Questions tagged [multiple-negation]
For questions about sentences that have multiple grammatical or semantic negations. For questions about sentences that have a single semantic negation expressed multiple times, use the negative-concord tag.
90
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Meaning of "but" after negation clause [closed]
The below usage of "but" seems weird to me. I can guess that it means something like "nevertheless" or "instead", but I'm not sure about it, because "but" is ...
- 139
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1
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Understanding the Meaning of “No Thing”
In the lyric “It wasn’t no thing to give you up,” should it be understood as “It wasn’t difficult to give you up” or “It wasn’t easy to give you up”? I’m confused about the meaning of “no thing” here.
...
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0
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30
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What does "neither" here refer to?
In Killers Of The Flower Moon (2023), Ernest tells Ramsey about a job offer from King Bill Hale to eliminate someone.
Ramsey initially refuses, but when he learns the target is an Indian, he changes
...
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2
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1
answer
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How do I simplify the hypernegation in Ontario Human Rights Code, RSO 1990, s. 24?
(2) No tribunal or court shall find that a qualification under clause (1) (b) is reasonable and bona fide unless it is satisfied that the circumstances of the person cannot be accommodated without ...
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1
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Using not with both, either, neither: word choice when expressing negation of two options
In a sentence responding negatively to multiple statements or questions,
which of the following ways sounds best and has the least grammatical error?
He didn’t do both.
He didn’t do either.
He didn’t ...
- 11
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2
answers
30
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Double negation using 2 verbs
I am studying English for quite awhile and always have heard about double negation
Is this correct
I will not regret not marrying you
Or is considered a double negative
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1
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·What does the second sentence in this paragraph mean?
"If people had invested their money in antiques 20 years ago, they would have found it difficult to make a profit on their investment until very recently. So people who cannot afford for their ...
- 196
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1
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65
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Rephrasing a sentence with negation and "except"
I don't look as if I have done anything except study in the last three years.
I guess its meaning is two fold
In fact, there is only one thing that have been done which is "study in the last ...
- 779
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0
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105
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Usage of "any more than"
I came across this sentence:
Kids don't like to be patronized, any more than adults do.
and wondered if I can also say it this way, and still convey the same meaning, (that none of them likes to be ...
- 461
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1
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54
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Double negation in "... I don't/ain't have no [something] ..."
Would I say that I DON'T have any regrets with ...
No, I don't have no regrets
... or would it mean that I have at least some because of the double negation? I think I often saw something like that ...
- 111
1
vote
2
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61
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One negation used in one sentence with conjunction or two different clauses
I have a question with respect to English interpretation based on strict grammar rules not on context.
How would you interpret the following sentence: [The contract would not cancel and survive]?
...
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1
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1
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Need help understanding the meaning of the following sentence [closed]
Unless neither John nor Harry eat the pancake, Andrew must eat it.
Can someone help me understand the above sentence's meaning?
- 243
1
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1
answer
141
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Two "not"s in one sentence
“Universal history. The history of what man has accomplished" in this world, is at bottom the History of the Great Men who have worked here," wrote the Victorian sage Thomas Carlyle. Well, ...
- 1,787
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2
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In a sentence with double negatives, how do I tell if I'm allowed to cancel them out or not?
Asking this because I'm worried that canceling out double negatives can completely change the original meaning of the sentence. I know context and the speaker/writer's intent are also important but is ...
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1
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To use "don't" and "no" in one sentence to make it negative
In the intro of TMNT the song goes like this:
When the evil Shredder attacks, these Turtle boys don't cut him no slack!
As what I have searched "cut someone some slack" means: to treat (...
user141755
0
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1
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43
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Until + lack of something
Long-time listener, first-time caller.
I have a bit of a problem sorting out my sentence and I can't find anything definitive online, so I thought I'd try my luck here.
Which of these two is correct?
...
- 13
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2
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482
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Is this a double negation: "doesn't exist for neither X nor Y"
I'm having doubts about how to best put this in English, I'm torn between 3 options. Which of them are legal, and which is stylistically the best?
I want to convey that a solution does not exist for A ...
- 103
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2
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64
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Meaning of "The attack was not unforeseen."
What does the double negative in the below sentence mean?
The attack was not unforeseen.
- 453
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1
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Can anyone explain what the first part of this sentence means, in simple way?
The sentence is
She was criticized by her fellow lawyers not because she was not
hardworking, but because she so minutely prepared her cases that she
failed to bring the expected number to trial
...
- 103
10
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5
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Which of no, none, any, some would fit in "few of the students knew ___ of the answers"?
A friend of mine recently had a test during one of her English classes and there was a task to choose the correct word that best fits the sentence: "Few of the students knew ___ of the answers&...
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2
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382
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Can no doubt be used with another negative word
I have read many examples of the phrase "no doubt". And I have observed that when this phrase is used other negative words like "never, not, nothing" are not used in the sentence ...
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3
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2
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542
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Double negative
"He committed the crime on NO account." You don't need "not" in this sentence because of "on No account".
But what about this: "You should not sign the contract on ...
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2
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48
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How can double negatives “has a respectable history as a rhetorical device for emphasis” when they're harder to understand?
These two quotes contradict. I hate multiple negatives! Waste of effort, time, space, words! I have to stop reading and spend like 15 mins. reasoning to the positive meaning!
But how can double ...
user8712
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1
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816
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"Didn't have no" or "didn't have any"?
I have a question about whether "I didn't have no plans" is correct or not, since I think that it's a double negation and therefore not correct, so it should be "I didn't have any plans&...
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3
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Can "nor" follow a positive phrase?
A Guardian article, entitled "What are the Conservatives conserving?", includes the following sentence:
Alas, we have seen nor heard nothing for a month from test-and-trace mastermind Dido ...
- 1,254
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1
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it isn't impossible for me to be swindled by anyone
a. It isn't impossible for me to be swindled by anyone.
b. It is possible for me to be swindled by anyone.
I think the meaning of (b) is clear. It seems to be saying that anyone can swindle me.
...
- 3,049
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1
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81
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Why were some English phrases written in double negatives when the speaker actually wants to express a single negative? [duplicate]
For example, I just saw this phrase on social media:
The way 2020 going, I ain't buyin' no PS5.
I mean, in this instance, I can ultimately see that what the poster actually mean is that "I ain'...
- 1,201
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11
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Why is, "If I don't use the microphone, nobody will hear me," not considered a double negative
I understand that you can't have a double negative...but also, 'anyone/anybody' in this sentence wouldn't make sense:
If I don't use the microphone, nobody will hear me
So why is this not considered ...
- 129
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3
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163
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Two questions about double negation expressions
Double negation expressions like the below ones are confusing to me, but in reality similar sentences are ubiquitous.
I don't dislike the police.
It's not uncommon for parents to know the gender of ...
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1
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47
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I will call somebody else, not neither him nor you
I have a sentence
I will call neither you nor him
I guess it means
I won't call neither you nor him
Out of it it's not clear whether I will call anyone at all but I want to say that I will call but ...
- 1,073
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0
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873
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“Yes, I did not" vs “No, I did not“
Whenever an old post is edited on a Stack Exchange site, the entire page is bumped to the top of the active page. Some eagle-eyed users might spot other spelling, formatting or grammatical issues on ...
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1
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"Not too busy to not" or "not too busy not to"
I'm not too busy to eat dinner
or
I'm not too busy not to eat dinner
Typically, you would need a double negative ("I'm not busy enough to not realized I skipped dinner," in that you weren't ...
0
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1
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The implication of double negation in "you’re not listening to a word I’m not saying"
So I'm facing the said sentence in the following quote:
Dear cat, your ears are flipped inside out, so I know you’re not
listening to a word I’m not saying.
So I'm wondering whether the double ...
1
vote
0
answers
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Is this grammatically correct? : Something is not A nor A', neither B nor B'
'To love is not demanding nor taking advantage needless to say, neither is it giving up nor sacrifice.'
Is this sentence correct?
Is there any room for improvement?
How about the following ...
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2
answers
127
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Which one is correct? Double negatives
Which one is correct?
1. I cannot do not eat for 5 days straight
2. I cannot not eat for 5 days straight
3. I cannot not to eat for 5 days straight
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3
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What is this actually saying? Written sentence: “This is not a story about wine, well not totally.”
What is this actually saying? Written sentence: “This is not a story about wine, well not totally.” The writer means "There's more to this story than just wine." It's a voiceover attempting to be ...
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1
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Negation of a Negative Statement
My understanding that negating a negation is proof.
like:
They are not uncooperative = They are cooperative.
I understand that the use of the negative statement could slightly change the meaning ...
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5
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3
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349
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A double negative - would it be acceptable in writing?
I read other posts about the double negative, but I still would like to find out whether my sentence is OK in writing:
Breakfast was not served for no good reason.
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5
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Is "I do not want you to go nowhere" a case of "DOUBLE-NEGATIVES" as claimed by Grammarly?
I do not want you to go nowhere.
According to Grammarly, the above sentence contains a DOUBLE-NEGATIVE and should be modified as either of the following;
I do not want you to go anywhere.
I want you ...
- 1,798
2
votes
1
answer
347
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Can a double negative be OK?
There is no job I cannot do.
We are taught to avoid double negatives, and most of them sound really weird:
That won't do you no good.
She never goes with nobody.
The example above these,...
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1
answer
60
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How to avoid multiple negatives in sentence [closed]
I have written few lines, but I feel those could be more better in English, even I am not sure about grammatical mistakes. Please correct my below sentences
"But that didn't go well as I didn't ...
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1
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We haven't done this in a while, haven't we?
We haven't done this in a while, haven't we?
I am aware that this is a double negative, and technically it should be "have we?" at the end of the sentence.
However, is the question grammatically ...
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0
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"Don't you not like eating fat?" – Is it correct?
My friend had told me he didn't like eating fat. Yesterday he was relishing some pork belly with a lot of fat, so I asked,
"Don't you not like eating fat?"
He's a native speaker and I'm not. He ...
- 301
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1
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"I don't promise anything / nothing / something / everything" - Difference?
If I want to say someone that I don't premise him about that, it says, I want to give him nothing about permission. what's out of the following four is the correct?
For example:
a) I think I'll ...
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1
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1
answer
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I don't want neither Vs. I want neither
If I don't want a paper or a pen. What's the right way to say it out of these two choices?
I do not want neither a paper nor a pen.
or
I want neither a paper nor a pen.
I believe that do ...
- 27.2k
4
votes
1
answer
445
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"Had not seen anyone" or "had not seen nobody"?
I am a research paper writer with more than 3 years of experience. In a recent story of mine, I have the sentence:
The girl had not seen anyone while she was walking a long and dark street.
Then, ...
SenPerfect12
1
vote
3
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Healthy vs. average
A sample IELTS question in the reading section concerns a passage about how dentistry has improved over the last few centuries. The passage includes:
Modern dentistry was in its infancy for most ...
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1
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How to understand "don’t got nothing to do" grammatically and semantically
“To all y’all people asking why I would let me son ride the bus because I’m rich — being rich don’t got nothing to do with a child experiences,”
I saw the sentence from here. According to this ...
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1
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How to correct this double negation?
I think the sentence below is grammatically incorrect as it is a double negation. I have heard it in a movie. Can it be accepted in an informal discussion?
I won't stay here doing nothing.
How ...
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0
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How can I instantly simplify 'The Opposition refused leave for the withdrawal of a motion to annul an Order revoking the embargo'?
Source: Rebecca Gowers. Plain Words (2014 ed). p. 186 Middle.
Here
are two more examples of sentences that have to be unravelled before
they yield any meaning.
[1.] The Opposition ...
user8712