Correcting Double Negatives
When you revise your writing, check to be sure that you haven't made the mistake of using a
double negative—two negative words in the same clause. The clause
I don't have none contains two negative words—the contraction
don't and the adjective
none. If you
don't have
none, then you
do have
some. To express a negative idea, you should use only one negative word.
In addition to such negative words as never, no, none, and not, the words scarcely, hardly, and barely function as negatives and should not be used with other negative words in the same clause.
Read the examples below and notice how some sentences that include double negatives may be revised in more than one way.
Incorrect
|
He never cooks nothing exciting for dinner.
|
Correct
|
He never cooks anything exciting for dinner.
|
|
Incorrect
|
We can't hardly wait for a change in the menu.
|
Correct
|
We can hardly wait for a change in the menu.
|
Correct
|
We can't wait for a change in the menu.
|
|
Incorrect
|
You haven't been reading no books on how to cook bugs, have you?
|
Correct
|
You haven't been reading any books on how to cook bugs, have you?
|
Correct
|
You haven't been reading books on how to cook bugs, have you?
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