Writing Skills

A double negative is a statement containing two negative words. It is not part of standard English, and its use should be avoided.

If two negatives are used in one sentence, the opposite meaning may be conveyed. In many British, American, and other dialects, two or more negatives can be used with a single negative meaning.

Example:

• I ain't seen nothing.

However, English and American users perceive the double negative form as rustic, uneducated, and nonstandard.

The most frequently used negative words are no, not, nothing, never, none, no one, nowhere, neither, and nobody. There are some words which have a negative element in their meanings although they contain no overly negative affix. These words are: hardly, scarcely, barely, etc.

• INCORRECT: I haven't hardly started to think about the due date.
• CORRECT: I have hardly started to think about the due date.
   
• INCORRECT: She wasn't doing nothing but sitting and talking.
• CORRECT: She wasn't doing anything but sitting and talking.
• CORRECT: She was doing nothing but sitting and talking.
   
• INCORRECT: The worker didn't have no energy left after his shift.
• CORRECT: The worker didn't have any energy left after his shift.
• CORRECT: The worker had no energy left after his shift.

There are justifiable uses of two negative words in a sentence

Some negative words can be used emphatically. 

• There was no way I was not going to their last concert.

The above sentence uses double negatives emphatically: "I have to go their last concert."

• I wasn't mad about getting to leave work early.

Some can be used to intend a positive or lukewarm meaning: "I was happy about leaving work early."