Meaning
to say that you did not do something
Primary Function
refutes an accusation or claim
Communicative Purpose
to declare innocence or falsehood
Pattern
deny; doing
Core Structure
deny; doing
Função primária
refutes an accusation or claim
Propósito comunicativo
to declare innocence or falsehood
Situações de gatilho
accusations, official responses, personal disputes
Contextos
legal, professional, everyday
Padrão
deny; doing
Estrutura central
deny; doing
Slots de substituição
actions or behaviors (e.g., stealing, lying, being involved)
Colocados típicos
- sternly
- emphatically
- unequivocally
Substituições comuns
- refuse to admit
- reject accusations of
Erros comuns
using infinitive (*deny to do) or *deny of doing; forgetting the gerund after deny
Similar / contraste
refuse to admit, reject, dispute
Interferências
Spanish ‘negar’ typically takes an infinitive form; English uses a present participle after deny.
Família do chunk
- refuse to admit
- reject
- dispute
- repudiate
Nuance
‘deny doing’ conveys direct denial without qualification; using ‘deny that … is true’ can sound more formal or legalistic.
Efeito pragmático
defensive, strong
Dica de memória
“He denied taking the money.”
Nota
In legal contexts, 'deny doing something' is often used to respond to formal accusations, while in everyday language it can be used to defend oneself in personal disputes.
Upgrade path
use ‘refute’ for argument, ‘repudiate’ for stronger rejection
Log in to save chunks.