What is the correct usage of phrase "you don't know what you don't know"? Can it be used in formal conversation/writing? I saw this sentence in the book 1Q84: It's not just you that don't know.

Understanding the Context

However, I am having trouble figuring out why (or whether) this is the correct way to write the sentence, as opposed to: ... "doesn't know" vs "don't know" [duplicate] - English Language & Usage ... Learn more about YouTube YouTube help videos Browse our video library for helpful tips, feature overviews, and step-by-step tutorials. YouTube Known Issues Get information on reported technical issues or scheduled maintenance.

Key Insights

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Final Thoughts

"Know about" vs. "know of" - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange Examples: I know (about) this difficulty/problem. I know (about) Engineering. In the first sentence, it seems to me that "to know" expresses that the speaker experienced the problem/difficulty before while "to know about" only expresses that the speaker has heard or read about it.