diff --git a/wp-includes/query.php b/wp-includes/query.php
index efd0a06544..2804664161 100644
--- a/wp-includes/query.php
+++ b/wp-includes/query.php
@@ -1804,12 +1804,8 @@ class WP_Query {
 				$whichcat .= " AND $wpdb->posts.ID NOT IN ( SELECT tr.object_id FROM $wpdb->term_relationships AS tr INNER JOIN $wpdb->term_taxonomy AS tt ON tr.term_taxonomy_id = tt.term_taxonomy_id WHERE tt.taxonomy = 'category' AND tt.term_id IN ($cat_string) )";
 			} else {
 				$ids = get_objects_in_term($q['category__not_in'], 'category');
-				if ( is_wp_error( $ids ) )
-					$ids = array();
-				if ( is_array($ids) && count($ids > 0) ) {
-					$out_posts = "'" . implode("', '", $ids) . "'";
-					$whichcat .= " AND $wpdb->posts.ID NOT IN ($out_posts)";
-				}
+				if ( !is_wp_error($ids) && is_array($ids) && count($ids) > 0 )
+					$whichcat .= " AND $wpdb->posts.ID NOT IN ('" . implode("', '", $ids) . "')";
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -1897,12 +1893,8 @@ class WP_Query {
 				$whichcat .= " AND $wpdb->posts.ID NOT IN ( SELECT tr.object_id FROM $wpdb->term_relationships AS tr INNER JOIN $wpdb->term_taxonomy AS tt ON tr.term_taxonomy_id = tt.term_taxonomy_id WHERE tt.taxonomy = 'post_tag' AND tt.term_id IN ($tag_string) )";
 			} else {
 				$ids = get_objects_in_term($q['tag__not_in'], 'post_tag');
-				if ( is_wp_error( $ids ) )
-					$ids = array();
-				if ( is_array($ids) && count($ids > 0) ) {
-					$out_posts = "'" . implode("', '", $ids) . "'";
-					$whichcat .= " AND $wpdb->posts.ID NOT IN ($out_posts)";
-				}
+				if ( !is_wp_error($ids) && is_array($ids) && count($ids) > 0 )
+					$whichcat .= " AND $wpdb->posts.ID NOT IN ('" . implode("', '", $ids) . "')";
 			}
 		}