The Double Negative
Example of a Double Negative:
Forrest Gump: Lieutenant Dan, what are you doing here?
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: I'm here to try out my sea legs.
Forrest Gump: But you ain't got no legs, Lieutenant Dan.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: [mildly irritated, but understanding] Yes... yes, I know that. You wrote me a letter, you idiot!
Following that wonderful example of Southern Slang, a Double Negative is simply using two words that are negative in the same sentence. As we've learned in Math class throughout the years: two negatives make a positive. Essentially, Forrest Gump is, in fact, saying that Lieutenant Dan has legs.
Forrest Gump: Lieutenant Dan, what are you doing here?
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: I'm here to try out my sea legs.
Forrest Gump: But you ain't got no legs, Lieutenant Dan.
Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: [mildly irritated, but understanding] Yes... yes, I know that. You wrote me a letter, you idiot!
Following that wonderful example of Southern Slang, a Double Negative is simply using two words that are negative in the same sentence. As we've learned in Math class throughout the years: two negatives make a positive. Essentially, Forrest Gump is, in fact, saying that Lieutenant Dan has legs.
Sweet Brown's excessive use of double negatives:
I'm going to be frank with you or Mr. Ranew if you'd just prefer that (That was a pun, by the way. Every page is educational!). It does not matter how often you use double negatives in your every day speech, if you are using double negatives to write an essay or fill out a job application, good luck. There is a difference between formal and informal speech, and we must all learn when it is a appropriate to speak in certain manners.
Sneaky Negative Words
Barely
None Hardly Nor Neither Not Never Nothing Nobody Nowhere |
Contractions that end in n’t are also negative words.
Wouldn’t Didn’t Can’t Won’t Ain't is not a word. Stop trying to bring it back. |