Double negation?

Question

Some people are telling me that this upcoming sentence is bad grammar because it's using the word "not" twice. But is it really an example of double negation, or is it all about the syntax of the sentence?
The sentence is:
"Did I not just tell you to not say that?"

Post what you think. Thanks!

Ant_222 · Accepted Answer

There're two negations here, but I would not deem it an example of double negation. Also I'd swap "to" and "not" so that it would read: "Did I not just tell you not to say that?"
Anton

Fandorin · Answer

Just is mainly used with Present Perfect. But it's not the point. Double negations isn't possible in English.

Did I tell you not to say that?
Did I not tell you keep quiet?
Didn't I tell you to say nothing about that?

Anonymous · Answer

Did you really just use a "double negative" to correct my sentence that you say uses a double negative?

BarbaraPA · Answer

Your original is grammatical, but hard on the listener. By the time you untangle the double negative, you've lost the urgency of what you want to convey, which is "Darn it! I just told you not to say that!"

The "wrong" type of double negative is "I didn't steal nothing" (which sounds like I did steal something and not what was meant) or "I wasn't going nowhere" (which sounds like you were goin somewhere and also obviously not what was meant.)

You can use intentional double negations all the time: I did not say not to open the door -- I said that I would prefer for you to open the window instead.

Be warned, though: "I didn't say not to tell him" does NOT mean "I told you to tell him." It simply means that I never forbade you to tell him.

Ant_222 · Answer

Even real double negations (which GG called "the wrong type") are used in informal speech, slang, and songs ("You ain't no friend of mine", "I really ain't got no blues today" e.t.c. ).

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousSome people are telling me that this upcoming sentence is bad grammar because it's using the word "not" twice. But is it really an example of double negation, or is it all about the syntax of the sentence?
The sentence is:
"Did I not just tell you to not say that?"

Post what you think. Thanks!

This is not a double negation. A double negation is two negatives in the same clause!!!
Did I not just tell you is one clause. The not applies to the verb tell.
to not say that is another clause. The not applies to the verb say.
(By the way, I would have rephrased it as Didn't I just tell you not to say that?)
Likewise, none of the following are double negatives.
I didn't say that John wasn't at home.
Nobody understood that we were not supposed to stand there.
They never tell us when they're not going to be on time.
Helen did not object to their not starting before 3 o'clock.
Not having an umbrella, Ken did not go out into the rain.
Bill wouldn't promise us not to do it again.
We're uncertain. We didn't decide to go, and we didn't decide not to go.
The authorities are not asking people not to use that road; they're just asking people to be careful.
CJ

Double negation?

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