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I got confused about the usage of "yes" and "no".

I knew in English,"yes" or "no" should response to the meaning of sentence.

take a example. assuming a stuff is available.

     is it available? -yes.
     isn't it available? -yes.

but I not sure to say "yes" or "no" when someone ask a complicated question with double-negatives.

     is it unavailable? 
     isn't it unavailable?
Tim
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    When there's negation in the question, don't use just Yes or _ No_. Repeat the verb phrase in the answer: It isn't unavailable or It is unavailable. If you do that, you can preface either one with Yes or No, since they refer to your perception of the answer, not the question. – John Lawler Oct 21 '15 at 18:48
  • That isn't what the OP is asking. The question is about how adding the prefix 'un-' changes the response. – chasly - supports Monica Oct 21 '15 at 21:07
  • A single word yes or no is always going to be confusing where the question is posed in the negative. Thus we should answer in the form yes I do or no I don't irrespective of how the question is posed. The Japanese, on the other hand, give a literal answer to the question and, when speaking English, in reply to You don't go to the shop on Mondays, do you? may well answer yes I don't. – WS2 Oct 21 '15 at 22:38

1 Answers1

2

Is it unavailable?

(a) If it is unavailable then you answer:

"Yes." or "Yes, it is unavailable."

(b) If, on the other hand, it is not unavailable then it is available. You have a choice and can answer:

"No." or "No it isn't unavailable.

or you can say:

"No, it is available." or "No. In fact it is available."

Discussion

So far I have only dealt with the first part, i.e. the question "Is it unavailable?" In theory I should now go on to explain the second part, i.e. "Isn't it unavailable?"

However

In real-life, no-one would ever ask that.

If you try to memorise all these different responses you will become hopelessly confused. The key is not memorisation, it is understanding the purpose of the question.

A question is a request for information. The best way to deal with it is simply to give the information! You know whether X is available or not. Therefore you can simply say which is true. No matter how complicated the question, reply by talking about availabilty.

Example

Me: Good morning, I want some X. Is true or not true that X is available or isn't available, or is it?

You: We have plenty of X available. How much would you like?

or

You: I'm sorry, we don't have any X available today. Would you like me to order some for you?

Conclusion

In real life we don't try to imitate the form of a complicated question with double-negatives -- we simply answer.

chasly - supports Monica
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  • But imagine you walk into a store to buy a purple widget and when you get to the widget shelf a sign says, "We are no longer selling purple widgets." As you wait at the counter to pay for your other purchases, another customer walks up to the clerk with a purple widget, pays for it, and dashes off. You approach the counter with a perplexed look and say, "That man just bought a purple widget. Isn't it unavailable?" A logical question. The clerk might say, "Yes, it is now unavailable, but Mr. Smith had it on layaway. – Zan700 Oct 21 '15 at 22:16
  • You might ask that and I might ask that. However, if I was the clerk I'd actually say, "That one was on layaway." You don't want the other customer's life-history or a detailed breakdown of the past and present stock. You just want to know if there is a purple widget you can have. – chasly - supports Monica Oct 21 '15 at 22:21
  • a very detailed and easy to understanded answer. and I have made sense of the usage of "yes" and "no" now.thank you – Tim Oct 22 '15 at 02:57