double negative
3
5.6
- noun
- /ˈdʌbəl ˈnɛɡətɪv/
- UK
:
doble negación
- Many people believe that a double negative implies a positive statement.
- use of double negative
At one point IA light went up here and said this has a double negative.
- At one point IA light went up here and said this has a double negative.
Examples
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Using a double negative can sometimes create confusion in a sentence.
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- That was a double negative.
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Yes, it's a double negative like Donald and Trump.
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I don't like that double negative.
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That's a double negative, Danny.
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Similarly, questions that include double negatives are problematic.
Academic text (2016) -
The whole genius of the English as well as the Greek language is to use double negatives for emphasis.
Academic text (1995) -
It's not unlikely that you've used double negatives yourself.
Academic text (1995) -
Avoid double negatives.
Academic text (1995) -
In English grammar, a double negative occurs when two negative words are used together.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'double' (twofold) and 'negative' (denial), so a learner who knows the words can infer it means the use of two negative elements in a clause. While the detailed grammatical consequences (e.g. whether the negatives cancel out or reinforce each other) require extra grammar knowledge, the basic concept is directly derivable and exists with similar labels in many languages.
Etymology
Double negative comes from the image of using two negatives together, like two not or no words in the same sentence. In some languages two negatives make a stronger 'no', but in standard English they often cancel each other or sound confusing, so the phrase describes this kind of grammar choice.