How to select successive words backwards with `C-M-SPC` (`mark-sexp`)?

Question

I tried to select three successive words using C-M-SPC SPC SPC.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

Repeating SPC selects additional words in a forward direction.

How can I do the same thing in a backward direction, e.g. starting after lazy and selecting backward through over?

Answer 1

Start with a negative prefix arg, e.g. M-- or C--:

C-- C-M-SPC SPC SPC SPC

As is often the case, when a positive numeric prefix arg means do something forward a negative prefix arg means do it backward.