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Double Negatives -- A Big NO NO!, by Bronwynn Johnson

There have been recent attempts to justify the placement of double negatives as an emphasis on the negativity of a statement in our language's history and also to show how they function in other languages. However, these attempts cannot renounce the fact that double negatives are, in today's society, grammatically incorrect. Two negatives do not make a negative. Yes, Shakespeare and Chaucer used double negatives in their dialogue, but that does not justify the validity of double negatives in today's grammar.

You would not think that double negatives are a typical error in today's formal prose. However, when you proofread your own writing samples, it is easy to skim over the fact that you, too, are guilty of using double negatives at times. Reading your writing samples OUT LOUD can be the most beneficial proofreading tool that you can utilize. Actually hearing what you have written allows you to pay more attention to the flow of your sentences. Double negatives are somewhat ear-piercing and easy to identify when read.

The following is a list of negative words:

no
not
none
nobody
no one
nobody
nothing
nowhere
neither
scarcely
barely
hardly

Take into consideration the following examples:

I don't have no money for the movie.

I have money for the movie. (Unintended Meaning)

I don't have any money for the movie. (Corrected)

I don't want nothing.

I want something. (Unintended Meaning)

I don't want anything. (Corrected)

I hardly know neither one of them.

I know at least one of them. (Meaning)

I hardly know either one of them. (Corrected)

I couldn't barely hold my head up in class.

I could hold my head up in class. (Meaning)

I could barely hold my head up in class. (Corrected)

This may seem quite elementary to you. However, this grammatical error continues to show up in writing today, both online and offline (writing that hasn't been edited by Copeland & Lane yet!).

The propriety of double negatives will continue to be debated. Simply listen to conversations around you. Double negatives breed in conversational environments. It is not because people are oblivious to the fact that they are making a grammatical mistake. Many people simply believe that by using two negatives in a statement, it INTENSIFIES the negativity. People do not use double negatives to be rude, just MATTER-OF-FACT. Nonetheless, double negatives *are* grammatical errors. Yes, people will most likely continue to abuse grammar with the use of double negatives, however, Graceful Grammar frowns heavily upon them.

Don't forget! Read your writing samples OUT LOUD when proofreading... you will be amazed at the difference.

Copyright © 2000 Bronwynn Johnson. Bronwynn is a professional writer and editor of website content, sales copy, articles, term papers and more, and can be reached at bjohnson@copelandlane.com or by visiting writebusiness.com. Contact Bronwynn today to learn more about the full range of writing and editorial services she can provide for your business.

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