Double Negatives

SPI 0401.1.7

A double negative contains two negative

words:He doesn't even know no

one. My sister used to play.. um

basketball.. but she doesn't no more .

They don’t have nothin.But no-one didn’t answered.

Correcting Double Negatives

The clause I don't have none contains two negative words—the contraction don't and the adjective none.

If you don't have none, then you do have some. To express a negative idea, you should use only one negative word.

Remember: In addition to such negative

words as never, no, none, and not, the words scarcely, hardly, and barely function as negatives and should not be used with other negative words in the same clause.

Incorrect He never cooks nothing

exciting for dinner.

Correct

He never cooks anything exciting for dinner.

Incorrect We can't hardly wait for a

change in the menu.

CorrectWe can hardly wait for a change in the menu.

Incorrect You haven't been reading no books

on how to cook bugs, have you?

Correct•You haven't been reading books on how to cook bugs, have you? or•You haven't been reading books on how to cook bugs, have you?

Words combined with n't and the word not are

negative words.

Incorrect Liza did not feel nothing.

Correct

•Liza felt nothing.

Give yourself a test. . They didn't have tickets. (

any, no)

GREAT JOB!!

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OOPS! Try Again…

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Our team hasn't won the league title. (never, ever)

GREAT JOB!!

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OOPS! Try Again…

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Try these. He didn't bring of the food. (

any, none)

GREAT JOB!!

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OOPS! Try Again…

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Haven't you been to a football game? (ever, never)

GREAT JOB!!

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OOPS! Try Again…

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We can't find the basketball . (nowhere, anywhere)

GREAT JOB!!!

Press to go back

OOPS! Try Again…

Press to return to question

Always remember:

Don't use no double negatives. . .

Or maybe we should say, don’t use any double negatives!

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