris Nov 04 '14 at 10:28
  • http://books.google.co.in/books?id=JNZbAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA77&lpg=PA77&dq=%22is+not+that+so%22+-%22isn%27t+that+so%22&source=bl&ots=Zq8PNU3Jti&sig=LlrVSuF5xnJNKLXrI21DjmFGCZA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=s6lYVJDWBJHJuATF4YCQBw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22is%20not%20that%20so%22%20-%22isn%27t%20that%20so%22&f=false – Kris Nov 04 '14 at 10:30
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    Thanks for the detailed answer. Took me awhile to understand it, but it was worth it :D – iridescent Nov 04 '14 at 15:12
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I believe "Does not Tom like Sally" was actually a correct usage, though it is now uncommon/archaic except in the "Doesn't..." form. (I still hear "Does not..." occasionally when folks are attempting to be Extremely Formal, but that may be a back-formation.)

keshlam
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0

"Doesn't Tom like ..." and "Does Tom not like ..." are both correct. It is a feature of all contracted forms of auxiliary verbs used in the negative interrogative, e.g., "Wouldn't Tom like" or "Would Tom not like".

Martin
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    But the OP's example was "Does not Tom like", not "Does Tom not like"! :) – Araucaria - Him Nov 03 '14 at 16:43
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    @Araucaria That's Martin's point. The expanded form is not "Does not Tom like?", but rather "Does Tom not like?". That's part of the contraction here. – Nick2253 Nov 03 '14 at 16:57
  • @Nick2253 I don't understand what you mean :( "Doesn't Tom like" has [1: Does + 2: n't + 3 Tom]. Compare this with [1: Does + 3: Tom + 2: not]. The order of the parts is different when there is or isn't a contraction. One is not a simple contraction of the other. That's the point of the question, imo:) – Araucaria - Him Nov 03 '14 at 17:02
  • @Araucaria Contractions aren't just based on simple word order. A feature of contractions in English in the negative interrogative is that word order isn't literal. "Doesn't" in the negative interrogative is due to symmetry in the negative declarative "Tom does not like.." -> "Tom doesn't like..." -> "Doesn't Tom like...?" – Nick2253 Nov 03 '14 at 17:09
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    @Nick2253 Yes, I know that (see answer below). My point was that Martin's answer sounded like it was affirmative: A & C are both correct. The OP's question was about A & B. But B nowadays, as pointed out by Keshlam below, is a bit squiffy! – Araucaria - Him Nov 03 '14 at 17:13
  • "Doesn't Tom like Sally?" is not equivalent to "Does Tom not like Sally?". If I answered yes (probably in the form of "yes, he does") to the first question, it would mean that Tom does like Sally. If I answered yes (or more likely, "correct", or some other affirmative) to the second question, it would mean that Tom does not like Sally. – Doc Nov 04 '14 at 06:27