Which of the following sentences does not contain an example of litotes?
A She’s not too hard on the eyes.
B The customer is never wrong.
C The customer is always right.
D It is not uncommon to see deer crossing here.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is C: The customer is always right.
Explanation:
Litotes is a form of understatement that involves using double negatives or negation to express a positive idea. It emphasizes the idea by negating its opposite. Let’s break down each option:
- A: She’s not too hard on the eyes.
This is an example of litotes. The phrase uses the negation of “hard on the eyes” to imply that the person is attractive or easy on the eyes. It downplays the compliment by negating the opposite, which is a classic use of litotes. - B: The customer is never wrong.
This is another example of litotes. It uses a double negative (“never” and “wrong”) to imply that the customer is always right. The phrase downplays the idea of a customer being wrong, which is a typical feature of litotes. - C: The customer is always right.
This sentence does not contain litotes. It is a straightforward statement without negation. It is not an understatement and does not rely on negating the opposite idea to emphasize a point. - D: It is not uncommon to see deer crossing here.
This is also an example of litotes. The phrase “not uncommon” uses the negation of “uncommon” to suggest that it is relatively common to see deer crossing. It downplays the frequency of sightings, which is a key characteristic of litotes.
Thus, C stands out as the only sentence that does not use litotes, as it directly makes an affirmative statement without negation.