I faced a problem to answer a negative question, for example, when someone asks you:
Don't you have any money?
It's a yes/no question but how should one answer the question without ambiguity?
When you answer "yes", does it mean "yes, I don't have any money"? or the other way "Yes, I do have money"? the questioner may think you are agreeing to the negative, that yes, you do not have any money.
I know it's better to answer with "on the contrary" but is it possible to answer yes or no?
Answer
Use short answers:
Don’t you have any money? — No, I don’t.
Don’t you have any money? — Yes, I do.Let context guide the listener:
Don’t you have any money? — No, I gave it all to Lucy.
Don’t you have any money? — Yes, but not enough for this item.Use quantifiers, or intensifiers:
Don’t you have any money? — None or None whatsoever.
Don’t you have any money? — I have enough.In Early Modern English, there were specific words for that.
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