Can you negatively reinforce something that hasn't happened?

I was reading the book 'Understanding Psychology' and I came a cross a section about reinforcing. It said that if you positively reinforce something that someone has done good, they are likely to repeat it. If you negatively reinforce something they did, they are likely to not repeat it. What would happen if you negatively reinforce something they didn't do? Like punishing someone for NOT cleaning? Thanks!