Sunday, November 24, 2019
Dont Be Negative About Negatives
Dont Be Negative About Negatives Donââ¬â¢t Be Negative About Negatives Donââ¬â¢t Be Negative About Negatives By Mark Nichol A site visitor called attention to a sentence in one of my recent posts and asked, because it has two negatives, whether it is grammatically correct. The sentence in question? ââ¬Å"In case you hadnââ¬â¢t heard, I couldnââ¬â¢t care less.â⬠The reader confused the appearance of two negative words with the concept of the double negative, which is not the same thing. In the sentence I used, each negative is located in a separate clause: Hadnââ¬â¢t appears in the dependent clause, and couldnââ¬â¢t is in the main, independent clause. Therefore, they donââ¬â¢t contradict each other. But even if they did, would that be wrong? Not necessarily. Two forms of double negative exist. One, referred to as two negatives resolving to a positive, is also known as litotes (LIE-tuh-tees), a rhetorical device in which emphasis is conveyed by understatement. For example, ââ¬Å"I do not disagree,â⬠a form of two negatives resolving to a positive, is an effective way to convey lukewarm concurrence. ââ¬Å"He is not unattractive,â⬠likewise, is not the same as ââ¬Å"He is attractive.â⬠By using the double negative, the writer intends to damn with faint praise. The double negative carries the euphemistic connotation that the man in question is only merely pleasant looking rather than handsome. The other form of double negative, known as two or more negatives resolving to a negative, is the one we associate with the grammarianââ¬â¢s admonition to avoid double negatives. Here are some examples of double negatives that are not considered specimens of proper English usage: ââ¬Å"I ainââ¬â¢t no fool.â⬠ââ¬Å"She didnââ¬â¢t do nothing.â⬠ââ¬Å"They ainââ¬â¢t going nowhere.â⬠ââ¬Å"We donââ¬â¢t never go out.â⬠ââ¬Å"You donââ¬â¢t have no money.â⬠Related examples employ a minimizing adverb instead of a negative: ââ¬Å"I canââ¬â¢t hardly tell.â⬠ââ¬Å"He couldnââ¬â¢t barely see in that fog.â⬠But are these sentences grammatically challenged? Not really. They arenââ¬â¢t exemplars of Standard English, but theyââ¬â¢re seldom unclear, and they are appropriate in context, to authentically convey the substandard usage of uneducated speakers of English. To review, ââ¬Å"In case you hadnââ¬â¢t heard, I couldnââ¬â¢t care lessâ⬠is unimpeachable, ââ¬Å"I do not disagreeâ⬠and ââ¬Å"He is not unattractiveâ⬠are eloquent equivocations, and ââ¬Å"I ainââ¬â¢t no foolâ⬠and similar constructions are entirely acceptable as expressions of dialect or of jocular usage. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Classes and Types of Phrases5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present TenseHow Verbs Become Adjectives
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