避免使用雙重否定 (Double Negatives)

有些字本質上已具備了 "not" 或 "no" 等否定的意思，例如"none", "never", "nothing", "nobody", "nowhere", "no one", "nor", "neither", "hardly", "barely", "scarcely"。不要把兩個具有否定意思的字連在一起，應避免使用雙重否定。

你只需要用上述的一個否定字來表達否定意義，例如”我沒有更多的錢“，可以用：

I have no more money. 或
I don't have any more money.

但不能寫成

I don't have no more money. (錯誤的句子)

• 我幾乎不能閱讀英文報紙。
• I cannot hardly read a English newspaper.
• I can hardly read a English newspaper.

• 在霧裡我們幾乎看不到路。
• We could not barely see the road in the fog.
• We could barely see the road in the fog.

• 他幾乎無法記得一個名字，甚至一些經常與他親密接觸的人。
• He could not scarcely recall a name, even of certain intimates with whom he frequently came in contact.
• He could scarcely recall a name, even of certain intimates with whom he frequently came in contact.