Double Negatives Worksheet 1



|Double Negatives Worksheet 1 |

|Negative words: no, not, nobody, nothing, none, never, hardly, scarcely, barely, only. Using two negatives in the same sentence gives the opposite meaning,|

|but it does the job awkwardly. Avoid double negatives! |

In these sentences, underline each correct word in parentheses.

1. She couldn’t eat (anything, nothing).

2. I didn’t see (nothing, anything).

3. We (could, couldn’t) hardly see through the fog.

4. She did not have (anything, nothing) to read.

5. I could not see (no, any) way to help.

6. I cannot find my money (anywhere, nowhere).

7. You (can, cannot) scarcely recognize her.

8. The children do not need (no, any) candy.

9. We barely had (any, no) money.

10. William (could, couldn’t) hardly wait.

11. Jim was not carrying (no, any) packages.

12. The tear in his shirt (was, was not) barely noticeable.

13. The lecturer did not say (anything, nothing) interesting.

14. Of all the cars I tried, I did not buy (none, any).

15. The baby (cannot, can) hardly walk yet.

16. Isn’t there (nothing, anything) you want for Christmas?

17. Haven’t you (any, no) size 10 dresses?

18. We did not meet (nobody, anybody) at Jane’s party.

19. I could not find my purse (nowhere, anywhere).

20. The wind was so strong I (could, couldn’t) hardly stand.

|WHAT IS A DOUBLE-NEGATIVE? |

◆ A double-negative occurs when a sentence has two negative words that cancel each other out and, as a result, causes confusion and creates a problem with the CLARITY of the sentence.

← When you have two negative words in the same sentence, you actually end up saying the OPPOSITE of what you mean to say.

← For example, if you say “I don’t have no money,” the DON’T and NO cancel each other out and become a POSITIVE. Therefore, the sentence “I don’t have no money” actually becomes a positive statement that means “I have money.”

|HERE ARE SOME RULES TO KEEP IN MIND….. |

1. Double negatives are nonstandard. Avoid two negative words in the same clause.

2. Do not use but in a negative sense with another negative.

• Incorrect: He didn't want but one good grade.

• Correct: He wanted but one good grade.

• Correct: He wanted only one good grade.

3. Words like barely, hardly, and scarcely have a negative sense and should not be used with another negative. In effect, this creates a double negative.

• Incorrect: He couldn't hardly speak.

• Correct: He could hardly speak.

• Incorrect: We were not barely able to see the stage.

• Correct: We were barely able to see the stage.

|Final Thoughts about Double Negatives: |

| |

|Just remember that using double negatives in your sentences creates confusion and messes up the CLARITY of your intended meaning. Therefore, AVOID using double |

|negatives in your writing. Also, know how to correct double negatives when you see them. |

FINAL GRAMMAR REVIEW:

|ENGLISH I GRAMMAR CLASSWORK – CLAUSES |

. Definition of a clause: A clause is a group of words which contain a subject and a verb. The group of words sticks together as a glob and cannot be pulled apart. A clause is just like a phrase except a phrase does not have both a subject and a verb. Therefore, the difference between a phrase glob and a clause glob is that a clause glob has both a subject and a verb, and a phrase glob does not have both a subject and a verb.

There are two kinds of clauses:

|A. Independent clause -- a group of words with a subject, a verb, and a complete thought. |

| |

|B. Dependent clause -- a group of words with a subject and a verb but not a complete thought. |

|Directions: Determine whether each clause below is INDPENDENT or DEPENDENT. If the clause is INDEPENDENT, then write “independent”|

|in the blank space beside the clause. If the clause is DEPENDENT, then write “dependent” beside the clause. ALSO, if the clause is|

|DEPENDENT, then ADD to the clause so that it becomes INDEPENDENT. |

____________________1. Neil Armstrong is famous because he was the first man to walk on the moon.

__________________________2. The plane which leaves for Zurich.

__________________________3. When the Smiths entered the house.

__________________________4. The dog barked.

__________________________5. That he is a vegetarian.

__________________________6. I ran.

__________________________7. Although I won the contest.

__________________________8. Whenever it snows in Wilmington.

__________________________9. By the time the storm had ended, it was too late to drive home.

__________________________10. She cried.

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You can’t tell me nothing!

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