Double negation question - Hook from Blues Traveler
So, there is that great music, one of my favorite, that is Hook from Blues Traveler.
The chorus goes like this, "The hook brings you back. I ain't telling you no lie".
I've learned that, in English, you should never use double negatives like, "I don't know nobody". Instead, you should say "I don't know anybody". But, in lyrics, you have this poetic license that gives you the right to write anything and doesn't care about grammar. So this is one of this cases? Or it is correct to say "I ain't telling you no lie"?
Thanks in advance.
Search from various English teachers...
Corrections · 7
0
So, there is that great music, one of my favorite, that is Hook from Blues Traveler.
The chorus goes like this, "The hook brings you back. I ain't telling you no lie".
I've learned that, in English, you should never use double negatives like, "I don't know nobody". Instead, you should say "I don't know anybody". But, in lyrics, you have this poetic license that gives you the right to write anything anddoesn't not care about grammar. So is this one of those cases? Or is it correct to say "I ain't telling you no lie"?
Thanks in advance.
The chorus goes like this, "The hook brings you back. I ain't telling you no lie".
I've learned that, in English, you should never use double negatives like, "I don't know nobody". Instead, you should say "I don't know anybody". But, in lyrics, you have this poetic license that gives you the right to write anything and
Thanks in advance.
0
What I would say about this is that grammatically you shouldn't use double negatives, however there are english speakers that do. Yes, poetically you can use it, of course, but some people do speak like this. Native english speakers that they talk to are likely not confused by the double negative (they might make note of it and comment on it, if that person is someone that is not used to hearing double negatives often!). Nost aren't confused by it because even though there may be more than one negation in a sentence, it is understood that there is one negative implied.
"I DON'T got time for NO meeting." Or "I DON'T got NO time for NO meeting."
The speaker is implying that they have NO time for a meeting.
However for some instances of using double negation, you do need to understand both pieces.
Example: Don't Not come to the meeting!
This means that you NOT coming to the meeting is something UNDESIRED; You are WANTED at the meeting.
0
In formal english, you shouldn't use double negations such as this. Two negatives put together make a positive, for example: "I didn't say nothing", really implies that you said something.
However, in situations like this with music, it is probably the case that "I ain't telling you no lie", fits better with the timing, etc. Moreover, it may depend on where the speaker comes from, as it can be a colloquialism, meaning that in everyday speech, sentences like this are used despite them being gramatically incorrect.
I hope this helps!
0
So, there is that great music, one of my favorite, that is Hook from Blues Traveler.
The chorus goes like this, "The hook brings you back. I ain't telling you no lie".
I've learned that, in English, you should never use double negatives like, "I don't know nobody". Instead, you should say "I don't know anybody". But, in lyrics, you have this poetic license that gives you the right to write anything and doesn't care about grammar. So this is one of this cases? Or it is correct to say "I ain't telling you no lie"?
Thanks in advance.
The chorus goes like this, "The hook brings you back. I ain't telling you no lie".
I've learned that, in English, you should never use double negatives like, "I don't know nobody". Instead, you should say "I don't know anybody". But, in lyrics, you have this poetic license that gives you the right to write anything and doesn't care about grammar. So this is one of this cases? Or it is correct to say "I ain't telling you no lie"?
Thanks in advance.
0
Well, I know there is a forum for questions like this, but I'll appreciate if you guys help me with my grammar errors and misspellings too.
Want to progress faster?
Join this learning community and try out free exercises!
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!
Start Learning Today
