What is a double negative called?

In many languages worldwide, it is grammatically incorrect to use anything but the double negative! (This is called negative concord.)

What is another word for double negative?

Stylistically, in English, double negatives can sometimes be used for affirmation (e.g. "I'm not feeling unwell"), an understatement of the positive ("I'm feeling well"). The rhetorical term for this is litotes.

What's an example of a double negative?

Double Negative Examples

I didn't want nothing to do with her. She didn't go nowhere. You can't prove nothing. Timothy doesn't never call me.

What is a double negative number?

In math, two negatives make a positive. The same is true in writing. If we use two negatives, each invalidates the other. For example, consider the sentence: I don't have no marbles.

Is a double negative improper grammar?

A double negative is when two negative words or constructions are used within a single clause. Sentences with double negatives are not grammatically correct . . . and they're confusing. That's because double negatives cancel each other out and make a positive.

Double Negatives

What do language experts think about double negatives?

English teachers do not like double negatives because they can be confusing and illogical. Starting in elementary school, teachers tell students to avoid them. But many native English speakers still use double negatives.

Is irregardless a double negative?

First of all, it's a double negative, so it's regardless. MARTIN: And Ray is urging the use of an alternative. RAY: You say regardless - regardless of the fact. Irregardless means not regardless.

What do 2 negatives make?

Two negatives cancel out and make a positive, in maths as well as in speech.

Is there such a thing as a double negative?

A double negative is a statement which contains two negative words. 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.

Can you have a negative double?

The negative double is a form of takeout double in bridge. It is made by the responder after their right-hand opponent overcalls on the first round of bidding, and is used to show shortness in overcall's suit, support for the unbid suits with emphasis on majors, as well as some values.

Why do Americans use double negative?

The typical double negative is not used in standard English in the USA. For instance: I am not, not going there. You might think that I am going there. But in American English the double not just means emphasis, as in I am really not going there.

What is double negative in psychology?

One of the most intriguing aspects of Fishbein's (e.g. 1980) theory of reasoned action is the logic of the double negative: if a behaviour is thought to be unlikely to result in a negatively evaluated consequence, then the product of the two negatives (an unlikely consequence that is negatively valued) is thought to ...

What's a fancy word for negative?

adverse, gloomy, pessimistic, unfavorable, weak, abrogating, annulling, anti, con, contrary, contravening, denying, disallowing, disavowing, dissenting, gainsaying, impugning, invalidating, jaundiced, naysaying.

What's another word for negative effects?

Some common synonyms of detrimental are baneful, deleterious, noxious, and pernicious. While all these words mean "exceedingly harmful," detrimental implies obvious harmfulness to something specified.

What is a word for both positive and negative?

double-edged sword

noun. a situation or decision that has both positive and negative aspects.

Is the double negative rule controversial?

Although grammatically correct, debates regarding the permissibility of double negatives keep flaring up from time to time. Talks apparently originated when linguists pondered acceptance of the often controversial African-American Vernacular English, within which the grammar tweak is quite common.

Does a double negative make a positive?

English grammar is unlike math: two negatives do not make a positive. The best scientific writing is clear, direct, and simple. Do not use two or more negatives in the same sentence or clause, because the two negatives do not cancel each other out but only add confusion to the text.

What happens when you times 2 negatives?

There are two simple rules to remember: When you multiply a negative number by a positive number then the product is always negative. When you multiply two negative numbers or two positive numbers then the product is always positive.

Are two negatives a negative?

When you multiply a negative by a negative you get a positive, because the two negative signs are cancelled out.

Is Supposably a word?

'Supposably' and 'supposedly' are both words. The two words have distinct meanings. And yet, most people who use it these days would be better off using 'supposedly'.

Is it grammatically correct to say irregardless?

However, “irregardless” is not considered a real word by most dictionaries, and it should be avoided in formal or academic writing. “Irregardless” is seen as incorrect because it adds the prefix “ir-,” which usually expresses negation, but actually means the same thing as regardless, not the opposite.

What words are not real words?

What is a triple negative in grammar?

A triple negative uses three negative words in a single grammatical construction. Think of negatives in speech like negatives in math.

How do you shut down a negative person?