规则： 尽量使用肯定句。
提出论点时语意要明确，避免使用平淡无力、模棱两可的字词。Not 应该只用在表达否定或对比修辞时，不要用来规避正面论述，例如：
（×） The Taming of the Shrew is rather weak in spots. Shakespeare does not portray Katharine as a very admirable character, nor does Bianca remain long in memory as an important character in Shakespeare’s works.
（○） The women in The Taming of the Shrew are unattractive. Katharine is disagreeable, Bianca insignificant.
《驯悍记》中的女性角色缺乏魅力，凯瑟琳不甚讨喜，毕安卡更无足轻重。
（×） He did not think that studying Latin was much use.
（○） He thought the study of Latin useless.
他觉得研究拉丁文没什么用。
（×）He was not very often on time.
（○）He usually came late.
他常常迟到。
在第一个例子中，第一个句子不仅语意不明确，还带给读者负面的感受；修正后的版本能简洁明确地猜测作者的意图。
上述三个例子都说明了not 这个词的弱点，不管在何种情况下，读者读到“A 不是B”时都不会满意；他们想知道“A 是什么”。因此请谨记在心，表达否定语意时，使用肯定句仍是个较好的选择，例如：
not honest → dishonest 不诚实
not important → trifling 琐碎的
did not remember → forgot 忘记
did not pay any attention to → ignored 忽略
did not have much confidence in → distrusted 不信任
将否定句和肯定句并置(对比修辞)通常强而有力：
Not charity, but simple jusetice.
这不是救济，而是简单的正义。
Not that I loved Caesar less, but Rome the more.
我爱凯撒，更爱罗马。
除not之外的否定词语气通常也较强，例如：
The sun never sets upon the British flag.
大不列颠，日不落国。
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英文原文：
RULE11 Put statements in positive form.
Make definite assertions. Avoid tame, colorless, hesitating, non-committal language. Use the word not as a means of denial or in antithesis, never as a means of evasion.
（×）The Taming of the Shrew is rather weak in spots. Shakespeare does not portray Katharine as a very admirable character, nor does Bianca remain long in memory as an important character in Shakespeare’s works.
（○）The women in The Taming of the Shrew are unattractive. Katharine is disagreeable, Bianca insignificant.
（×）He did not think that studying Latin was much use.
（○）He thought the study of Latin useless.
（×）He was not very often on time.
（○）He usually came late.
The first example, before correction, is indefinite as well as negative. The corrected version, consequently, is simply a guess at the writer’s intention.
All three examples show the weakness inherent in the word not. Consciously or unconsciously, the reader is dissatisfied with being told only what is not; he wishes to be told what is. Hence, as a rule, it is better to express even a negative in positive form.
not honest → dishonest
not important → trifling
did not remember → forgot
did not pay any attention to → ignored
did not have much confidence in → distrusted
The antithesis of negative and positive is strong:
Not charity, but simple jusetice.
Not that I loved Caesar less, but Rome the more.
Negative words other than not are usually strong:
The sun never sets upon the British flag.
─ ─摘自:《英文写作圣经《The Elements of Style》》野人出版提供@
责任编辑：黎薇
