“You ain’t getting this no more.” – Here’s one of the things you should master as a writer… [Wednesday: Write with the Pen of the Masters]
“It’s not that we’re ungrateful for all that you’ve done for us. It’s just that without additional funds, and unless we have no fewer than five people to work on this project, it might be impossible for us to meet the deadline.”
Did you easily figure out what the paragraph above means? If you did, bravo!
BUT…
Imagine reading these types of sentences constantly. Worse yet, imagine reading texts about technical topics while trying to understand unnecessary negative terminology.
We bet you’d also hold your head out of stress and say, “Ugh!”
After all, the paragraph above would have been clearer if written in the positive as follows:
“We’re thankful for all that you’ve done for us, but we would need at least five people and additional funds to meet the deadline.”
Simple AND better, right?
As you can see, multiple negatives create confusion and often cancel each other, so why not simply state the phrase in the positive? Through this, your sentences would be clearer and shorter.
Minimizing Double or Multiple Negatives for Clearer Writing
Double or multiple negatives are an often misunderstood grammatical construct for native and non-native English speakers. These occur when you use two or more negative words or phrases in the same sentence.
Example:
Correct: We can hardly wait any longer.
Incorrect: We can’t hardly wait no longer.
So… why should you avoid such negatives?
This is because in standard English, using double or multiple negatives doesn’t necessarily make a statement positive. More often than not, it makes a statement confusing.
If you want to avoid causing confusion among your readers, here’s an essential list of things you must understand about these negatives:
- Each subject-predicate sentence structure should only have one negative.
Generally, negative forms are created by adding a negation to the verb.
Example:
I will bake a cake.
I will not bake a cake.
In the case of negative forms of nouns such as “nowhere,” “nothing,” “no one,” etc., the verb in the sentence must not be negated.
Example:
Correct: She’s going nowhere.
Incorrect: She’s not going nowhere.
- Double or multiple negatives are a non-standard sentence structure.
Usually, such sentences are formed by adding a negation to the verb AND to the modifier of the noun OR to the object of the verb.
Example of verb negation + object negation:
I won’t bake no cake.
Example of verb negation + modifier negation:
I can’t go nowhere tonight.
- You should learn standard English negation because many languages and some English dialects use double or multiple negatives conventionally.
Just because double or multiple negatives are not recommended in standard English, that doesn’t make them any less useful in other languages or dialects. In fact, Spanish, Ukrainian, African American Vernacular English, Southern American English, and some British regional forms conventionally use negative concord sentence constructions!
This means you should do your homework by learning how to negate such sentences using the standard grammar, especially in professional settings.
How to Avoid Double or Multiple Negatives
Double negatives are double-edged swords. They can be useful when crafting beautiful poetry, but they can also make a simple statement more confusing than ever. Here are some tips to ensure you adhere to standard English grammar rules:
- Remove Unnecessary Negatives
When you want to express a negative statement, use words like “without” or “lack” instead of combining two negative words. For instance: It’s better to say, “I lack sufficient funds” rather than, “I don’t have no money.”
- Use More Precise Terminologies
When wanting to convey a message, use clear and concise language as much as you can. Instead of saying, “I haven’t seen nobody not far away,” say, “I haven’t seen anybody nearby.”
- Rephrase
If you don’t want others to mistake you as a pessimistic person or misinterpret your statements, try to rephrase your sentences more positively. Instead of, “It ain’t gonna work,” you may say, “It won’t work around this time or at least not right away.”
Doing this will help keep your conversations friendly and constructive, without any hint of negativity.
—
As you’ve seen in the examples above, using double or multiple negatives in writing can create confusion, misunderstandings, and false assumptions about your statements.
What’s more?
From the name itself, double or multiple negatives can change the tone of your conversations from positive to negative.
So, if you want to make sure your readers or the people you’re talking to take your messages positively, avoid using these negatives and just stick to a single negation, whether in writing or speaking.
Take note of these tips for clearer and more effective writing in your next set of drafts!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Wednesdays: Write with the Pen of the Masters”
Who doesn’t find content writing to be a skill that requires a lot of practice and effort?
In fact, many people may even find copywriting very intimidating.
However, you can be a good writer as long as you have the right tools. You won’t always get things right the first time, but with enough time and practice, you’ll get the hang of it!
When you write copy for any brand or for your company, your aim is to make an impact and…
… to get people to remember.
Getting people to remember means getting consumers to buy your product or avail of your service.
… and when you get your content to deliver the results you want, THAT is great copy!
Every Wednesday, we publish content based on tips and insights from the masters of content writing, copywriting, and storytelling.
Become more familiar with ways to write great copy that helps you gain ROI from your efforts, drive profitability, and achieve your business goals.
Learn time-tested tactics that better capture the attention of your target audience, and maximize the benefits of great copywriting.
Hope you find this week’s insights interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s “Write with the Pen of the Masters!”
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Special Projects
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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