| Among the many challenges learning English as | | | | would be to say something like: I don't want any |
| second language poses, an all time classic is a double | | | | coffee. |
| negative. Since double negatives do exist and in fact | | | | Since the word any is not negative, your problem is |
| are quite correct in other languages, for instance | | | | solved. Here is a list that has words that are |
| Spanish, many ESL students have to face the fact | | | | considered negative. Use them once in your sentences |
| that in English they are not correct and therefore | | | | and your statements will be negative.no, not, none, |
| should not be used. What is a double negative, you | | | | nothing, nowhere, nobody, no one, hardly, scarcely, |
| might ask. It is is the nonstandard usage of two | | | | barely, neither |
| negatives used in the same construction. In a double | | | | Here are some more examples. |
| negative sentence, they cancel each other and create | | | | I didn't see nothing. - wrong!; I didn't see anything. - right! |
| a positive. Today, they are considered grammar | | | | There wasn't no one there. - wrong!; There wasn't |
| mistakes. | | | | anyone there. - right! |
| The standard use of negatives in English can be | | | | I don't hardly have time. - wrong!; I hardly have any |
| understood from a mathematical concept. If you have | | | | time. - right! |
| two positives, for example + + = +, the result will be | | | | There isn't nowhere to park. - wrong!; There isn't |
| another positive. Now take a look at this. If we have | | | | anywhere to park. - right! |
| two negatives, - - = +, they will equal another positive. | | | | We didn't have nobody to help us. - wrong!; We didn't |
| In math in order to have a negative you would need to | | | | have anybody to help us. - right! |
| do this - + = - or + - = -. In other words you need a | | | | He can't barely move. - wrong!; He can barely move. - |
| combination of a positive and negative to have a | | | | right! |
| negative. Sounds a bit technical, right? Look at these | | | | She didn't scarcely have anything to eat. - wrong!; She |
| examples that illustrate this concept. Remembering that | | | | scarcely had anything to eat. - right! |
| two negatives form a positive will help you to avoid | | | | Just keep in mind that nothing is impossible. By learning |
| the "double negative" grammar problem: | | | | and practising the correct use of these words in your |
| I don't want no coffee. | | | | ESL programs you can avoid problems in the future. |
| So, don't is clearly negative and so is the word no. | | | | And no matter how many times you hear them in rock |
| Here we have a double negative. The solution to this | | | | songs, remember: just say no to the double negative! |