Double Negatives

Recently, my partner Jim mentioned that he’s noticed more and more people using double negatives. And he wondered why.

A double negative is when two negative statements are applied to the same subject in a sentence. Double negatives are often used in everyday speech, and examples abound in popular song lyrics – from the Rolling Stones’ “I can’t get no satisfaction” to Pink Floyd’s “We don’t need no education.”

Beyond the fact that communication has become a lot more casual these days, I’m not aware of any reason why people may be using double negatives more often.

But I do know this: when it comes to proper grammar, they are generally considered a no-no.

The reason? When you get down to it, using two negatives usually turns the thought or sentence into a positive. For example, when you say, “I don’t want no dessert,” what you’re really saying is that you DO want dessert. Needless to say, this can be confusing to the person serving the chocolate cake.

Double negatives should definitely be avoided at all costs when you’re writing – unless you’re quoting someone.

And when you’re using negative forms of certain nouns in a sentence – like “nowhere,” “nothing,” and “no one” — make sure the verb in the sentence is not negated. Example: “I’m going nowhere,” NOT “I’m not going nowhere.”