People frequently use double negatives in song lyrics and informal speech. Due to this, many students have a difficult time realizing that using double negatives is incorrect grammar.
Take advantage of students’ love for music and teach double negative rules using song lyrics.
Teach these rules.
Double negatives are two negative words used in the same sentence.
When you use two negatives, the thought or sentence turns into a positive one.
Using double negatives is poor grammar and confusing.
Negative Words
no
not
no one
none
nobody
nothing
neither
nowhere
never
Negative Adverbs
hardly
scarcely
barely
Negative Verbs
doesn’t
isn’t
wasn’t
wouldn’t
couldn’t
shouldn’t
won’t
can’t
don’t
Double Negatives Anchor Chart
Look at the lyrics from songs. Find the double negatives.
Cause baby, There ain’t no mountain high enough. Ain’t no valley low enough. Ain’t no river wide enough. To keep me from getting to you.
Oh! Darling
by The Beatles
Oh! Darling, please believe me. I’ll never do you no harm. Believe me when I tell you. I’ll never do you no harm.
Ghostbusters
by Ray Parker Jr.
If there’s something strange in your neighborhood, Who you gonna call? (ghostbusters). If there’s something weird And it don’t look good, Who you gonna call? (ghostbusters).
I ain’t afraid of no ghost. I ain’t afraid of no ghost.
Hound Dog
by Elvis Presley
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog cryin’ all the time. You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog cryin’ all the time. Well, you ain’t never caught a rabbit and you ain’t no friend of mine.
Another Brick in the Wall
by Pink Floyd
We don’t need no education. We don’t need no thought control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom. Teachers leave them kids alone.
Don’t Stop the Music
by Rihanna
I gotta get my body moving. Shake the stress away. I wasn’t looking for nobody when you looked my way. Possible candidate, yeah.
Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked
by Cage the Elephant
There ain’t no rest for the wicked. Money don’t grow on trees. I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed. And there ain’t nothin’ in this world for free.
Somebody to Love
by Queen
I have spent all my years in believing you But I just can’t get no relief, Lord! Somebody (somebody) ooh somebody (somebody) Can anybody find me somebody to love?
I am thoroughly enjoying your blog and website. I was recently moved to a 4th and 5th year class, where I teach montessori education. It is a public school, so I must to still be mindful of state standards while trying to keep the integrity of the program. I am having a difficult time finding quality practice for ela reading literacy. What resource do you use? I also love your hanging wall charts. How do you know which book to put things in if you are hanging multiple charts?
Thank you so much for taking a look at my blog. It is fairly new. I just starting blogging about 6 months ago. Unfortunately, I have not done a good job organizing my wall charts. I usually just grab one that I no longer need the chart to show and make something new. I teach reading completely from units I create. For English, I like Easy Grammar and Capitalization and Punctuation.
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I am thoroughly enjoying your blog and website. I was recently moved to a 4th and 5th year class, where I teach montessori education. It is a public school, so I must to still be mindful of state standards while trying to keep the integrity of the program. I am having a difficult time finding quality practice for ela reading literacy. What resource do you use? I also love your hanging wall charts. How do you know which book to put things in if you are hanging multiple charts?
Author
Hi Erika,
Thank you so much for taking a look at my blog. It is fairly new. I just starting blogging about 6 months ago. Unfortunately, I have not done a good job organizing my wall charts. I usually just grab one that I no longer need the chart to show and make something new. I teach reading completely from units I create. For English, I like Easy Grammar and Capitalization and Punctuation.
I was wondering, is this meant to have a freebie activity? Ok, sorry, just found my answer to that one. It was scrunched up on the side of my browser.
I would also like to take the opportunity to ask you if you do any listening comprehension activities with animated shorts, songs or similar.
Thank you and thank you for all your tips and ideas!
Author
I have a number of blog post series using different types of media. Here are a few:
Teaching Text Structures with Songs
Teaching Persuasive Techniques with Commercials
Teaching Types of Conflict with Movie Trailers