Overview:\u00a0 Why Double Negatives?<\/p>\n
Some of the most common examples of nonstandard English occur when negative words and statements are misused.\u00a0 Negatives as alternatives are contained in the English\/grammar tests on both the SAT and the ACT to trap the unwary.\u00a0 The errors can be compounded because double negatives were once considered standard in English, and are standard in many languages such as Spanish and French.<\/p>\n
Recognizing Negative Words<\/strong><\/p>\n A number of words are already negative, such as no<\/strong>, not<\/strong>, none<\/strong>, nothing<\/strong>, never<\/strong>, nobody<\/strong>, or nowhere<\/strong>.\u00a0 Forms such as can’t<\/strong>, won’t,<\/strong> shouldn’t<\/strong>, wouldn’t<\/strong>, cannot<\/strong> and other n’t<\/strong> contractions used with helping verbs are also negative.\u00a0 The word but<\/strong> as a negative should not be used with another negative.\u00a0 “He had but one life to give” or “He had only one life to give” not “he hadn’t but one life to give.”\u00a0 Some words such as barely<\/strong>, scarcely<\/strong>, and hardly<\/strong> aren’t as obviously negative, but they shouldn’t be used with other negative words in the same clause.\u00a0 Therefore, “can’t hardly stand it”\u00a0 is improper usage.<\/p>\n One Negative Per Clause<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the best ways to avoid using double negatives is to make sure to write sentences with only one negative word per clause.\u00a0 For example, a sentence like, “He couldn’t make nothing at that job” could be corrected to have only one negative word per clause by changing the couldn’t<\/strong> to could<\/strong>, as in “He could make nothing at that job,” or the nothing<\/strong> to anything<\/strong>, as in “He couldn’t make anything at that job.”<\/p>\n Avoiding Double Negatives<\/strong><\/p>\n The best way to avoid problems with double negatives is to recognize the negative words that are already there in the clause and make sure there is only one of them.\u00a0 For example, in the sentence, “There are many theories about what happened on Amelia Earhart’s last flight, but no one has all the answers,” no one<\/strong> is already negative.\u00a0 It would be incorrect to say, “No one hasn’t all the answers” because of the no<\/strong> and the n’t<\/strong>.\u00a0 Similarly, “Amelia Earhart couldn’t hardly wait to get back in the air after she finished a flight” could be properly rewritten as “Amelia Earhart couldn’t wait to get back in the air after she finished a flight” or “Amelia Earhart could hardly wait to get back in the air after the finished a flight.”<\/p>\n Watch for Incorrect Alternatives<\/strong><\/p>\n Some questions on standardized tests may give alternatives specifically to test for correct negative usage.\u00a0 A test item that contains a negative in the stem of a clause should not be complted with another negative.\u00a0 For example, if a test item contains the sentence “When she went to Europe, she never went ______ that was boring, ” it should be completed with the positive anywhere <\/strong>rather than the negatives nowhere<\/strong> and no place<\/strong>.<\/p>\n