Rules for writers, Tenth edition - Diana Hacker, Nancy Sommers 2021

Avoid double negatives
Choose adjectives and adverbs with care
Grammar

Use two negatives only if a positive meaning is intended: The orchestra was not unhappy with its performance (meaning that the orchestra was happy). Using a double negative to emphasize a negative meaning creates an illogical sentence.

Negative modifiers such as never, no, and not should not be paired with other negative modifiers or with negative words such as neither, none, no one, nobody, and nothing.

EXERCISE 26-1

Edit the following sentences to eliminate errors in the use of adjectives and adverbs. If a sentence is correct, write “correct” after it. Answers appear in the back of the book.

a. Do you expect to perform good on the exam next week?

b. With the budget deadline approaching, our office hasn’t hardly had time to handle routine correspondence.

c. When I worked in a flower shop, I learned that some flowers smell surprisingly bad.

d. The customer complained that he hadn’t been treated nice by the agent on the phone.

e. Of all the smart people in my family, Aunt Ida is the most cleverest.