Practice
Double negatives: meaning and standard use
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Choose a clear standard-English negative pattern and explain the meaning of common deliberate double negatives.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
I did not find anything in the drawer. /aɪ dɪd nɒt faɪnd ˈeniθɪŋ ɪn ðə drɔːə/
The short answer
For a clear standard-English negative, use not with anybody, anything, anywhere, or ever, or use nobody, nothing, nowhere, or never without not. A phrase such as not impossible is deliberate and means possible, often cautiously.
We did not find anything in the drawer.
Why it works: Did not carries the negative meaning, so anything fits the standard pattern.
5 more examples
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I did not keep any notes from the call.
Did not makes the clause negative. Any notes is the standard choice after it.
Not this:I
kept nonotes from the call. What changes: No makes the statement negative, so the verb stays positive. -
Nobody remembered the room number.
Nobody is the negative subject. Remembered is an ordinary positive verb form.
Not this:
Anybodyremembered the room number. What changes: This does not normally state a complete standard-English meaning by itself. -
We have never visited that museum.
Never means at no time, so it supplies the negative meaning.
Not this:We have
not evervisited that museum. What changes: This is possible but less natural than have never visited in most everyday contexts. -
Her suggestion is not unreasonable.
The speaker gives a careful positive assessment instead of saying the suggestion is clearly reasonable.
Not this:Her suggestion is
reasonable. What changes: This is a more direct positive statement. -
The plan is not without risks.
Not without risks means that the plan has some risks.
Not this:The plan
has risks. What changes: This states the same basic idea more directly.
Read the full guide
First, find the negative word in the clause. If you already have not, choose an any-word such as anyone or anywhere. If you use nobody, nothing, never, or nowhere, keep the verb positive. Then check whether two negatives are meant to give a careful positive meaning, as in not unreasonable.
Find the negative meaning first
Before you choose a word, find where the negative meaning already appears. Not, never, nobody, nothing, nowhere, and no can each make a clause negative. Standard English usually needs only one of these patterns for the intended negative meaning.
Mina did not bring any documents.
Did not is the negative part of the clause. Any documents follows that pattern.
Which word fits after did not: anyone or no one?
Use anyone in this standard pattern: Mina did not contact anyone.
Use any- words after not
After not, use any- words when you mean no person, thing, place, or time. The useful pairs are anybody or anyone, anything, anywhere, and ever. This pattern is common in speaking and writing.
They could not hear anything from the next room.
Could not already makes the clause negative, so anything means no thing in this context.
Complete the sentence: We have not been ___ near the coast.
Use anywhere: We have not been anywhere near the coast.
Use no- words without not
Nobody, nothing, nowhere, and never can make the sentence negative by themselves. When you use one of these words, the main verb is usually not negative. This gives you a second clear standard-English pattern.
Nothing changed after the update.
Nothing is the negative subject. Changed stays in its ordinary past form.
Rewrite We did not go nowhere in a standard-English pattern.
Write We did not go anywhere, or We went nowhere.
Read deliberate double negatives as a whole phrase
Some double negatives are intentional. They often make a positive statement sound careful, limited, or polite. Do not read each negative separately. Ask what the full phrase says about the idea.
The delay is not unusual in winter.
Not unusual means that the delay happens often enough to be expected. It is less direct than saying the delay is usual.
Her report is not without detail.
Not without detail means that the report contains some detail.
Choose the pattern for the situation
Negative concord is a real pattern in some dialects, where two negative words can express one negative meaning. It may be natural in a particular voice or conversation. For a formal standard-English task, choose one clear negative pattern unless the task asks you to represent that dialect.
I did not hear anyone at the door.
This is the standard written pattern for the meaning that no person was heard.
What should you do when a formal writing task contains two negatives that mean one negative idea?
Revise the sentence to one standard negative pattern unless you are quoting or deliberately using a dialect voice.
Before you go
Remember this
Use not with any- words, or use no- words without not, when you need one clear standard-English negative. Read deliberate double negatives as complete phrases. Not unreasonable means roughly reasonable, while not without risks means that risks exist.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "Double negatives: meaning and standard use"
What is a double negative in English?
A double negative contains two negative elements in one expression or clause. In standard English, it may make a careful positive meaning, as in not impossible, or it may need revision when the writer intends one simple negative meaning.
I did not keep any notes from the call.
How can I make a clear negative sentence in standard English?
Use not with an any-word, such as I did not find anything, or use a no-word with an ordinary verb, such as I found nothing. Both patterns express one negative meaning clearly.
I kept no notes from the call.
When should I use anybody instead of nobody?
Use anybody after a negative verb, as in We did not invite anybody. Use nobody without not when it supplies the negative meaning, as in Nobody came to the event.
Nobody remembered the room number.
Does not unlikely mean unlikely?
No. Not unlikely suggests that something may happen or is fairly likely. The phrase is cautious, so likely is clearer when you want a direct positive statement.
Anybody remembered the room number.
Is negative concord wrong English?
No. Negative concord is a grammatical pattern in some English dialects, where more than one negative can express one negative meaning. Use a standard negative pattern when a formal task or style guide requires standard written English.
We have never visited that museum.