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HBK4LIFE Posted 21 years ago
Vocabulary

The Word "aint"

is aint a word?! if it isnt how did people start saying it?
my friends are...not the brightest (i) 's on the ceiling and they say "i aint gots to"

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Top answer

It's a non-standard contraction for "am not, is not, and are not". "Ain't" is used only in informal situations and never in writing. If I were you, I'd avoid using it.

— Teacher Eric

  • It's a non-standard contraction for "am not, is not, and are not".
  • "Ain't" is used only in informal situations and never in writing.
  • If I were you, I'd avoid using it.
  • Just stick to the standard contractions "I'm not, isn't, and aren't".
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33 Answers
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It's a non-standard contraction for "am not, is not, and are not". "Ain't" is used only in informal situations and never in writing. If I were you, I'd avoid using it. Just stick to the standard contractions "I'm not, isn't, and aren't".
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just an americanism
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From Merriam Webster's:

AIN'T

Etymology: contraction of are not
1 : am not : are not : is not
2 : have not : has not
3 : do not : does not : did not -- used in some varieties of Black English

Usage: Although widely disapproved as nonstandard and more common in the habitual speech of the less educated, 'ain't' in senses 1 and 2 is flourishing in
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>>> "Ain't is also obligatory in some fixed phrases, such as Say it ain't so."

Bon Jovi sang "Say it isn't so"Emotion: smile
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1b00i hate when people say aint it just doesnt sound right02b0-
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you don't know who I'm is
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Anon, what are you trying to say?
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Mr Micawber gives a very good explanation. I confirm that ain't is as British as it's American. Yes, it was originally the contraction of am not, but lost respectability when it spread to all persons of be and have.
We now contract I am not as
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"Ain't" is a word but is attached to a stereotype of lower class. If writing a short story with an uneducated say...cowboy for instance, throw a few quotes in there with the word ain't and you will really develop his character.
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