Can "also" be used in negative sentences?

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JACEK1

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Hello everybody!

I didn't manage to get back home on time yesterday, he didn't manage to get back home on time, either.

or

I didn't manage to get back home on time yesterday, nor/neither did he.

or

I didn't manage to get back home on time yesterday, he also didn't manage to get back home on time.

I think I saw "also" used instead of "either" in negative questions.

What do you think of that and could you provide some more explanation for it?

Thank you.
 

Matthew Wai

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My Oxford dictionary says "also (not used with negative verbs)" but I sometimes see people do otherwise, for example, Raymott said "I also wouldn't trust it" in this post.

Not a teacher.
 

emsr2d2

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Are you specifically looking for examples of using "also" with negative questions, as your post says? All your examples, and Matthew Wai's example, are statements, not questions.
 

JACEK1

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I am interested in negative statements with "also" instead of "either".
 

Roman55

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My Oxford dictionary says "also (not used with negative verbs)" but I sometimes see people do otherwise, for example, Raymott said "I also wouldn't trust it" in this post.

Not a teacher.

I am not a teacher.

When Raymott said, "I also wouldn't trust it..." he was giving more reasons for not trusting a website.
I don't trust it for this reason and I also wouldn't trust it for that reason.

This is not at all the same as, "XXX doesn't trust this website and I don't trust it also", which is what you are implying.
 

Matthew Wai

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Raymott said "I also wouldn't trust it because..." followed by 3 reasons one after another instead of "I don't trust it for this reason and I also wouldn't trust it for that reason".

This is not at all the same as, "XXX doesn't trust this website and I don't trust it also"
Before Raymott said so, Rover_KE already said he disagreed with a page on the site and he may count as "XXX".

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Roman55

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I am not a teacher.

You are being unnecessarily argumentative Matthew. I wasn't quoting Raymott (you may have noticed that there were no "" present), I was paraphrasing in an unsuccessful attempt to explain what I meant.

It's a bit of a stretch to count Rover_KE as "XXX" when that disagreement came a full 11 posts earlier, but have it your own way.

What is your point anyway?
 

Matthew Wai

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My point is that Rover_KE firstly disagreed with it and then Raymott said "I also wouldn't trust it".
Sorry for my
being unnecessarily argumentative, Roman, I will try to change it.

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Roman55

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I am not a teacher.

I meant your other point.

So, do you think it's OK to use "also" in negative sentences or don't you?
 

Matthew Wai

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I won't use "also" in negative sentences because of what my dictionaries say, but I believe Raymott must have reasons to use it that way.

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Barb_D

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JACEK1, I think it's important to point out that your original sentences had comma splices.

I didn't manage to get back home on time yesterday, he didn't manage to get back home on time, either.
I didn't manage to get back home on time yesterday, he also didn't manage to get back home on time.

Each should be ...yesterday. He ..." regardless of what decision you come to on the grammar.

(For what it's worth, I'd use the first, not the second.)
 

JACEK1

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From what I have seen and heard so far, I conclude that "also" can be used in a negative statement when I give reasons for something. Is that true? "Also" in this meaning cannot be used like "either" at the end of a sentence.
 

Raymott

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Before Raymott said so, Rover_KE already said he disagreed with a page on the site and he may count as "XXX".
No, Rover wasn't XXX.
"Because that site is very basic, and does not list all the necessary information.
I also wouldn't trust it, because ..."

If I'd left out the comma, the meaning would be obvious.
But what I actually meant was I didn't like the site (which can be inferred from line 1), and also (as well as not liking it), I wouldn't trust it. I then gave some reasons why I didn't trust it.

Having said that, if Rover had just posted and said, "I wouldn't trust it", I might still have used the second sentence with Rover being XXX. It's not common to use 'also' with a negative sentence, but some of us do it occasionally. I'd advise students against it.
Note that the 'also' has to come after the subject if you do this. That is, not "I wouldn't trust it also".
Here's a similar opinion in post 2:
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2552073

 
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