Double Negative

The following double negatives would all be considered mistakes:

My daughter Chantelle wouldn't shout at nobody . (A negative verb with the negative pronoun nobody)
Chantelle didn't never call the teacher that word. (A negative verb (didn't call) with the negative adverb never)
She did not have neither her address nor her phone number. (A negative verb with the negative conjunction neither/nor)
Yeah, but, no, but there's this thing you don't know nuffin' about, so don't give me no evils . (Vicky Pollard) (A negative verb with the negative pronoun nuffin' [sic] and then a negative verb with the negative noun phrase no evils)

"The secret to being a likeable grammarian is knowing when to shut up."

What about a Triple Negative?

I cannot say that I do not disagree with you. (Comedian Groucho Marx) (If you follow it through logically, you'll find it means "I disagree with you".)

Why Double Negatives Are Important

There are two good reasons to care about double negatives:

(Reason 1) A double negative is usually a mistake.

Russ didn't steal nothing . (Logically, this means Russ stole something. In reality, readers nearly always understand the intended meaning.)

(Reason 2) A double negative can provide a touch of diplomacy or subtlety.

He is not unattractive .
He is not unconvincing .
He is not without charm .

"He is not unattractive" is subtler than "He is attractive." As these double-negative constructions sound more factual than complimentary or unkind, they can be useful when a touch of diplomacy or subtlety is required.

Key Points

A double negative giving an unintended positive sense is an error.
A double negative with an intended positive sense can be useful when a touch of diplomacy might not be unhelpful.

This page was written by Craig Shrives.