XXXII - GRAMMAR Double negative

Double Negative

A double negative is usually produced by combining the negative form of verb (e.g., cannot, did not, have not) with a negative pronoun (e.g., nothing, nobody), a negative adverb (e.g., never, hardly) or a negative conjunction (e.g., neither/nor).

Examples:

• I didn't see nothing.
• I did not have neither her address nor her phone number. 
• It wasn't uninteresting
• She is not unattractive. 

A double negative gives the sentence a positive sense. (e.g., "I didn't see nothing" is similar in meaning to "I saw something.") A double negative is not always an error. The latter two examples, meaning "It was interesting." and "She is attractive.", are fine.

Example:

• I cannot say that I do not disagree with you. 

(This brilliant quote by Groucho Marx can be considered a triple negative. If you follow it through logically, you'll find it means "I disagree with you".)

Interactive example:

•  She claims she has not seen neither Paul nor John since May.