A double negative occurs when two negative words appear in the same clause. In standard English, they often cancel each other out or make the sentence confusing. Usually, the fix is to remove one negative or replace it with a positive word.
Common fixes
-
Incorrect: I don’t need no help.
Correct: I don’t need any help.
Also correct: I need no help. -
Incorrect: She didn’t say nothing.
Correct: She didn’t say anything.
Also correct: She said nothing. -
Incorrect: We can’t hardly hear you.
Correct: We can hardly hear you. -
Incorrect: He never goes nowhere.
Correct: He never goes anywhere.
Also correct: He goes nowhere. -
Incorrect: Nobody didn’t answer.
Correct: Nobody answered.
Also correct: Anybody didn’t answer is not a natural substitute; use “Nobody answered.”
Common negative words include not, no, never, nobody, nothing, nowhere, neither, and hardly. Words such as barely, scarcely, and without can also create unintended double negatives:
-
Awkward: I can’t barely see.
Better: I can barely see. -
Confusing: We couldn’t leave without taking nothing.
Better: We couldn’t leave without taking anything.
A quick correction method
- Identify every negative expression in the clause.
- Decide which negative carries the main meaning.
- Keep that negative.
- Change the other negative to a neutral word such as any, anything, anyone, anywhere, ever, or either.
For example:
I didn’t see nobody.
The main negative is didn’t, so change nobody to anybody:
I didn’t see anybody.
Alternatively, keep nobody and remove the other negative:
I saw nobody.
Not every sentence containing two negatives is incorrect. Sometimes the negatives deliberately create a positive or qualified meaning:
- It’s not impossible. This means it is possible, though perhaps difficult.
- I’m not unhappy. This suggests mild satisfaction rather than strong happiness.
- She never leaves without saying goodbye. This correctly means she always says goodbye before leaving.
Double negatives are also intentional and grammatical in some dialects, where they add emphasis rather than cancel each other out. In formal or standard written English, however, replacing the second negative with an any- word is usually the clearest solution.