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Anonymous Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

grammar for script

I'm not sure about : See if you can't can hear him crying cry

You are using 'see' and 'hear'. Do you put 'can' or 'can't'?

Sam: The cat must be sick, under our bed. See if you can't can hear him crying cry. If he is, he must be sick.

John: I'll go see.
  

Top answer

" I used to hear it frequently from my grandparents. " If your script is for a play set in the past, the "old" version might be appropriate. " It has nothing to do with vision.

  • " I used to hear it frequently from my grandparents.
  • " If your script is for a play set in the past, the "old" version might be appropriate.
  • " It has nothing to do with vision.
  • See if you can/can't solve this problem.
  • = Try to solve it!
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2 Answers
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"See if you can't" used to be used frequently in place of "see if you can." I used to hear it frequently from my grandparents.

I'd say it's old fashioned, and lower register than "see if you can."

If your script is for a play set in the past, the "old" version might be appropriate.

"See" in both these versions means "go find out." It has nothing to do with vision.
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A similar illogical negative used to be heard with 'I wouldn't be surprised' -

I wouldn't be surprised if Peter didn't come tomorrow.

This might mean that the speaker would not be surprised by the arrival of Peter; confusingly, it might also mean that the speaker would not be surprised by the non-arrival of Peter. I would use these words only with the first

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