Common Mistakes: Double Negative (by Carla)

Hello!

Today we are going to have a look at another common mistake: double negatives!

Double negatives are incredibly common, even though they are grammatically incorrect! Some dialects, like the English "Cockney", use them in everyday language so I am sure you have seen many films and heard many songs with the double negative mistake.

This video is a good recap of the grammatical rules:

In a nutshell, like the Mathematical rule states: two negatives make a positive.

"No he visto a nadie" can be said in two correct ways in English:

"I have not seen anyone"

"I have seen no one"

Because if we say "I have not seen no one", it actually means that you have seen someone! (Two negatives make a positive!)

Songs with the Double Negative Mistake

It is very normal that this mistake continues to happen because there are many songs that contain the double negative. Like poetry, song lyrics do not have to follow standard grammar rules. Therefore, double negatives are often used to achieve shorter syllable counts in lyrics.

For example, the Rolling Stones' song "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" should technically be "I Can't Get Any Satisfaction" - but then the tempo wouldn't be the same!

Another famous song with this mistake is "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"- which should grammatically be "Ain't Any Mountain High Enough", because "Ain't" is an informal way of saying "there is not".

And here are some other well-known lines in popular songs with double negative examples:

• I wasn't looking for nobody when you looked my way - "Don't Stop the Music," Rihanna

• We don't need no education - "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2," Pink Floyd

• I can't get no sleep - "Insomnia," Faithless

• Got nothing to hide no more - "Shape of My Heart," Backstreet Boys

• There ain't no rest for the wicked - "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked," Cage the Elephant

• My forbidden lover, I don't want no other - "My Forbidden Lover," Chic

• You can't tell me nothing - "Can't Tell Me Nothing," Kanye West

• I don't belong to no one - "Dream Attack," New Order

• Ain't no sunshine when she's gone - Ain't No Sunshine," Bill Withers

• Ain't no other man on the planet does what you do - "Ain't No Other Man," Christina Aguilera

• It wouldn't be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl - "It's a Man's World," James Brown

Do you know any other songs that contain a double negative? Let us know!

Best wishes,

Carla