Double Trouble in English Grammar: Double Negatives, Comparatives, and More
In English sentences, doubling up on a grammatical structure often spells double trouble. At least that's what the purists tell us.
But as the following examples show, some of these doubled constructions were once perfectly acceptable, at least in certain dialects. Even now, some aren't nearly as troublesome as strict prescriptivists would have us believe. (For additional examples and further discussion of these six constructions, click on the highlighted terms.)
- Double Comparative
The double comparative involves the use of both more and the suffix -er to indicate the comparative form of an adjective or adverb:"Repose you there; while I to this hard house--
Though many examples of the double comparative can be found in earlyModern English, today it's regarded as taboo. (Also see: Double Superlative.)
More harder than the stones whereof 'tis raised."
(Kent to King Lear in act three, scene two, of William Shakespeare's King Lear) - Double Negative
The double negative is the use of two (or more) negatives for emphasis where only one is needed:"Nobody better not do nothing to our son and stay on this earth. I'll run 'em as slick as a meat-skin."
Although many of the world's languages exhibit negative concord (a technical term for the double negative), in present-day Standard English it's generally regarded as unacceptable in formal usage.
(Spunk to Evalina in Zora Neale Hurston's play Spunk, 1935) - Double Genitive
The double genitive is a phrase in which possession is indicated by the preposition of followed by the possessive form of a noun or pronoun:Natsaha is a friend of Joan's and a client of Marlowe's.
Despite its apparent redundancy, the double genitive is a well-established idiom--a functional part of the language dating back to Middle English. (Also see: What Is a Double Genitive?)
- Double Perfect
The double perfect is a construction in which instances of the perfect auxiliary have appear in two successive verb phrases in a single sentence:"He would have to surrender or evacuate, and though Gage would have preferred to have removed his force to more-defensible New York City, he was not going to be bullied about by these ruffians."
The double have "is still regarded as nonstandard," says linguist David Denison, "but it has been found since the 15th century and is very frequent in colloquial PDE [Present-Day English]."
(Paul Lockhart, The Whites of Their Eyes, 2011) - Double Copula
The double copula relies on the use of two successive copular verbs (most often, but not exclusively, repetition of the linking verbis) when only one is needed:"Well, see, the thing is is that once things are passed doesn't mean they are set in stone and no future Congress will look at them."
The double copula (also known as ISIS) is more common in spoken English than in written English, and it appears to be more common in contemporary American English than in other varieties of the language.
(Senator Rand Paul, interview with Bob Schieffer on Face the Nation, September 29, 2013) - Double Passive
The double passive is a sentence or clause that contains two verbs in the passive, the second of which is a passive infinitive:"The press reaction to the growing scandal was scathing, as it appeared that the files were requested to be used against President Clinton's political enemies, potential and real."
Although Henry Fowler called the double passive an "ugly construction," it's sometimes acceptable and occasionally hard to avoid.
(Mark Grossman, Political Corruption in America, 2003)
Source...