Doesn’t is the contraction for does not.
From my knowledge, the sentence Doesn’t Tom like Sally? is legitimate.
Why is this so?
If I expand the sentence, it becomes Does not Tom like Sally? which starts to not make sense.
Answer
The modern grammar requires that not must be contracted with the auxiliary verb in order to move from its normal position. If it is not contracted, it must stay in the same position it’s in in a normal declarative sentence:
- Tom does not like Sally (normal negative sentence)
- Does Tom not like Sally (no contraction, not in normal declarative sentence position)
- Doesn’t Tom like Sally (contracted with auxiliary, n’t appears in pre-subject position)
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : iridescent , Answer Author : Araucaria – Not here any more.
