Hey everybody!
Stumbled across a sentence with triple negatives. I understand that it's a boo boo in standard English, so I decided to change it to make more acceptable in writing. Kind of unsure whether to use anybody or somebody:
Sentence: We couldn't never work with nobody like that (pretty gangster sounding, no doubt)
Options: We could never work with anybody like that, or
We couldn't ever work with anybody like that, or
We could never work with somebody like that, or
We couldn't ever work with somebody like that.
See, it's still a negative sentence, so I'm unsure of whether the use of somebody would be grammatically correct (sounds alright to me, but I'm concerned about using it in writing specifically). Could somebody please explain this to me, as well as some relevant grammar to back up your choice? Many thanks!
Both the any and the some forms of indefinite pronouns are possible with negation. any is perhaps more neutral. CJ
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
Both the any and the some forms of indefinite pronouns are possible with negation.
any is perhaps more neutral.
CJ