Double negatives

  46. Double negatives 

Never use a negative verb and a negative qualifier (e.g. nothing, hardly, scarcely, nobody etc.) together.

 • Incorrect: I haven't nothing to prove. 

• Correct: I have nothing to prove. 

• Incorrect: Alice can't hardly wait until her birthday.

 • Correct: Alice can hardly wait until her birthday. 

• Incorrect: There wasn't nobody at the door. 

• Correct: There was nobody at the door.