Have you heard or read the word 'ain't'? This topic has been troublesome to English learners.
What is ain't?
The word ain't (informal) pronounced as /'eɪnt/, is a conjugation of 'be' (am, is, are) or has and have verbs + not. So those verbs are written as /am not/is not/are not/ has not/ have not/.
The common informal saying is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". It basically means that you don't have to do something or modify it if there's nothing wrong with it. This word originated in Britain and became widely spread while some articles claimed it was from African-American ethnic groups. Regardless where it came from, it's essential to use this term with care since many English learners find it confusing. They tend to choose a wrong verb for the subject. Unless, of course, if you're a native speaker this wouldn't be a big deal.
Here are some examples:
"I ain't (am not) gonna stop learning English".
"Life ain't (is not) easy".
"You ain't (are not) allowed to cheat".
"She ain't (has not) talked about the marriage proposal to her parents".
"They ain't (have not) printed the news articles yet".
Ain't is used in movies, songs, and everyday conversations. I heard it most of the time. However, it isn't advisable to use it in academic setting. So never attempt to include it in your reports or essays just because other people have been using it. I guess it's alright to use it with your friends.
Another thing, would you agree with me if I tell you that the more frequent you use ain't in your conversations, the more you'd sound poorly educated? Tell me what you think. I learned this information a few months ago. Ouch! I ain't gonna use this term anymore... :)
Finally, the songs "Ain't No Other Man" by Christina Aguilera and "I Ain't No Quitter" by Shania Twain used this word oftentimes. Likewise, the sentence "I ain't done nothing" is a bit complicated. Blimey! Grammarians or grammar police wouldn't be pleased with these three examples because they introduced "double negatives" - a taboo in the English language.
Check out our latest reading challenge in my group about double negatives courtesy of VOA- Learning English.
Remember, ain't shouldn't be used in formal conversations and academic writing!
Can you give other examples where you spotted this word in songs or movies?
Reference:
Comments
@ Burn Bakaq
You mean this song?
Honestly, it's just a coincidence. I haven't any idea that this song exists. Poor me! I used the title of this blog for effect, and it turned out well since I never expected numerous comments about this topic. By the way, this's an awesome song. But I like Thank You for Loving Me because it's more romantic. :)
Thank you for responding!
All the best,
Robbie
@ Anah
Thank you for relaying your experience about this word. It's easy to acquire some grammatically incorrect terms because we see or hear them using by famous celebrities more often. And then those words tend to appear correct, not fully aware that we might use those terms in our writing or speech. It's OK to learn them as long as we understand its purpose. We must also be knowledgeable about them because they are part of informal coversations and culture.
Happy learning!
Robbie :)
@ Nimzaf
I'm truly glad that you found this blog valuable! I'm grateful to share a little bit of my knowledge to this club. Thank you for being such a supportive friend!
Cheers!
Robbie :)
Hello! Thank you for all your likes and responses. I'll get back to your comments in a short while. :)
I heard " ain't" from movies but I didn't know the meaning.
Thanks for sharing.
Magandang omaga guapo Rubbie. maraming salamat para sa blog mo. I wanted to remember a song for Christy Mindoza or Emelda Papin, using that expression, but I could not remember. Issac Hays had this one, (Ain't no sunshine when she's gone )
aint nobody got time for that?!!!
Very informative blog, Robbie. Thank you for sharing. I will note it.
Wow, poorly educated...it's fortunately I almost never use it, though I know from the songs. :D
Thank you Robbie for this blog. Actually, long time ago, i was wondering about this word so i created a discussion about it. All members who answered told me the same thing. That it is not proper English and usually it is used in songs and also from people who are not educated.
Thanks for sharing your informative post.
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