A statement is negative when it specifies an action or event that has not taken place or will not take place. Negative words or phrases turn a positive statement or ques- tion into a negative one. Examples of negative words in Italian include: nessun ‘no’; nessuno ‘nobody’; niente ‘nothing’; non . . . mai ‘not . . . ever, never’; non . . . ancora ‘not yet’; non . . . più ‘no longer, no more’.