否定词 not 与数量词连用时有种种不同的含义，现分别述说如下。
not 与数量词连用时常等于 less than （不足，不到），如：
(1)The hill is not two hundred feet high.
(2)The taxi was not five yards away.
(3)Father brought the paper home from Bright River not ten minutes ago.
not 与数量词连用时有时却等于 more than （多于，不止），如：
(4)The old lady was not eighty years old, but ninety when she died.
(5)— How often have you been here before?
— Not once or twice. （= several times）
由于 not 与数量词连用时具有不同的含义，所以当它与同一数量词连用时亦可能有不同含义，试比较：
(6)He doesn't spend ￡200 a year.
(7)He doesn't live on ￡200 a year.
句（6）中的 not 显然意味着“不到”，因为 not 在此否定 ￡200。句（7）中的 not 则意味着“多于”，因为 not 在此否定 live，全句的意思显然是“他只靠一年 200 英镑是生活不了的”。下面一句与句（7）相似，not 亦否定动词：
(8)Rome was not built in one day.
上面所说的数量词皆表一定的数。not 与表不定数量的数量词连用时也可表“不足”与“多于”。表“不足”者如：
(9)Not many people die of TB now.
(10)He tried not to drink much wine.
(11)She hasn't enough sense to realize her mistakes.
但当 not 与 a few 或 a little 连用时，情况则较为特殊。它不仅表“多于”，而且表“远多于”或“绝非”，如：
(12)Not a few people came to the concert even though it was a stormy night. （not a few = a good few 或 quite a few [相当多]）
(13)He lost not a little money in gambling. （not a little = almost much [相当多]）
试比较：
(14)He drank not a little of the wine.他将那酒喝了许多。
(15)He drank not a bit of the wine.那酒他一点儿也没有喝。
not 与 half 连用时也比较特殊。它可以表示 not at all （一点也不，根本不），如：
(16)You can't half swim.你根本就不会游泳。
(17)It wasn't half cold there in the night. （not half cold = 一点也不冷）
(18)I don't half like it. （not half like = 一点也不喜欢，或压根儿就不喜欢）
但 not half as...as...则意谓“不及……的一半”，如：
(19)Tom is not half as hardworking as Mary.
然而在英国俚语中，not half 却可意谓 extremely （非常），如：
(20)I wasn't half glad to see him.
(21)She did not half cry. 她嚎啕大哭。
(22)— Do you like beer?
— Oh, not half ! 啊，太喜欢了!
在上述情况中，总的说 not 不是意谓“不足”，就是意谓“多于”，那么，是不是有 not 既不等于“不足”亦不等于“多于”的情况呢？答案是肯定的，如：
(23)The train doesn't start at seven. （not = either before or after）
(24)— When is dinner?
— Not for two hours. 还得两个小时
最后，我们谈一下 not one 或 not a （a 在此是一古老的等于 one 的数量词）。not 在此并不意谓“不足”或“多于”，而是相当于 not even， 其语气较 no 强，如：
(25)Not a word was spoken. （not a word 的语气强于no word）
(26)Not a man answered. （not a man 的语气强于 no man）
(27)— How much did this cost?
— Not a penny! （= Nothing）(not a penny 的语气强于 nothing)
not even a 的语气自然更强，如：
(28)They had no Western products, not even a gun.
用样也可用 single 加强语气，如：
(29)Not a single house was left standing after the earthquake.
not one 与 not a 同义，但稍有不同，前者一般须用在一定的范围之内，如：
(30)Not one of them can do it.
not one 可单独使用，not a 则不可，如：
(31)Not an original house remained, not one .
顺便提及，not = not even 的情况在英语里是相当普通的，除 not a 与 not one 之外，还有如：
(32)I haven't the remotest idea.
(33)She isn't remotely interested in what you're saying.
注意下一句中的 not...a dog 也等于 not...even a dog，但 a 在此是不定冠词，不是数量词：
(34)It's not a night to turn a dog from the door.
