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You may have read in your textbooks that double negatives should be avoided, and there is a good reason - it causes confusion.
Using two negatives is supposed to convey a positive thought. However, if used wrongly, it is still a negative sentence and causes confusion. If you like American movies and dramas, you probably have heard of sentences like these:
Double Negative Examples (that are bad):
1. That won't do you no good. This sentence means "That won't do you any good". It does NOT mean "That will do you good".
2. There aren't no presents left to open. This sentence means "There are no presents to open". It does NOT mean "There are presents to open".
These double negatives examples are poor grammar and please don't use them.
Then, when can you use double negatives?
A double negative can be formed by attaching the prefix -in, -ir, non-and un-. Here are some
examples:
1. This gem is not uncommon. (It means, this gem is common.)
2. The results are not inconclusive. (It means the results are conclusive.)
3. He isn't an irresponsible person. (It means he is a responsible person.)
4. The new disease isn't non-infectious. (It means the new disease is infectious).
Using negatives with prefixes are clear.
Using two negatives is supposed to convey a positive thought. However, if used wrongly, it is still a negative sentence and causes confusion. If you like American movies and dramas, you probably have heard of sentences like these:
Double Negative Examples (that are bad):
1. That won't do you no good. This sentence means "That won't do you any good". It does NOT mean "That will do you good".
2. There aren't no presents left to open. This sentence means "There are no presents to open". It does NOT mean "There are presents to open".
These double negatives examples are poor grammar and please don't use them.
Then, when can you use double negatives?
A double negative can be formed by attaching the prefix -in, -ir, non-and un-. Here are some
examples:
1. This gem is not uncommon. (It means, this gem is common.)
2. The results are not inconclusive. (It means the results are conclusive.)
3. He isn't an irresponsible person. (It means he is a responsible person.)
4. The new disease isn't non-infectious. (It means the new disease is infectious).
Using negatives with prefixes are clear.
If you are not sure, then use a positive sentence to avoid confusion.
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