Double Negatives Part 1: The "N" Negatives

Everything is good in moderation, and the same goes for negatives. Find out how to use them properly on today's episode of Grammar Minute!

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Saving the English language 60 seconds at a time.

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and I ain’t never gonna let you use bad English grammar. Well, that’s not good. Everybody knows “ain’t” is a word of questionable origin, but what if I had said: I am not never going to let you use bad English grammar? Why isn’t that version of the sentence any less jarring?

The answer is that it contains a double negative. I could have said “I will not” or “I will never,” but instead I used both. Many people think this creates emphasis, but it’s often just plain confusing. Consider: “He never said he saw no one.” Does that mean he never saw anybody, or that he never said he saw anybody? I don’t know, and neither do you. Common negatives to avoid doubling include “not,” “never,” “no,” “none,” “nothing,” “nowhere,” and “nobody.”

That’s your Grammar Minute! Visit thegrammarminute.com for more tips and tricks.