A negative word is one that means “no.” Never use two negative words in one sentence when you’re talking about the same person or thing.
A few negative words are:
no not nowhere
can’t don’t nobody
never nothing no one
Think about negative words and why you shouldn’t use two negative words in the same sentence. When you say, for example, “I don’t have nothing,” you are saying you don’t have something. You have to mention what it is you don’t have though. So, you have to use “anything” instead of “nothing” because “anything” is something and “nothing” is not anything. “Nothing” is not something. You have to have something before you say you don’t have it. It’s like saying I don’t (negative) have nothing (negative). It’s “no,” “no.” If instead you use one negative and one positive, you have a negative(don’t) and a positive (anything).
Here are a few more examples
· Example: There can’t be “any” (positive) or “no” (negative” pets in the restaurant.
The correct answer is:
There can’t (negative) be any (positive) pets in the restaurant.
· Example: Manuel and Isabel “didn’t” (negative) or “any” (positive) fish yet.
The correct answer is:
Manuel and Isabel didn’t (negative) fish (positive) yet.
· Example: He didn’t send me “nothing” (negative) or “anything.”
The correct answer is:
He didn’t (negative) send me anything (positive).
· Example: Sal didn’t get “no” (negative) or “any” packages delivered.
The correct answer is:
Sal didn’t (negative) get any (positive) packages delivered.