What is the oddest grammar rule most people aren't aware of?

One of the more peculiar grammar rules that often surprises people is the rule about double negatives. In standard English grammar, using two negative words in the same clause typically results in a positive meaning.

For example:

In the incorrect example, the double negative "don't" and "no" cancel each other out, resulting in a positive meaning ("I want trouble"). This rule can be counterintuitive, especially since some languages allow double negatives for emphasis without changing the meaning to a positive one.

Another quirky aspect of English grammar is the use of irregular plurals, such as "children" instead of "childs" or "geese" instead of "gooses." These forms often have historical roots or come from different language origins, making them irregular compared to the standard rule of adding "-s" or "-es" to form plurals.

These rules can trip up even native speakers, as they sometimes run counter to intuition or patterns observed in other languages.

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