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Negation: two negatives - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
- English (US)
Negation: two negatives - English Grammar Today - a...
- Polski
Negation: two negatives - English Grammar Today-Cambridge...
- English Grammar Today
Negation: two negatives - English Grammar Today – une...
- English (US)
Sep 19, 2022 · While double negatives might make sense in some languages, you shouldn’t use two negatives in the same clause in English. Think about it logically; if one negative changes the meaning of a word or sentence, then a second negative would change the meaning back to its original state.
Mar 17, 2016 · A double negative is when you use two negative words in the same clause of a sentence. Let’s take a real-world example. In 2012, President Obama spoke at United Nations about the Iran nuclear issue.
- VOA Learning English
May 20, 2024 · This sentence has two independent clauses with a negative word in each one. In general, it is okay to use two negative words in the same sentence as long as they aren’t in the same clause. The two negative words do not form a double negative because each one is part of a separate idea. Therefore, the example sentence is correct.
- Examples 1
- Solutions
- Correcting Double Negatives
- Rare Exceptions
Choose the correct word to complete each sentence. Avoid double negatives. 1. We (could, couldn't) hardly hear the speaker. 2. Minh doesn't want (no, any) pie. 3. Your brother isn't (nothing, anything) like mine. 4. Scarcely (nobody, anybody) could hear the speaker. 5. The asthmatic people (could, couldn't) hardly breathe in the smog. 6. Tobias doe...
"Couldn't" and "hardly" are both negatives, so we choose "could." We could hardly hear the speaker."Doesn't" and "no" are both negatives. (To not want no pie is to want some pie!) Minh doesn't want any pie."Isn't" and "nothing" are both negatives. Your brother isn't anything like mine."Scarcely" and "nobody" are both negatives. Scarcely anybody could hear the speaker.To correct a double negative, we can replace one of the negatives with a positive word. Look at the positive forms of the negatives below:
On rare occasions, two negatives can be used for effect. Consider the following sentences: The game was so easy, I couldn't not win! Kim barely, barelymade it on time. In sentences such as these, the double negative is deliberate. Most double negatives, however, are unintended and incorrect. They are often heard in speech, but that is no excuse for...
Mar 28, 2024 · Double negatives happen when you use two negative words in the same sentence. This can make the meaning confusing because two negatives can cancel each other out and create a positive. For example, saying “I don’t know nothing” might sound like you mean “I know something.” However, in everyday speech, some people use double negatives ...
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Standard English avoids the use of double negatives in the same clause, as negative words inherently convey negation. However, in some informal speech, two negatives may be used, although this is considered nonstandard by many. Here are examples of double negation in informal language and their corresponding formal expressions:
