Double negatives

In standard written English, which is what we use, double negatives are very frowned upon, so avoid them.

The argument that double negatives cancel one another out, as if English followed the rules of arithmetic, is invalid and ill-informed. It just so happens that double negatives are currently out of fashion in academic English. Perhaps one day they will return; never say never.

So NEVER do this:

• I don't know nothing about that.
• She ain't never seen a movie before.
• They didn't do nothing wrong.
• I can't find nowhere to park.
• He doesn't have no money.
• We didn't see nobody at the party.
• Don't you never tell nobody about this.
• I won't never forgive him.
• She didn't want nothing to do with it.
• There isn't nobody home.

Nor any of this, which is hopelessly confused and confusing:

• Few people in the world are not aware of the dangers of climate change.
• Few people in the world are not touched by the beauty of nature.
• Few people in the world are not influenced by social media.
• Nowhere in the world is there not some sort of civilization

Also avoid these double negatives which, though they can be made to make sense in the end, overtax the intellect and the patience of the reader: 

• Only a few people in the world are not aware of the dangers of climate change.
• Hardly anyone in the world is not touched by the beauty of nature.
• Scarcely anyone in the world is not influenced by social media.
• Only a handful of people in the world are not grateful for the simple things in life.
• Barely anyone in the world is not fascinated by the mysteries of the universe.

To see how these should be done, see the section on negative inversion; or simply remove the word "not" from the examples above.