In English, the phrase ‘not always’ is often used to express that something does not happen all the time or is not universally true. The sentence ‘They are not always successful in whale hunting.’ means that their success in whale hunting is not guaranteed every time. However, what if you want to express the opposite: ‘not always’ in a way that means ‘never’? Let’s look at how to make this change.
1. Changing ‘Not Always’ to ‘Never’
To express the opposite of ‘not always’ and say ‘never’, we need to reframe the sentence so that it directly negates the action. The correct transformation of the sentence ‘They are not always successful in whale hunting’ would be:
- ‘They are never successful in whale hunting.’
Here, the phrase ‘never’ directly implies that success in whale hunting does not occur at any time, whereas ‘not always’ leaves room for occasional success.
2. The Difference Between ‘Not Always’ and ‘Never’
It’s important to understand the difference between these two terms:
- ‘Not always’ means ‘sometimes not’ or ‘occasionally not’. It implies that the action does happen at times, but not every time.
- ‘Never’ means ‘at no time’, which is a stronger negation implying that the action does not happen at all.
3. Other Examples of ‘Not Always’ and ‘Never’
Here are some examples to clarify the use of ‘not always’ and ‘never’:
- ‘He is not always on time for meetings.’ (This means sometimes he is late, but sometimes he is on time.)
- ‘He is never on time for meetings.’ (This means he is always late and never on time.)
4. Conclusion
When converting ‘not always’ into ‘never’, remember that ‘never’ implies the total absence of the action, whereas ‘not always’ indicates that the action sometimes occurs but not consistently. Understanding this difference will help you accurately convey the intended meaning in your sentences.
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