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A linguistics professor stands at the front of his English class…
He clears his throat to begin his favorite part of the lecture, his glasses sliding down his nose.
“In English,” he says, pausing for dramatic effect, “a double negative forms a positive… “
“Now, in some languages, take Russian for example, a double negative still forms a negative… “
“But,” and here he stops, leaning forward slightly, as if revealing a great mystery…
“There is no language, none at all, where a double positive can form a negative.”
He looks around the room, expecting impressed silence or, at the very least, a couple of nodding heads…
The students, though, remain mostly still, except for a few confused expressions.
Just as the professor is about to continue, an inaudible voice from the back of the room breaks the moment and the students begin to chuckle.
“Excuse me young man,” says the professor as he glances at the student in the back of the room…
“Did you have a comment? How about sharing it with the rest of the class?”
The teen, leaning back in his chair, replies, “I said… “
“Yeah, right.”