Double negatives in English

Double negatives in English

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What is a double negative?

A double negative is when you use two negative words in the same sentence.

• I don’t know nothing.
• She didn’t go nowhere.

In standard English, this is wrong. One negative word is enough. Two negatives make a positive, so if you use two negatives in a sentence, it becomes positive by mistake.

• I don’t know anything.
• I know nothing.
• She didn’t go anywhere.
• She went nowhere.

Negative words in English

We use negative words to make a sentence negative. The most common are:

Common mistakes with double negatives

Double negatives are very common in songs, films, and informal speech. Many native speakers use them, but in standard English they are considered incorrect.

They are also common mistakes for ESL students, because in many languages (for example, Spanish, Italian, French, Russian, Arabic), it is correct to use double negatives.

Here are some examples of common mistakes and their correct forms:

• I don’t have no money.
• I don’t have any money.  
• I have no money.
• We didn’t do nothing.
• We didn’t do anything.  
• We did nothing.
• We didn’t see nobody.
• We didn’t see anybody.  
• We saw nobody.
• He can’t hardly hear you.
• He can hardly hear you.
• They don’t never eat meat.
• They never eat meat.  
• They don’t ever eat meat.

❗ You may also hear the word ain’t in songs and informal speech. This is not correct in standard English.

• I ain’t done nothing wrong.
• I haven’t done anything wrong.  
• I have done nothing wrong.
• He ain’t no fool.
• He isn’t a fool.  
• He‘s no fool.

💡 Note how we can use positive replacements to avoid using two negative words in the same sentence.

When it’s OK to use a double negative

In standard English, double negatives are usually a mistake. But sometimes we use them on purpose. In these cases, the two negatives give a softer or more careful meaning, not just a simple positive.

For nuance and emphasis

Sometimes we use double negatives to make the meaning softer, or to be more polite or less negative.

• It’s not that I didn’t like the present, but I already had one. (= I liked it, but not completely)
• I didn’t not enjoy the food, but it wasn’t my favourite. (= It was OK, but not great)
• I can‘t not help her. She’s my sister! (= I feel I must help her)

Negative adjectives and adverbs

It is always correct to use negative adjectives or adverbs in a negative sentence.

• It’s not impossible to finish the project. (= It’s possible, but maybe difficult)
• Her answer was not unreasonable. (= It was quite reasonable)
• That comment was not inappropriate. (= It was OK to say)
• His behaviour is not uncommon. (= It happens quite often)