What Is a Double Negative?
- I don't have no money.
- I didn't see nothing.
- I couldn't find it nowhere.
Logically, two negatives convey a positive sense. So, the double negative "I don't have no money" literally means "I have money." While some assert that a double negative with an intended negative meaning is a form of accent and, therefore, not a mistake, most of your audience would consider such usage an error. However, not every double negative is an error. Double negatives can be deployed deliberately to convey sensitivity or diplomacy:
- I wouldn't describe you as unattractive.
- You are not without experience.
Table of Contents
- Examples of Double Negatives
- What about a Triple Negative?
- Why Double Negatives Are Important
- (Reason 1) A double negative is usually a mistake.
- (Reason 2) A double negative can provide a touch of diplomacy or subtlety.
- Test Time!
Examples of Double Negatives
The following double negatives would all be considered mistakes:- My daughter Chantelle wouldn't shout at nobody. (A negative verb with the negative pronoun nobody)
- Chantelle didn't never call the teacher that word. (A negative verb (didn't call) with the negative adverb never)
- She did not have neither her address nor her phone number. (A negative verb with the negative conjunction neither/nor)
- Yeah, but, no, but there's this thing you don't know nuffin' about, so don't give me no evils. (Vicky Pollard) (A negative verb with the negative pronoun nuffin' [sic] and then a negative verb with the negative noun phrase no evils)
What about a Triple Negative?
You don't see triple negatives often, but here's a witty one:- I cannot say that I do not disagree with you. (Comedian Groucho Marx) (If you follow it through logically, you'll find it means "I disagree with you".)
Why Double Negatives Are Important
There are two good reasons to care about double negatives:(Reason 1) A double negative is usually a mistake.
A double negative that portrays a positive sense when a negative one is intended is a mistake. If it occurs in writing, it's a grammatical howler. If one occurs in speech, it can usually be dismissed as a slip of the tongue. (Well, one can. More than one can't.)- Russ didn't steal nothing. (Logically, this means Russ stole something. In reality, readers nearly always understand the intended meaning.)
(Reason 2) A double negative can provide a touch of diplomacy or subtlety.
With the following double negatives, the resultant positive meaning is intentional.- He is not unattractive.
- He is not unconvincing.
- He is not without charm.
"He is not unattractive" is subtler than "He is attractive." As these double-negative constructions sound more factual than complimentary or unkind, they can be useful when a touch of diplomacy or subtlety is required.
Key Points
- A double negative giving an unintended positive sense is an error.
- A double negative with an intended positive sense can be useful when a touch of diplomacy might not be unhelpful.
You might also like...
Double negative with neither/nor
What is a double comparative?
What are pronouns?
What are adverbs?
What are conjunctions?
Glossary of grammatical terms
Help us improve...
Was something wrong with this page?
Use #gm to find us quicker.
Create a QR code for this, or any, page.
teachers' zone
play:
match the pairs (parts of speech) hundreds more games and testsread:
parts-of-speech listsconfirmatory test
This test is printable and sendable