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Comment by wasleys posted on Bad spelin' at 23/03/2009 - 11:40
Daniel Bridge wrote:
"I'm talking about people who's first language is English."
Which means the same thing.
Unfortunately it doesn't; what you have done is to paraphrase the sentence by removing both nots. A double negative when corrected would retain one of them. mowog wrote:
I'm not talking about people who's first language is not English.
Take the 'not's out, and you have:I'm not talking about people who's first language is not English.
"I'm talking about people who's first language is English."
Which means the same thing.
The Wikipedia article on 'Double negative' contains this comment which may help to clarify the situation:
"There isn't a day when I don't think about her." – Prince William, speaking of his mother.
(This is not double negative, since the two negatives are in different clauses. A true double negative would be "there isn't no day when..." The sentence as spoken could only be changed by removing one of the negatives to either "There isn't a day when I think about her" or "There is a day when I don't think about her" neither of which has the intended meaning.)
Note the comment about clauses, a point I had already referred to.
Of course the sentence which started this debate could have been written with two double negatives: "I ain't talking about no people who don't speak no English neither". Or would that be two and a half?
Michael
Comment by wasleys posted on Bad spelin' at 22/03/2009 - 15:51
Anvh wrote:
Hmmm, it might depend on the language maybe. I just don't know.
Looked the web and found this. I'm not saying you're wrong, since I don't know for sure what's right or not but this what I though was right though.
The point is that in a double negative the two negatives cancel (or we might even say negate ) each other and so make a positive, as in 'I haven't got no apples'. That didn't happen in the sentence that was questioned.Hmmm, it might depend on the language maybe. I just don't know.
Looked the web and found this. I'm not saying you're wrong, since I don't know for sure what's right or not but this what I though was right though.
Quote:
A double negative is the nonstandard usage of two negatives used in the same sentence so that they cancel each other and create a positive. In Shakespeare's day, double negatives were considered emphatic, but today, they are considered grammar mistakes.
A double negative is the nonstandard usage of two negatives used in the same sentence so that they cancel each other and create a positive. In Shakespeare's day, double negatives were considered emphatic, but today, they are considered grammar mistakes.
Comment by wasleys posted on Bad spelin' at 22/03/2009 - 00:48
Mannesty wrote:
Really? Two instances of 'not' in a sentence that could be resolved without them.
Really. I was always taught the term double negative referred to two negatives in a clause, not a sentence. In the sentence in question the two nots are in different clauses.Really? Two instances of 'not' in a sentence that could be resolved without them.
Comment by wasleys posted on Bad spelin' at 22/03/2009 - 00:15
Anvh wrote:
Yes, it is
Oh no it isn't.Yes, it is
A double negative would be something like 'I'm not talking about no people'.
Comment by wasleys posted on Bad spelin' at 22/03/2009 - 00:00
Mannesty wrote:
Yes, but that isn't one.mowog wrote:
I'm not talking about people who's first language is not English.
Don't you just hate double negatives ? I'm not talking about people who's first language is not English.
Comment by wasleys posted on Bad spelin' at 21/03/2009 - 23:48
mowog wrote:
It is a single syllable, four letter word for goodness sake! It should not be possible to leave twelve years of state education and not be able to spell lens, correctly.
I'm not talking about people who's first language is not English.
Umm … what about spelling whose correctly? It is a single syllable, four letter word for goodness sake! It should not be possible to leave twelve years of state education and not be able to spell lens, correctly.
I'm not talking about people who's first language is not English.
Comment by wasleys posted on Bad spelin' at 21/03/2009 - 23:30
Yes.
It winds me up too as do people who loose things or have an itinery for a trip. But we often develop funny little ways as we get older; some people can't spell, others use commas needlessly and put hyphens between sentences.
It winds me up too as do people who loose things or have an itinery for a trip. But we often develop funny little ways as we get older; some people can't spell, others use commas needlessly and put hyphens between sentences.
Comment by wasleys posted on Bad spelin' at 21/03/2009 - 16:23
It's a pity this turned into a Jessops-bashing thread as the OP has stated it was not that company.
I have heard dealers express views that getting hold of Pentax stuff is difficult and Pentax servicing is problematic now. Both of these have been given as reasons for no longer stocking the brand.
Does this perhaps highlight an issue effecting small volume dealers as opposed to big boys like Chris?
(And for the record I'm no Jessops fan.)
I have heard dealers express views that getting hold of Pentax stuff is difficult and Pentax servicing is problematic now. Both of these have been given as reasons for no longer stocking the brand.
Does this perhaps highlight an issue effecting small volume dealers as opposed to big boys like Chris?
(And for the record I'm no Jessops fan.)
Comment by wasleys posted on Is Pentax to disappear? at 09/02/2009 - 17:11
polchraine wrote:
which browser do you use
Problem seen in Firefox, Camino, Safari and SeaMonkey.which browser do you use
Comment by wasleys posted on Printers - Urgent help and advice! at 30/01/2009 - 01:11
This all reminds me of a Two Ronnies sketch.
F U N E T?
V F N N E T
F U N E M?
V F M.
F U N E X?
V F X.
OK, M N X.
Except it was something other than T.