https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_(Aretha_Franklin_song)#:~:text=%22Think%22%20is%20a%20song%20written,hit%20in%20the%20United%20States.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/double-negatives-and-usage
Double negatives and usage
In standard English, when we use negative words such as nobody,
nowhere, never or nothing, we do not commonly use a
negative verb:
ü He had nothing interesting
to tell us. (Not: He
hadn’t nothing interesting…)
ü It was 10 am but there was nobody in
the office. (Not: … but there wasn’t nobody in the office.)
However, we hear double and triple negatives spoken in some regional
dialects of English. This is common when people from the same region are
speaking with one another. Double negatives like this
are not acceptable in formal situations or in writing.
Compare
|
non-standard
dialect
|
standard
English
|
|
We couldn’t never work
with nobody like that.
|
We couldn’t ever work
with anybody like that.
|
|
He never says nothing interesting
to no one.
|
He never says anything interesting
to anyone.
|
Double
negation with adjectives and adverbs (not unexpected)
However, we can use not + an adjective or adverb with a
negative prefix (e.g. un-, in-)
as a way of softening or downtoning the meaning of the adjective. The meaning
becomes affirmative, but the double negation shows that the writer/speaker is
cautious about it. This is most common in formal writing:
ü This year’s rise in inflation to 3% was not unexpected. (This year’s rise in inflation to 3% was expected to some extent.)
( …. No fue inesperado)
ü The crisis has been attributed, not
unreasonably, to the Prime Minister’s weakness. (…no sin razón..)
ü
A: The repair cost fifty pounds. B: Oh
well, that’s not unreasonable.
https://www.niu.edu/writingtutorial/grammar/double-negatives.shtml#:~:text=A%20double%20negative%20is%20a,with%20a%20single%20negative%20meaning.
Double
Negatives
A double negative is a statement which contains two negative words.
If two negatives are used in one sentence, the opposite meaning may be
conveyed (convey=expresar, verbalizar). In many British, American, and other
dialects, two or more negatives can be used with a single negative meaning.
ü Incorrect: I ain't seen nobody.
However, English and American usage commentators perceive the double
negative form as rustic, uneducated, and nonstandard. Here is a more standard
form of the above example:
Rule to Remember: A double
negative is a statement containing two negative words. It is not part of
standard English, and its use should be avoided.
ü Correct: I haven't seen anybody.
The most frequently used negative words are no, not, nothing, never, none, no one, nowhere, neither, and nobody.
There are some words which have a negative element in their meanings although
they contain no overly negative affix. These words are: hardly, scarcely, barely, etc. (apenas-escasamente)
ü Incorrect: I haven't barely started to think about
my exam.
ü Correct: I have barely started to think about
my exam.
Nobody, nothing, never are considered emphatic (enfático, rotundo, categórico, enérgico). Be careful when
you use these words. Use not anybody, not ever instead.
Anybody, anything, and ever are not negative and have to be used with not
to convey a negative meaning.
There are justifiable uses of two negative words in a sentence.
ü Correct: There is no way I cannot visit my
mother this year.
In the sentence above, the use of double negatives is emphatic --
"I must visit my mother."
Consider another example:
ü Correct: I wasn't unhappy with my grade.
Here the double negative is used to intend a positive or lukewarm
(tibio, templado, indiferente) meaning -- "I wasn't displeased, but I
wasn't elated (exultante, eufórico) either about my grade."
Two negative ideas can be expressed with not... or and not... nor
conjunctions. When not is followed by two or more verbs, nouns, or adjectives,
it is joined by or.
ü Correct: He doesn't drink or dance.
Use nor after a phrase to separate and emphasize a second verb,
adjective, or noun.
ü Correct: Our main objective is not oil, nor
power. It is stability in the region.
Miss has a negative meaning and does not need to have a negative added.
ü Incorrect: I miss not seeing him every day.
ü Correct: I miss seeing him every day.
There are several ways of correcting a double negative:
ü Incorrect: The waitress wasn't doing nothing but
standing around smoking.
ü Correct: The waitress wasn't doing anything but
standing around smoking.
ü Correct: The waitress was doing nothing but
standing around smoking.
ü Incorrect: The shopper did not have no energy left
at the end of the day.
ü Correct: The shopper did not have any energy
left at the end of the day.
ü Correct: The shopper had no energy left at the
end of the day.
