Regra: to be + also + not

I know we place also after the verb to be.
My brother is a musician. I am also a musician.

What about the placement of not? I generally write:
I am not supposed to arrive late. I am also not supposed to drink at work.

Are they correct? Is there any rule of thumb?

What about these:
She is not supposed to drink.
She is also not supposed to stay out late.
She isn't also supposed to stay out late.


In one sentence "also" comes before not. The same does not hold true
when "not" is contracted together with "is".

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

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5 respostas
Ordenar por: Data
Henry Cunha 3 18 190
Fernando

Your first two examples using "I" are perfect. And of course there is no contraction of "I am not" (that includes the "not"), as there is for "You aren't" and "He isn't," so your question is very appropriate.

I think it's mostly for the sake of clarity that we prefer "She is also not supposed to stay out late." The word "not" is one that the speaker will emphasize; and we can't do that if we shorten it into a contracted form. But one could say "She's also not...", a contraction that doesn't affect the spoken emphasis on the "not."

Another reason is the contrary logical sense:

A: This is black and white.
B: I agree it's black, but it isn't also white.

Actually contractions in English aren't always as simple as they look. When we write them, we do so thinking of and imitating the spoken language. For example, we can go either way with "You aren't" or "You're not," and which one is chosen may depend on the phrasing, the intended tone, the social circumstance, the required clarity and the meaning.

Another good reason why it makes more sense to learn to listen, speak, read and write English simultaneously.
Henry Cunha
Thanks a lot for your reply. It was very helpful.

I caught myself wondering, "why have I never seen this
subject on a book or on the Internet?" Sure they talk
about the position of "also", but they simply overlook
some subtleties like the one we've been discussing.

If you have any suggestions for me, a link, or perhaps
a book that could help regarding this this subject (and
other similar ones), please let me know.

Thanks once more.
Henry Cunha 3 18 190
To tell the truth, I've been speaking and writing English most of my life and never thought about this kind of thing until I started posting on this site. I think the subject isn't common fare in textbooks because it is rather subtle, as you say, and only of interest to learners at an advanced stage.

So here are two examples of the use (or not) of written contractions designed to imitate the spoken language.

1. A and B hear some unusual story, and react differently:

A tentatively "questions" the speaker with a "degraded" negative: "You aren't serious."
B is pretty sure the story is untrue and issues a stronger negative: "You're not serious."

The hiding or the full display of the "not" carries the underlying intent of the responses.

2. A girl and a boy discuss their relationship:

G: You don't seem very interested in the problem I'm having.
B: I'm interested.
G: Well, it doesn't seem you are.
B: I am interested.

There's a substantive difference between "I'm" and "I am" when spoken (the stress shifts from Í'm to I ám), and English provides us with some means to try and capture such differences in writing. It's an issue mostly for advanced learners, I think, as they begin to notice these specifics of the spoken language, and begin to try transcribing them on to the written language.
Henry,

I see what the point is. Your explanations were very clarifying
and enlightening. I really appreciated them.

By the way, your name reminded my of the book "The Red Badge Of Courage". :)

Thanks a lot for your time and for your help.
Actually, the correct would be to use either.

She is not supposed to stay out so late either.

My bad, sorry.