Asked • 03/15/19

Usage of Negatives in Everyday Speach: Unnecessary or Incorrect?

I frequently have this debate with my fiancée about whether it is as appropriate to use a negative in the following examples as it is to omit it. I am frequently found making statements using the negative form seen below: - *"I wonder if they **wouldn't** mind taking us with them this weekend."* **vs** - *"I wonder if they **would** mind taking us with them this weekend."* **or** - *"I wonder if it **wouldn't** be possible to substitute ham for turkey in my sandwich."* **vs** - *"I wonder if it **would** be possible to substitute ham for turkey in my sandwich."* **Question** 1. Is it appropriate to use the negative form **"wouldn't"** in these sentences? **Author's Viewpoint** The way I see it, it is just as appropriate to wonder if something **was** possible is it would be to wonder if it **was not** possible. One may view this as inefficient speech but I don't believe it is incorrect; grammatically or otherwise. I would greatly appreciate it if someone could give an explanation as to why this is correct or incorrect and the reasoning behind their position.

Bill B.

They are both correct. It's a matter of calibration, fine-tuning a request on a scale of politeness. The most stripped down form is "would you substitute ham for turkey?" It's correct, but a little demanding. The phrases you add soften the request and make it more of a supplication: "I wonder if" and "wouldn't mind." Using "wouldn't" instead of "would" is yet a deeper supplication. You're saying "it's not likely you can meet this request, I know." Which makes it seem like a bigger favor if they say "yes, we can do that!" These are phrases used by a person of lower rank to one of higher rank - OR they are used by a person of higher rank signalling politeness and good manners to a person of lower or equal rank. It's a way of acknowledging (or pretending) that, regardless of rank, when you ask a favor you place yourself socially below the person you are asking. So, next time you're at a fast food joint you can ask the cashier "I wonder if it wouldn't be possible to get fries with that?" or you can say "Gimmee fries with that!"
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04/20/20

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