Writing for Business - A Whatis.com Blog » double negatives http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/writing-for-business Is your grammar as good as your code? Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:09:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Don’t use no double negatives incorrectly; don’t never use no triple negatives incorrectly http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/writing-for-business/using-double-negatives-correctly/ http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/writing-for-business/using-double-negatives-correctly/#comments Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:12:00 +0000 Ivy Wigmore http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/writing-for-business/?p=1923 Which is correct?
Can you show me some of the case studies on results-only work environments (ROWE)? You haven’t sold me yet but I’m ___________.
a. interested
b. not uninterested

Answer: Either.

Explanation:
You know what they say: Don’t use no double negatives — and don’t never use no triple negatives!

OK — those examples are decidedly out of place in any kind of formal writing, and most speech. However, there is a place for double negatives. In this case, “not uninterested” expresses a little more equivocation than “interested.” The boss who’s interested is well on the way to being sold; the one who’s not uninterested is going to take some more convincing.

Jim Loy examines some uses for double, triple and quadruple negatives.

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]]> http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/writing-for-business/using-double-negatives-correctly/feed/ 0 Nor and the double negative http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/writing-for-business/nor-and-the-double-negative/ http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/writing-for-business/nor-and-the-double-negative/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:30:08 +0000 Ivy Wigmore http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/writing-for-business/?p=980 Which is correct?
We didn’t manage to meet our first energy conservation target date — ____ even the second one.
a. nor
b. or

Answer: b

Explanation:
In this sentence, didn’t covers both dates, so nor would make a double negative. And, although you can sometimes use double negatives, this isn’t one of those times.

In the ProofreadNOW blog, Phil Jamieson explains:

Most (dare we say ALL?) readers will realize that the following double negative is grammatically incorrect: “They don’t have no skis.” However, even many literate writers might miss the double negative in the next sentence:

“We won’t be able to accept your invitation to attend the competition on September 13 nor even the one on September 15.” Change nor to or. Reason: The word won’t covers both the competition on September 13 and the one on September 15.

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