The rule that governs spelling NOT with adjectives is very simple. It says that if by the way you can choose a synonym without a particle NOT , then you should choose a single spelling. DOES NOT turn from a prefix into a negative particle , provided that the sentence has a nasty union A, or when opposition is implied. Separate spelling is always indicated by the words: far NOT , NOT at all, NOT at all, NOT at all.
As in other parts of speech, NOT with adjectives is written together if it enters the root morpheme: nondescript, careless, absurd.
But often clear, at first glance, the wording introduces a lot of confusion. The limited vocabulary of modern schoolchildren does not allow one to choose a synonym or synonymous expression for a word, and sometimes such selection occurs erroneously.
To clarify the rule NOT with adjectives , it must be remembered that this part of speech has categories in meaning.
It is extremely important to distinguish them, because NOT with adjectives has the choice of writing with only one of the categories. There are three such categories in the Russian language. Let's consider them in more detail.
Possessive adjectives indicate the subject belongs to any person. Typical examples of such words:
mother’s car, toy cars, grandfather’s jacket, fox holes, cat’s foot , etc. Children easily distinguish possessive adjectives from other words by characteristic questions:
“whose?” "whose?" "whose?" "whose?"
A particle NOT with adjectives from this category is always written separately, since it is impossible to choose a synonym without a particle. To simplify somewhat, we can reason like this: if the item is not someone else's, then it belongs to another person: NOT the fathers belt, but the uncles.
Adjectives denoting time, material, temperature and a number of other signs are called relative. They are easy to recognize, because in the subject being determined there cannot be more or less of such a sign. That is, the degree of comparison, as well as the short form, is not present in this category. NOT with adjectives from this group also has a separate spelling: NOT a wooden shelf, NOT a glass cup holder, NOT a forty-degree heat.
And finally, the last category - high-quality adjectives. The main sign of such words is the possibility of the formation of degrees of comparison and / or short form: high - high - higher - less high - highest - highest.
It is easy to distinguish a high-quality adjective by its ability to combine with adverbs of measure and degree: very beautiful, extremely smart, too kind.
It is
high-quality adjectives that leave the choice in continuous or separate spelling with the particle NOT. Moreover, short forms are usually written with NOT according to the same algorithm, except for words in which the full form is absent or has a lexical meaning:
it is not ready to answer, it is not obliged to listen, it does not intend to leave.In conclusion, I would like to note that in the spelling NOT with adjectives, as in other spelling rules, there are other nuances. But if you are guided by knowledge of the ranks by value, using this rule, you can reduce the number of errors to a minimum.