Re: Marge -- new cartoon

.----- On Wed, 17 Feb 1999 03:04:13 -0600, JRO posted:
|
|            A negative  ----  meaning no
|
|           A double-negative ---- meaning no twice on the same verb
|
|For instance:
|
|             No, please don't go. <------ correct
|
|         No, no please don't go   <------ rhythmically interesting, but
|                                          technically incorrect
|
|Or:
|
|          I could care less      <------- correct (and also most commonly used)
|
|         I could not care less  <------- incorrect
|
|Why? because "I" could care...... How much?  Less. None. Not at all. Zip.
|
|If "I" could not (or the contraction couldn't) care less...... then how much
|couldn't "I" care?  I could not care not again?  No.....
|
|Look at it this way:
|
|                 not ------- negative
|                less ------- negative
|
|      I could care negative.
|              vs.
|      I could negative care negative. <-------- oopps
|
|Or    I could care -.
|          vs.
|      I could - care -.    <--------- oopps again
|
'-------------------------------

I'm afraid I'm going to disagree here.

I could care less.
the same as
I do care, and there is the possibility of my caring less should the
situation arise. 

In order for it to be possible for one to care less, they must care.

I couldn't care less. / I could not care less.
I am at the lowest extent of caring. There is no way I could possibly have
any less caring for the situation. I care the least amount possible, ie not
at all.

If you don't care, there is no less caring you could do, so therefore I
couldn't care less is correct.

And I speak British English, I'm from England.. and I'm male --- so I won't
have you accusing me of using Swedish or Female logic!!! :o)

*However* we all knew and understood the meaning of the line in Johnny's
cartoon... but in other instances the lack of a not can cause much
confusion. I *am* on alt.ascii-art. I *am not* on alt.ascii-art. Hmm.

That's my 2pence (nice British money there!) on this arguement...

-Martin
                                          _
   ____.Martin Atkins   AKA mga.____     / |
   """"-mart.atkins bigfoot.com-""""    /@ |
    ___________________________________/___|_
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                   \_____\    mga
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