NEVER use this in spoken English! | Speaking English rules | Double negatives

Hi there, this is Harry and welcome back to my  English lessons where I try to help you to get  

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So what are we going to talk about? Well, often  when I'm teaching students, they fall into the old  

habit of using what I call double negatives on two  negatives, two negative words in the one sentence,  

and it's a definite, I'm going to use two  negatives now as a definite no, no.  

Okay, so it's a definite no, no,  don't use double negatives,  

for example, I haven't seen nothing. Here, so  that's absolutely bad English, and you shouldn't  

use it the obvious options, I haven't seen  anything. So negative with a positive or positive  

with a negative, but it's something that quite  happens quite often. And it comes up quite often.  

So let me try and explain to you the rationale  and the reasoning behind it. Okay, so as I said,  

double negatives are not something we'd like to  use. Occasionally, they are used, but in very,  

very infrequent situations, and also in very, very  informal situations, almost like slang. Yeah.  

So one expression you might often hear come across  in a movie or book is, you ain't seen nothing yet.  

You ain't seen nothing yet. And when you look at  it written down here, you'll see that there are  

two negatives, but it's actually quite acceptable.  You hear it in in songs, you ain't seen nothing  

yet. Or you hear it in movies. And it is allowed  in those situations and only in those situations,  

but we wouldn't use it normally. In spoken  English, you ain't seen nothing yet.  

Okay, so what's the thinking behind it? Well, a double negative is usually defined as  

two negative words that appear in the same  sentence. And actually, what it results in is a  

positive. Okay, so two negatives, make a positive.  Okay, so if you're getting confused with that will  

try and remember your mathematics. So if somebody  asks you to multiply minus two by minus three,  

the answer actually will be plus six sounds a  little bit strange, but one minus, multiplied by  

another minus figure, so minus two and multiply  by minus three will actually give you plus six,  

and that would be your answer. So if we apply that  mathematical thinking to our English is exactly  

the same. Two negatives will result in a positive,  okay, but we don't use it in spoken English.  

So let me give you a little example. Let's say  I made the statement, I have nothing, okay,  

I have nothing. Nothing is the negative word  I have is positive. But the fact that we use  

nothing in the sentence turns it into a negative,  okay? I have nothing meaning I have no money, or I  

have nothing to give you. Or I have nothing to do  with that. Something like that. Okay? So it's a,  

it's a negative in the sentence that turns it into  a negative even though I have is positive, nothing  

turns I have from positive into negative, okay,  so we can't say I haven't nothing, okay. I have  

nothing. So if I could, if I could use it as a  two negatives, I might say, I do not have nothing.  

Okay, so that that's your two negatives in the  sentence, I do not have nothing and remember what  

I said about the mathematics minus two multiplied  by minus three will equal plus six. So here,  

I did not have nothing. Do not one negative  nothing, second, negative one negative multiply by  

the second negative turns it into the positive. So  in actual fact, what that sentence means I do not  

have nothing means I have something. Yeah, I have  something and that's exactly what we should say we  

should look at the positive. I have something  okay, not I do not have nothing. Okay? So,  

avoid at all costs, avoid those double negatives.  So what I'm going to do now, I'm just going to  

give you some examples of sentences where we use  the double negative and then I'm going to put them  

into the correct format. Okay, so the first one  will be the double negative. I don't know nobody  

who's coming for example, to a party. Don't know, nobody's who's coming.  

What you should be saying is, I know nobody  who's coming, or I don't know, anybody who's  

coming. Okay? So make sure you have a positive  and a negative or negative and a positive.  

And that would be perfect English. Another example. I don't have no time for that.  

I don't have no time for that. What it should be  is I don't have any time for that. Okay, or I have  

no time for that. I have no time for that. So  negative, positive or positive and a negative  

I can't get no satisfaction. Well, if you're into  the Rolling Stones, you'll probably recognise  

that from one of the very early songs of Mick  Jagger, I can't get no satisfaction. But it's  

okay for him to say it, but not okay for you  to say. So what you should say is, I can't get  

any satisfaction, or I got no satisfaction.  If you were making a complaint, for example,  

in a restaurant or a bar or wherever it might  be. So I can't get any satisfaction, or I got  

no satisfaction. But only if you're Mick Jagger,  you can say I can't get no satisfaction, but I'm  

not Mick Jagger. And I'm sure he's not listening  to this particular podcast or subscribing to  

my channel. So we just have to do without. Another example. You ain't seen nothing yet. And  

another line from another song. I can't remember  which song this is. But it's You ain't seen  

nothing yet. And usually when this song was sung,  it's something you ain't seen nothing yet. PVB  

You ain't seen nothing yet. So  the song goes, but in this case,  

when we say You ain't seen nothing  yet, what we really mean to say is,  

you haven't seen anything yet. You haven't seen  anything yet. And it's much better English. Don't  

get confused by the words of the song enjoy the  song, by all means, try and sing it much better  

than I did. I hope but you You ain't seen nothing  yet. Should be you haven't seen anything yet.  

I can't find my keys nowhere. I can't find my  keys nowhere. It's not from a song. It's just  

somebody comes in and they're looking for  the car keys. I can't find my keys nowhere.  

I cannot find my keys anywhere. I cannot find my keys anywhere. Okay,  

so nowhere becomes anywhere. That negative, that  second negative, put it into a positive then you  

have one negative I cannot find my keys anywhere.  I want positive perfect English. Okay. Again,  

avoid at all costs those double negatives. She never goes with nobody. She never goes with  

nobody. Again, you're getting hopefully the hang  of it. Now. She never goes with anybody. He or she  

goes with nobody. Yeah. So if you're wondering why  daughter or friend doesn't go to the cinema, she  

never goes with anybody. She always goes on her  own. She never goes with anybody. She always goes  

on our own. Or she goes with nobody, she prefers  to go on her own either. We'll do one negative one  

positive on positive, one negative. And then finally, all the witnesses.  

So if we're talking about a detective story, all  the witnesses claimed that they didn't see nobody.  

All the witnesses claimed that they didn't see  nobody should read. All the witnesses claimed  

that they didn't see anybody, they didn't see  anybody. Okay, so avoid those double negatives  

make the sentence sound much more effective  and much, much more professional.  

Like all English, that tends to be a few  exceptions. So let me just give you a few  

exemption exceptions in relation to this  aspect of double negatives. They can be  

permitted if the intention is to make a positive  statement. So let me just read you an example.  

It wasn't very expensive. So talking about  some dress or a pair of shoes. It wasn't very  

expensive, but it certainly didn't cost nothing.  So here you mean, it certainly cost something it  

was actually money, but it wasn't as expensive as  I thought. So we again, it wasn't very expensive,  

but it certainly didn't cost nothing. Okay. It  means that you didn't get it for nothing you did  

have to pay but not what you had thought you might  have to pay so we can use it when the intention  

is to turn it into a positive. Okay. Or let's give you another example. When I  

said I didn't want a lot of fuss about  my birthday, I didn't mean no fuss. Yeah.  

Okay, so When I said I didn't want any fuss about  my birthday, I didn't mean no fuss. So here, we're  

using two negatives. But in fact, we can use it  because the intention was for it to be a positive.  

So what you're really saying is, when I said I  didn't want any fuss, my, for my birthday, I meant  

a little bit, but not a big party or a big hurrah,  I wanted something, perhaps something in the in  

the family. So you wanted something, but not the  big, big, flamboyant, expensive celebration case.  

So you can in that situation, both of the examples  I've given you, you can use the double negatives,  

because the intention was to turn them into a  positive. And that's the type of exception that  

we're talking about when, when we mentioned. Another way in which we can use a double negatives  

is where we perhaps use not. And then we  follow it with a word with a prefix like  

I R or non one of those. So let me  give you a little example of that.  

He wasn't irresponsible about his duties,  he wasn't irresponsible about his duties,  

means he was responsible, he was very  responsible about his duties.  

This gemstone is not uncommon, okay, is  not uncommon. So not negative on common,  

could be negative, but it means is, this gemstone  is common, you see it everywhere, okay.  

And finally, the results are not inconclusive,  the results are not inconclusive means that they  

are conclusive, we did get information from the  results. So in those situations, you're using not  

a negative word with the negative of an adjective  by adding one of those prefixes that we've looked  

at, in other examples, okay, so you'll see them  written on the screen here. So just study them for  

a while. And just to understand what they mean.  And if you have any problems, come back to me,  

and I'll try and explain it to you again. So let's just look at a quick rule of  

thumb when we want to use anything, and anything also includes words with any like,  

anybody or anyone. Okay, so we  can use them in questions.  

Is there anything I can do for you? Is there  anyone you want me to call? Is there anybody,  

you know, suitable for this job? So we  can use it in that context? Okay.  

And if we want to use them with statements  that include not, or no, yeah, I don't know  

anything about it. Yeah. I don't know anybody  that would be suitable. I don't know anyone  

that would be able to answer the question,  okay. So you can use it in that context.  

And if you want to use nothing, when  then we can use it in statements  

where there is no other negative word. There is nothing I can do. There is nothing I can  

add. There is nothing more I can tell you. Okay,  so that's use those as a rule of thumb. Okay,  

so what we've basically been talking about are  double negatives, and impressing hopefully upon  

you the fact that double negatives are a  definite, no, no, we don't use them.  

There are exceptions. And I've covered those,  hopefully, in the lesson that you'll be able to  

go back over them and you'll see it on the screen.  Again, if you don't understand that if you don't  

follow it. Come back to me and I'll try to explain  it again and give you a few more examples. Okay,  

but double negatives. Occasionally you'll see  them you will definitely hear them in songs,  

you will definitely hear them in movies  like you ain't seen nothing yet. Okay? But  

we don't use them in speech because they  sound wrong. They give a bad impression,  

and they're really quite negative. Okay, so  double negatives. Thanks a lot for listening.  

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