Deny/refuse

Dear Dr English,

Did I use the word ÒdenyÓ correctly in the following sentence?
ÒWhen I asked him to make a photocopy of my ID card, he denied.Ó
My friend said that it should be ÒrefuseÓ instead of ÒdenyÓ. Which one is correct?
Please explain.

Pornpan Wattankomol

Both the verbs ÒdenyÓ and ÒrefuseÓ give a negative connotation but with a different meaning. ÒTo denyÓ conveys three meanings; first, when you deny something what someone says, you are saying that it is not true. ÒDenyÓ can be followed with either, ÒthatÓ and then a subordinate clause, or with an -ing form of a verb. For example: Alvin denied that he had finished the chocolate cake, which I had baked for Tracy on her birthday.

Alvin denied finishing the chocolate cake, which I had baked for Tracy on her birthday.

Secondly, ÒdenyÓ means not allowing someone to have something, or to do something they want. The structure can be as followed:

Sandy denied her son extra play time after 9 o'clock.
Tommy was denied extra playtime after 9 oÕclock.

Lastly, Òto denyÓ means not to admit that you have any connection with something or someone.
The car dealer denied any responsibility for any car that had been repaired by an unauthorised service centre.
She denied that she is having an affair with a married man.
The wife of the suspect denied that she knew of his whereabouts.

This includes the formal use of the meaning, which is to refuse to admit that one has any connection with something or someone.

The secretary to the president has denied involvement with the group of employees that have been charged with embezzlement.

ÒRefuseÓ means that one will not do or accept something.
The policeman refused to take a bribe from the arrested drug smuggler.
I offered to help John out with Bt40,000, but he refused.
Apart from following with a ÒtoÓ infinitive, you can use ÒrefuseÓ with two objects.
John refused me helping him out with Bt40,000.

Now letÕs look at the sentence in your question. The use of ÒdenyÓ in this sentence is wrong because it shows that the person will not do photocopying for the speaker, in other words, he/she refused to make a photocopy of the ID card.

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