Speaking Writing Articles

Interjection An interjection is a word used to express some sudden emotion... Notes Of Introduction Notes of introduction should be very circumspect as the write... Interruption In Conversation Interruption, more surely than anything else, kills convers... Formal Invitations Mr. and Mrs. Henry Wagstaff request the ... Simplicity Simplicity of style has reference to the choice of simple wor... Discussion Versus Controversy Many people object to discussion, but they are invariably t... Good Conversation Conclusion Good conversation, then, is like a well-played game of whis... N. Y. In writing to the President the superscription on the envelop...

DOUBLE NEGATIVE

Common Stumbling Blocks - Peculiar Constructions - Misused Forms. It must be remembered that two negatives in the English language destroy each other and are equivalent to an affirmative. Thus "I don't know nothing about it" is intended to convey, that I am ignorant of the matter under consideration, but it defeats its own purpose, inasmuch as the use of nothing implies that I know something about it. The sentence should read--"I don't know anything about it." Often we hear such expressions as "He was not asked to give no opinion," expressing the very opposite of what is intended. This sentence implies that he was asked to give his opinion. The double negative, therefore, should be carefully avoided, for it is insidious and is liable to slip in and the writer remain unconscious of its presence until the eye of the critic detects it. Next: FIRST PERSONAL PRONOUN Previous: BROKEN CONSTRUCTION Report Privacy SHARE BOOKMARK

Categories

Beginning - Different Sources - The Present Common Stumbling Blocks - Peculiar Constructions - Misused Forms. Diction - Purity - Propriety - Precision. Different Kinds Arrangement of Words - Paragraph Divisions of Grammar Definitions - Etymology. Figures of Speech - Definitions and Examples Use of Figures Great Authors--Classification--The World's Best Books. How to Write - What to Write - Correct Speaking and Speakers Mistakes - Slips of Authors - Examples and Corrections - Errors of Redundancy. Principal Points - Illustrations - Capital Letters. Principles of Letter Writing - Forms - Notes Qualification - Appropriate Subjects - Directions Small Words - Their Importance - The Anglo-Saxon Element Vocabulary Parts of Speech - Requisites