Name: _______________________________________________________________

Date: _____________________

DOUBLE NEGATIVES
Avoid double negatives, which occur when two forms of negation (negative words) are used in the same sentence.
Negatives include: NO words (i.e., nobody, no one, nothing, nowhere), and NOT words (isn't, can't, didn't, haven't).
The tricky negatives to keep in mind include: hardly, barely, and scarcely.
Complete each of the answers, making sure you don't use double negatives:
1. Q: Do you want anything? A: No, I don't want
_____________.
a. anything
b. nothing
2. Q: Do you have any money? A: No, I
_____________ none.
a. don't have
b. have
3. Q: Did you see those people? A: No, I didn't see
________.
a. noone
b. anyone
4. Q: Do you have any candy? A: No, I don't have
_____________.
a. any
b. none
5. Q: Didn't he tell you not to come here? A: No,
_____________ told me anything.
a. nobody
b. anybody
6. Q: How much money do you have? A: Not much. I
hardly have _____________.
a. none
b. any
7. Q: Where are you going? A: _____________. I'm
staying right here.
a. Nowhere
b. Anywhere
8. Q: So, you're staying right here? A: That's right. I'm
not going _____________.
a. nowhere
b. anywhere
9. Q: Do you know him well? A: No, I _____________
know him.
a. barely don't
b. barely
10. Q: Did the prisoner say anything? A: No, he
_____________ nothing.
a. said
b. didn't say

11. Sadly, I ______ a penny left in my purse.

a. didn't scarcely have
b. scarcely had
12. Since his last paper gained little support, the linguist
______ surprised that he had not been asked to
present again.
a. was
b. was not
13. Sadie won't talk to ______ about her problems.
a. nobody
b. no one
c. anybody
14. She didn't study, so she ____ hardly finish her final.
a. could
b. couldn't
15. After he got home, Joe realized that he ______ of
the spices he'd bought at the store.
a. didn't need none
b. needed none
c. didn't need any
16. I think the moratorium on travel ______ last barely a
month.
a. will
b. will not
17. They ______ barely started to think about the
upcoming merger.
a. have
b. haven't
18. I ______ unhappy with the way things turned out. In
the end, I won!
a. was
b. wasn't
19. Students are allowed to use neither books ______
notes during the midterm.
a. or
b. nor
20. We ______ hardly had any rain lately.
a. have
b. haven't

Name: _______________________________________________________________

Date: _____________________

DOUBLE NEGATIVES (ANSWER KEY)

Avoid double negatives, which occur when two forms of negation (negative words) are used in the same sentence.
Negatives include: NO words (i.e., nobody, no one, nothing, nowhere), and NOT words (isn't, can't, didn't, haven't).
The tricky negatives to keep in mind include: hardly, barely, and scarcely.
Complete each of the answers, making sure you don't use double negatives:
1. Q: Do you want anything? A: No, I don't want
_____________.
a. anything
b. nothing

11. Sadly, I ______ a penny left in my purse.

a. didn't scarcely have
b. scarcely had

2. Q: Do you have any money? A: No, I

_____________ none.
a. don't have
b. have

12. Since his last paper gained little support, the linguist
______ surprised that he had not been asked to
present again.
a. was
b. was not

3. Q: Did you see those people? A: No, I didn't see

________.
a. noone
b. anyone

13. Sadie won't talk to ______ about her problems.

a. nobody
b. no one
c. anybody

4. Q: Do you have any candy? A: No, I don't have

_____________.
a. any
b. none

14. She didn't study, so she ____ hardly finish her final.
a. could
b. couldn't

5. Q: Didn't he tell you not to come here? A: No,

_____________ told me anything.
a. nobody
b. anybody

15. After he got home, Joe realized that he ______ of

the spices he'd bought at the store.
a. didn't need none
b. needed none
c. didn't need any

6. Q: How much money do you have? A: Not much. I

hardly have _____________.
a. none
b. any

16. I think the moratorium on travel ______ last barely a

month.
a. will
b. will not

7. Q: Where are you going? A: _____________. I'm

staying right here.
a. Nowhere
b. Anywhere

17. They ______ barely started to think about the

upcoming merger.
a. have
b. haven't

8. Q: So, you're staying right here? A: That's right. I'm

not going _____________.
a. nowhere
b. anywhere

18. I ______ unhappy with the way things turned out. In

the end, I won!
a. was
b. wasn't

9. Q: Do you know him well? A: No, I _____________

know him.
a. barely don't
b. barely

19. Students are allowed to use neither books ______

notes during the midterm.
a. or
b. nor

10. Q: Did the prisoner say anything? A: No, he

_____________ nothing.
a. said
b. didn't say

20. We ______ hardly had any rain lately.

a. have
b. haven't