Hardly, scarcely, only, and but (in the sense of only) are often incorrectly used with a negative. Compare the following right and wrong forms:

Wrong: It was so dark that we couldn't hardly see.
Right: It was so dark that we could hardly see.
Wrong: There wasn't only one person present.
Right: There was only one person present.

Exercise 26

Correct the following sentences:

  1. I can't find it nowhere.
  2. For a time I couldn't scarcely tell where I was.
  3. They are not allowed to go only on holidays.
  4. There isn't but one person that can make the speech.
  5. They didn't find no treasure.
  6. It won't take but a few minutes to read it all.
  7. I haven't seen but two men there.
  8. There isn't no one here who knows it.
  9. I didn't see no fire; my opinion is that there wasn't no fire.
  10. I can't hardly prove that statement.
  11. I didn't feel hardly able to go.
  12. She couldn't stay only a week.
  13. I hadn't scarcely reached shelter when the storm began.
  14. You wouldn't scarcely believe that it could be done.
  15. He said that he wouldn't bring only his wife.
  16. There isn't nothing in the story.
  17. He doesn't do nothing.
  18. I can't think of nothing but that.
  19. He can't hardly mean that.
  20. He isn't nowhere near so bright as I.
  21. He can't hardly come to-night.
  22. It is better to not think nothing about it.
  23. She can't only do that.
  24. There isn't no use of his objecting to it.
  25. There shan't none of them go along with us.
  26. Don't never do that again.
  27. We could not find but three specimens of the plant.
  28. He wasn't scarcely able to walk.
  29. He hasn't none of his work prepared.

47. The Articles. A, an, and the, are called Articles. A and an are called the Indefinite Articles, because they are used to limit the noun to any one thing of a class; as, a book, a chair. But a or an is not used to denote the whole of that class; as, Silence is golden, or, He was elected to the office of President.

The is called the Definite Article because it picks out some one definite individual from a class.

In the sentence, On the street are a brick and a stone house, the article is repeated before each adjective; the effect of this repetition is to make the sentence mean two houses. But, in the sentence, On the street is a brick and stone house, since the article is used only before the first of the two adjectives, the sentence means that there is only one house and that it is constructed of brick and stone.

Where two nouns refer to the same object, the article need appear only before the first of the two; as, God, the author and creator of the universe. But where the nouns refer to two different objects, regarded as distinct from each other, the article should appear before each; as, He bought a horse and a cow.