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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > I can´t wait to do nothing OR I can´t wait to do anything?
I can´t wait to do nothing OR I can´t wait to do anything?
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regina. di
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I can´t wait to do nothing OR I can´t wait to do anything?
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Hello everyone, A student asked me sth and I got in doubt. Could you help me? Which one is the correct?
I can�t wait to do nothing. I can�t wait to do anything.
Cheers, Regina.
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4 Apr 2013
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ueslteacher
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Actually neither of those statements is correct. The correct statement would be: I can �t do anything. or I can do nothing (about it). But the two sentences will have a different meaning.
I can �t do nothing. is considered grammatically incorrect but it is used in spoken language almost exclussively by African Americans.
BTW to never goes after can
Sophia
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4 Apr 2013
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GZTeacher
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Regina -
Both of these are wrong. You don �t need the "to". The correct sentence would be "I can �t do anything."
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4 Apr 2013
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conceicaooliveira
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None of them is correct.
After a modal verb comes a bare infinitive and when the sentence is negative anything is the correct one as there isn �t double negative in English.
So, the correct one is : "I can �t do anything".
Hope I �ve helped!
Concei��o |
4 Apr 2013
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zailda
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"I can �t to do nothing" is incorrect because: we don �t use two negatives in the same statement after can the verb comes in the infinitive without "to"
I can �t to do anything" is incorrect because after can the verb comes in the infinitive without "to".
We can either say:
I can do nothing. or I can �t do anything.
Have a nice day!
Zailda
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4 Apr 2013
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1939
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HI REGINA, THE CORRECT ONE IS .... I CAN �T DO ANYTHING OR I CAN DO NOTHING.
GOOD LUCK. |
4 Apr 2013
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regina. di
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Guys, My mistake!! The sentences were: I can �t wait to do nothing. I can �t wait to do anything. |
4 Apr 2013
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nilka
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I can �t wait without doing anything. |
4 Apr 2013
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ueslteacher
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Oh, that �s a different story:) What do you think your student meant by that?did your student mean that soon he/she will be on holidays and he/she just can �t wait to do nothing, so he/she is really looking forward to doing nothing while he/she is on holiday? Sophia
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4 Apr 2013
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MoodyMoody
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I think I can explain the way out of all the confusion. Neither of the original two sentences were correct. The "I can �t wait to..." part is perfectly fine. You can �t follow with "nothing," because, as zailda points out, that �s a double negative, which we don �t use in English. If your student really is looking forward to doing nothing, the sentence would be ambiguous and most English speakers would interpret it as a mistake.
However, you also can �t use "anything" because the "to do" part of the sentence is affirmative; the negative is on the modal and main verb, not the infinitive phrase. We use "any" only for negative and interrogative sentences/clauses/phrases.
So, the correct sentence is: "I can �t wait to do something." Or, your student could also say, "I look forward to doing nothing." |
4 Apr 2013
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regina. di
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Thanks for the replies!!!
ueslteacher That �s exactly what my student meant. He is looking forward to doing nothing while on holiday. So he said "I can �t wait to do anything while on holiday" and I corrected him and said "I can �t wait to do nothing". However, I was not so sure if that (I �m looking forward to doing nothing while on holiday) could be said using "I can �t wait to do nothing".
Cheers |
4 Apr 2013
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