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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Linguistics Studies
Unless + do not
Is there something wrong here?
"Unless Mary doesn’t study, she will pass."
"Unless Mary doesn’t study, she will pass."
Top answer
Yes, something's wrong. "
- Yes, something's wrong.
- "
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38 Answers
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Yes, something's wrong. You can say any of these:
"Unless Mary studies, she won't pass."
"Mary won't pass unless she studies."
"If Mary doesn't study, she won't pass."
"Mary won't pass if she doesn't study."
"If Mary studies, she will pass."
"Mary will pass if she studies."
"Unless Mary studies, she won't pass."
"Mary won't pass unless she studies."
"If Mary doesn't study, she won't pass."
"Mary won't pass if she doesn't study."
"If Mary studies, she will pass."
"Mary will pass if she studies."
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So, Mr Wordy, "unless" followed by "do/does not" is ungrammatical, is it?
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Hi MikeyC,
I think you've already had quite a bit of input about this topic here:
http://thegrammarexchange.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/340600179/m/295104281/p/1
I think you've already had quite a bit of input about this topic here:
http://thegrammarexchange.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/340600179/m/295104281/p/1
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Apologies Anon, for some unknown reason I misread your sentence as implying that studying won't help her pass.
So, I retract my use of the word "wrong" and replace it with "could be expressed in a less convoluted way".
So, I retract my use of the word "wrong" and replace it with "could be expressed in a less convoluted way".
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AnonymousIs there something wrong here?Definitely! There are too many negations. It's grammatical, but it's hard to understand. I'd say it's "stylistically wrong".
"Unless Mary doesn’t study, she will pass."
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CalifJimIt's grammatical, but it's hard to understand.
I'm glad it's not just me then!
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Yes, I think it's a bit difficult to understand because there are maybe unnecessary negations, and so without context it seems complicated. But of course it's ok, there's no rule that says unless can't be used with a negation.
Example: Grammar rules must be followed, unless you don't give a ****.
Example: Grammar rules must be followed, unless you don't give a ****.
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I think that particular structure would be easier to understand with additional context.
And it also seems to me that when it is used, the unless-clause would probably most often follow the main clause.
And it also seems to me that when it is used, the unless-clause would probably most often follow the main clause.
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YankeeAnd it also seems to me that when it is used, the unless-clause would probably most often follow the main clause.Yeah, I thought of that too.
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Here's an example from USA Today:
"One thing is clear: If you're one of the 52 million U.S. stock players, you're needier than ever for good advice in this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde market. So unless you don't give a hoot about money, insist that your financial psychologist - your stockbroker, that is - give you sound guidance. "
And this one tickled my fancy. It app
"One thing is clear: If you're one of the 52 million U.S. stock players, you're needier than ever for good advice in this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde market. So unless you don't give a hoot about money, insist that your financial psychologist - your stockbroker, that is - give you sound guidance. "
And this one tickled my fancy. It app
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