Double negatives

The rule in one minute

A double negative uses two negative words in one clause. I didn’t see nothing has two negatives: didn’t and nothing. In standard English they cancel out, so the sentence seems to mean I saw something. That is the opposite of what the writer means.

Use only one negative. Write I didn’t see anything or I saw nothing. When you keep one negative, change the other word to its partner:

• nothing becomes anything
• never becomes ever
• no one becomes anyone
• nowhere becomes anywhere

Watch for these negative words: not, -n’t, no, none, nothing, nobody, no one, nowhere, never, neither. Also watch hardly, scarcely and barely.

They already have a negative meaning, so can’t hardly is a double negative. Write can hardly.

Why it costs marks

Double negatives are common in speech, so the ear does not catch them. Formal writing treats them as errors. They lower the accuracy mark in First Language and ESL writing.

They also cause confusion. Because the two negatives cancel, a reader may wonder whether you mean yes or no. Unclear meaning is costly.

Spoken forms are fine with friends. Exams simply expect the standard form in formal writing.

Wrong and right

• Wrong: We don’t have no time left. Right: We don’t have any time left, or We have no time left.
• Wrong: She never told nobody about the plan. Right: She never told anybody about the plan.
• Wrong: I can’t hardly hear you. Right: I can hardly hear you. Hardly is already negative.
• Wrong: There isn’t nothing we can do. Right: There isn’t anything we can do, or There is nothing we can do.
• Correct and deliberate: The result was not unexpected. This is a careful understatement meaning it was somewhat expected.

Try it yourself

Correct each sentence, then check below.

1. He didn’t say nothing about the change.
2. We couldn’t find the key nowhere.
3. She hasn’t never been late before.
4. They don’t want no trouble.
5. I can’t scarcely believe it.

Answers: (1) He didn’t say anything about the change, or He said nothing about the change. (2) We couldn’t find the key anywhere. (3) She has never been late before, or She hasn’t ever been late before. (4) They don’t want any trouble. (5) I can scarcely believe it. Remove the extra negative.

Make it a habit

When you edit, count the negative words in each clause. If you find two, keep one and change the other to its partner. The change is usually one word.

Because the pattern comes from speech, you must catch it on purpose. Pay special attention to hardly, scarcely and barely, and to short forms like don’t and can’t, which hide a not.

This is about register, not about how you talk with friends. It is a choice to use the standard form when the writing is formal.

Where students get stuck, and how we help

Students rarely make this error when they slow down. It appears when they write quickly in a natural voice. In our English as a Second Language lessons, a teacher finds double negatives in your own writing and helps you move between everyday speech and standard written English.

Lessons start from RM70/hr. You can book a paid one-hour trial to try it.

Next step

Practise in the practice area, then read about modal verbs and formal vs informal grammar. Use the proofreading guide on your next essay.

Next, visit our original practice tasks to use the rule in your own writing. Our IGCSE English tuition page explains how lessons run. When you are ready, the paid one-hour trial is the first step.