Alice2: I occasionally use “y’all”, when it’s important to distinguish between singular and plural “you” (the Right Thing, I suppose, would be to use “thou” for the singular, but that makes me want to use archaic verb forms as well, and makes people laugh at me… :)), but I ain’t never used “ain’t”. Slang & Informal English E-Book. And once upon time, we had hain’t for has not and have not—much like ain’t. Um …. What Is Your Choice For The 2020 Word Of The Year? I know it’s not correct, but sometimes it’s good just to break the rules. It can also mean have not, has not, do not, does not, or did not. Directed by D. Mark Grieshop. Fall Out Boy has a song "This ain't a scene it's an arms race" and since they use the word it should be ok, right? Be mindful that judging someone’s use of ain’t as “wrong” can be a very socially loaded act, to say the least. I never knew there was supposed to be an apostrophe and that it was actually meant to be a contraction of two words. Country or region United States I say “ain’t” and yes it is incorrect English. I would never say “are I not?” because I would never say “I are…”. A centuries-old mistake, like “the reason why” (eight centuries) or “ain’t” (not yet three centuries), is still a mistake. I’m awaiting so many arguments against that sentence. I personally use the because I am from the south. While a lot of people consider ain’t improper, it’s a very regular and legitimate part of many forms of English, including in Black English (AAVE). You were a hundred times more likely to hear “ain’t” than “aren’t” in everyday conversation. Recently I was reading a book by Baldacci—and he seems to have dropped the word ‘into” from the English language. It's staying down that's wrong. I wouldn’t say that “ain’t” is the gateway slang word, but that the issue of improper grammar is the result of a far more fundamental problem of people not bothering to learn and understand the language they use on a rational level, instead being content to rely on our human faculties of pattern recognition to pick up on the way language is COMMONLY used. I ain’t gonna stop using the word “ain’t” just for some people who ironically think they’re being good grammatical pedants by insisting on its illegitimacy. Inside of a ring or out, ain't nothing wrong with going down. Would anyone ever say “are I not?”. In fact, it’s hard to imagine these sayings without ain’t. Would anyone ever say “are I not?””. It is, however, accepted in folk and popular song lyrics, show titles, direct quotations, and fictional dialogue. And the words “If it ain’t fun, you’re doing it wrong!” started playing over and over in my mind. As in ‘watch Katie and Peter on TV last night? They think they are being “educated’ by saying “aren’t I”–not realizing that they just failed a question on an IQ test. The development of ain't for the various forms of to be not, to have not, and to do not occurred independently, at different times. Maybe I’m a hick– I’m not denying it!– but I see nothing wrong with the sentence, “What are y’all talking about?”, But on the serious note.. amazing way of showing how and when to use it or not to 🙂. But, if I write a rant about it, no doubt there will be some other grammatical error present…. You will improve your English in only 5 minutes per day, guaranteed! Are we gonna get anywhere here? . Or am I wrong? Booklover is right when he states that the correct idea for ‘I ain’t got no choice’ is ‘I HAVE no choice’. But, ain’t became associated with lower-class characters (as in the works of Charles Dickens) and was treated as a vulgar form to be avoided. You'll also get three bonus ebooks completely free. Is it that bad? Umm…Philip; the instrument “piano” (as opposed to the direction on sheet music) has three syllables (“pee-AN-oh”, not “pya-no”), and the person who plays one is properly called a “PEE-an-ist” (again, three syllables — not a “pee-nist”). Lots of expressions we use daily are ‘wrong’ according to grammar. But, I have to be contrary I guess, ain’t would be a 100% usable word if constructing dialogue for any number of our fellow citizens, in thousands of areas across the country. . I have a problem with the last post that represents my main problem with the word “ain’t” in common usage. The Dictionary.com Word Of The Year For 2020 Is …. To clarify the distinction, consider the expression ain't. Or am I wrong? It should always be ‘aren’t I’. Man No I ain't. It’s awful and will make you sound like Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins. We also had bain’t, also like ain’t and based on be(en) not. Grammar is not the matter. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. There’s isn’t, didn’t, wasn’t, and aren’t. I feel that language should always strive to provide a single correct word for a single meaning. What I do not understand is why you don’t allow “I ain’t” in place of “I’m not”. How to use ain't in a sentence. because there was a standard expression they could use: because there were standard forms for those: I pointed out that the usual “standard” form of “aren’t I” was not exactly grammatical. Also, what is wrong with double negatives? Now, put THAT into the dictionary! Should they not say, “I am not”, also? If this is not a correct word, what in the world can I use instead? Explore celebrity trends and tips on fashion, style, beauty, diets, health, relationships and more. Do Wrong Ain't Right is a 1990's urban television evangelism con where a daily inspirational show, "DoWrong In The A.M." is the launch pad for unbelievable shenanigans where Rev. You dirty. He says stuff like ” He put his hand in his pocket to grab his gun.” What’s wrong with “He put his hand into his pocked to grab his gun.”? Enter your email for word fun in your inbox every day. That said, I have memories of sitting on the top deck of a bus as a teenager & hearing two younger kids in front of me discussing the houses that we were passing: “That’s a posh house, ain’t it” said the first, “you mean, ‘innit'” said the second firmly! Hilariously, one of my pet peeves is the use of apostrophes in plurals. Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! in questions. Ain’t is an extremely informal (some people would say incorrect) word for isn’t, am not, or aren’t. Ain’t nothing wrong with that,” she said, also stretching “wrong” out a bit and intoning in a way sometimes referred to as a “drawl,” but which is also part of the Black English tool kit. The Random House Dictionary points out that although “ain’t” is considered improper or slang, it actually arose as an alternative to two other contractions—one clunky … We have haven’t, hasn’t, weren’t, shouldn’t, and don’t. =P I'm not American or English so I don't know, but every time I write "ain't" it comes as a typo? Man No I ain't. Dave, I’m really sorry to ask you such a dumb question, but I can’t help it: Why did my sentence baffle you? Ain’t is a contraction that can mean am not, are not, and is not. 😉 If you know you’re using it correctly, good for you. It is actually completely wrong because the twidiot never read the actual article. What is the origin of this particular construction? In some dialects ain't is also used as a contraction of do not, does not, and did not. it’s right so stop saying am I not? My eccentric rule had the effect of making my students think about the verbs is and are. I grew up in Hicksville, USA. “I ain’t, he isn’t, they aren’t.” It was frowned upon because of wide misuse (he ain’t, they ain’t) and eventually deemed categorically improper, though it has always been a grammatically correct contraction for “am not”. Double negatives are taught as beeing wrong and that’s exactly the reason why we use it so often: just to have someone’s attention. you’d better say ain’t I? You don’t hear “aren’t I” being used in speech very much either. Ain’t I? Never miss a beat with MailOnline's latest news for women. We choose to use them to shape our speech with the exact level of emphasis ( now I’m afraid of using this word) we intent. We don’t say ‘I didn’t do nothing’ or ‘I did anything’. My intention is just to highlight the fact that we use it intentionally in order to be more emphatic. I also say “y’all”. I say “ain’t” in conversation. “I ain’t, he isn’t, they aren’t.” It was frowned upon because of wide misuse (he ain’t, they ain’t) and eventually deemed categorically improper, though it has always been a grammatically correct contraction for “am not”. It was a “word” because of common usage regardless of the speaker’s intentions. Ain't is one of the most informal verb contractions in English, and its use in formal contexts may be criticized because it is associated with careless speech. Jeanie’s reply (#7) has always been my understanding as well. Do Wrong and his side-kick Deacon Hot Hands get paid. I agree with you allowed use of “ain’t”. . I ain’t got no choice = I got no choice. If my story revolves around locals, then to be authentic I would be forced to offend the grammar police and use good ole ain’t. Ain't definition is - am not : are not : is not. Absolutely. Ain’t nothing but a fart hey, ain’t nothing but a meat steak” “Tummy why? My linguist cousin-in-law says the word “ain’t” evolved with Scottish immigrants who tried to stick with the structure of their language when translating and tried to say “am’nt.” It is rather awkward to have the m and n together like that, so ain’t evolved. No I'm ain't. The Rev. Is it really a word? The word “piano” (pya-no) does exist, though not in reference to the instrument, but there’s no such word as “PYA-nist”. I’m more confused now. Let’s break down this controversial—but very misunderstood—term. . Saying ain’t no sounds incorrect to me because it is a double negative. aren’t I? I’m intrigued reading this – coming from England (Midlands), I hear “Aren’t I?” much more than “Ain’t” …. “Are I not” is usually used as “Am I not” in my studies. The usage of ain't for the forms of to be not was established by the mid-18th century, and for the forms of to have not by the early 19th century. We’ve used some in this article already. 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