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Usenet Posted 21 years ago
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Using a negative as a positive?
What would the rule be about using a negative as a positive? What would that type of word or phrase be called?
Example: "Let's see if we can't find a solution." or "I wonder if we couldn't make a reservation."
A friend suggested "autoantonym" but I can't see it as appropriate, as the negative use is gramatically incorrect, yet idiomatically correct.
Anyone? Anyone?
Example: "Let's see if we can't find a solution." or "I wonder if we couldn't make a reservation."
A friend suggested "autoantonym" but I can't see it as appropriate, as the negative use is gramatically incorrect, yet idiomatically correct.
Anyone? Anyone?
Top answer
[nq:1]What would the rule be about using a negative as a positive? [/nq] Sarcasm. [/nq] I can't see anything ungrammatical about it.
- [nq:1]What would the rule be about using a negative as a positive?
- [/nq] Sarcasm.
- [/nq] I can't see anything ungrammatical about it.
- Stewart.
- My e-mail is valid but not my primary mailbox.
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2 Answers
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[nq:1]What would the rule be about using a negative as a positive? What would that type of word or phrase be called?[/nq]
Sarcasm.
[nq:1]Example: "Let's see if we can't find a solution." or "I wonder if we couldn't make a reservation." A friend suggested "autoantonym" but I can't see it as appropriate, as the negative use is gramatically incorrect, yet idiomatically correct.[/nq]
I can
Sarcasm.
[nq:1]Example: "Let's see if we can't find a solution." or "I wonder if we couldn't make a reservation." A friend suggested "autoantonym" but I can't see it as appropriate, as the negative use is gramatically incorrect, yet idiomatically correct.[/nq]
I can
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[nq:1]What would the rule be about using a negative as a positive? What would that type of word or phrase ... friend suggested "autoantonym" but I can't see it as appropriate, as the negative use is gramatically incorrect, yet idiomatically correct.[/nq]
Using a negative sort of takes off the pressure of asking for the positive, making a request more tentative, and hence more polite, eg "I don
Using a negative sort of takes off the pressure of asking for the positive, making a request more tentative, and hence more polite, eg "I don
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