In standard English, when we use negative words such asnobody, nowhere, neverornothing, we do not commonly use a negative verb:
He hadnothinginteresting to tell us.
Not:He hadn’t nothing interesting…
It was 10 am but there wasnobodyin the office.
Not: …but there wasn’t nobody in the office.
However, we hear double and triple negatives spoken in some regional dialects of English. This is common when people from the same region are speaking with one another. Double negativeslike this are not acceptable in formal situations or in writing.
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Double negation with adjectives and adverbs (not unexpected)
However, we can usenot+ an adjective or adverb with a negative prefix(e.g.un-,in-) as a way of softening or downtoning the meaning of the adjective. The meaning becomes affirmative, but the double negation shows that the writer/speaker is cautious about it. This is most common in formal writing:
This year’s rise in inflation to 3% wasnot unexpected.(This year’s rise in inflation to 3% was expected to some extent.)
The crisis has been attributed,not unreasonably, to the Prime Minister’s weakness.
A:The repair cost fifty pounds.
B:Oh well, that’snot unreasonable.
See also:
Negation
No one,nobody,nothing,nowhere