I think so and I don’t think so

Have you heard someone say:

I think so it is raining outside.
or
I don’t think so it is raining outside.

These are bad sentence constructions. In both cases, the “so” is unnecessary. The correct forms are:

I think it is raining outside.
and
I don’t think it is raining outside.

When you say “I think so” or “I don’t think so,” the “so” refers to something that has already been said, not to something that you are going to say. For example:

Q: Is it raining outside?
A: I think so.
(”so” refers to “it is raining outside”)

Q: Do we have enough umbrellas?
A: I don’t think so.
(”so” refers to “we have enough umbrellas”)

Tags: Grammar

Category: Common English errors

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