{"id":3088,"date":"2019-03-19T23:00:42","date_gmt":"2019-03-20T05:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/?p=3088"},"modified":"2020-12-09T16:33:05","modified_gmt":"2020-12-09T22:33:05","slug":"detaining-the-double-negative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/effective-writing\/detaining-the-double-negative\/","title":{"rendered":"Detaining the Double Negative"},"content":{"rendered":"

We recently reviewed how\u00a0negative constructions<\/a>\u00a0both serve English expression and muddy it more than positive constructions will. Another aspect of English negation that deserves a closer look is the double negative.<\/p>\n

To convey something is incorrect or untrue, English offers words such as\u00a0no, not, nothing, barely, scarcely,\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0hardly,\u00a0<\/em>as well as terms with cancelling prefixes such as improbable\u00a0<\/em>and incomplete<\/em>. In concise writing, we will use only one of these words to form a negative statement:<\/p>\n

I\u00a0<\/em>don\u2019t\u00a0have time for supper.<\/em>
\nI\u00a0<\/em>hardly\u00a0remember that name.<\/em>
\nThey had\u00a0<\/em>nothing\u00a0to say about the subject.<\/em><\/p>\n

A double negative includes two of these words:<\/p>\n

I\u00a0<\/em>don\u2019t\u00a0have\u00a0<\/em>no\u00a0time for supper.<\/em>
\nI\u00a0<\/em>can\u2019t hardly\u00a0remember that name.<\/em>
\nThey\u00a0<\/em>didn\u2019t\u00a0have\u00a0<\/em>nothing\u00a0to say about the subject.<\/em><\/p>\n

In certain contexts, the double negative can accommodate English by aiming to produce a positive thought or a less negative one, as in the following examples:<\/p>\n

I guess it\u2019s not impossible.<\/em>
\nNot a year passes when she does not think of how they won the championship game.<\/em>
\nIt\u2019s not that he didn\u2019t like it.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

However, beyond being redundant and unclear, a double negative can suggest an absence of eloquence, as well as conviction. Consider the same preceding sentences without the double negative:<\/p>\n

I guess it\u2019s possible.<\/em>\u00a0Or, more succinctly,\u00a0It\u2019s possible.<\/em>
\nEvery year she thinks of how they won the championship game.<\/em>
\nHe thought it was so-so.<\/em><\/p>\n

Interpreted more closely, a double negative also can turn a thought intended to negate into one that confirms:<\/p>\n

I\u00a0<\/em>don\u2019t\u00a0have\u00a0<\/em>no\u00a0time for supper.\u00a0<\/em>(To not have no time for supper could mean \u201cI do have time \u2026\u201d)
\nI\u00a0<\/em>can\u2019t hardly\u00a0remember that name.\u00a0<\/em>(To not remember that name hardly could mean \u201cI can remember \u2026\u201d)<\/p>\n

As we put forth in our last article on the negative, using positive, more-direct language will almost always achieve more with less. Like a loose stitch in our quilt of expression, the double negative may still work its way into our writing and speech, but with a little focus and discipline, we have the tools to tighten the seam.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pop Quiz<\/h2>\n

Using what you\u2019ve learned in this article, choose the better sentence from each pair.<\/p>\n

1a. It\u2019s not like it\u2019s unheard of.
\n1b. It\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n

2a. I do fifty push-ups a day.
\n2b. Not a day goes by when I don\u2019t do at least fifty push-ups.<\/p>\n

3a. It\u2019s not that she doesn\u2019t want to go.
\n3b. She can\u2019t go because she\u2019s busy.<\/p>\n

4a. We hardly watch movies anymore.
\n4b. We don\u2019t hardly watch movies anymore.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pop Quiz Answers<\/h3>\n

1b. It\u2019s possible.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2a. I do fifty push-ups a day.<\/strong><\/p>\n

3b. She can\u2019t go because she\u2019s busy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

4a. We hardly watch movies anymore.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We recently reviewed how\u00a0negative constructions\u00a0both serve English expression and muddy it more than positive constructions will. Another aspect of English negation that deserves a closer look is the double negative. To convey something is incorrect or untrue, English offers words such as\u00a0no, not, nothing, barely, scarcely,\u00a0and\u00a0hardly,\u00a0as well as terms with cancelling prefixes such as improbable\u00a0and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-effective-writing","category-prefixes-and-suffixes"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3088"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3088\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}