Can someone tell me what's the difference between isn't and ain't? Is it the same thing?
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Can someone tell me what's the difference between isn't and ain't? Is it the same thing?
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It is a contraction for am not, is not, are not, has not, and have not in English vernacular. In some dialects ain't is also used as a contraction of do not, does not, and did not. You can hear it in every day conversation among people, movies, TV shows, etc. But it is not acceptable in written language.
Yes TK Chan, but i think it is better for a learner not to use slang language. Some words are easy to understand them but some are not. In my case, "ain't" is a confusing word. Thanks for your answer :)
I understand to avoid using certain words for some reason, but if you want to remember slang, you need to practice it either from listening or speaking it. Sorry for not explaining it totally. Actually, ain't means am not, is not, are not, has not, and have not. For e.g. I ain't a lazy student. I ain't done my homework yet. Therefore, I see it's handy to be used. Hah.
I agree TK Chan, it is in the willing of every person to use it and of course needs practice. So, for you it's handy huh? :) For me not :) Thanks for the further explanation and for your answer again!
To my experience, I think isn't is identical to ain't, but one is a slang, and the other is a formal contraction of is not.
Sincerely,
TK
Kevin, thank you very much for dropping by in my discussion and for your opinion. It is respected :)
Kevin, I somewhat agree with you. However, it should not be a part of our daily practice at home with our children. The degradation of all languages has come about because we do not teach proper language at home. Our children should be made aware that it exists and that is is commonly used, but it is not designed for career-minded folks.
I live outside the U.S. and the same happens here with the local language. When people travel out of this region, they are made fun of because of the way they speak. We should teach proper English and insist on it when speaking to children.
On a more personal level, I like using less-than-proper language with my peers. I agree, that we should not talk-down to anyone. Thanks for the comment, I enjoyed your input.
"You ain't seen nothing yet"
"you ain't heard me out"
These are just two examples in relation to "to have"
I really think there's nothing wrong with this sort of language as long as it is used in appropriate settings. I agree with Gerardo that we must absolutely respect basic principles and noun-verb agreement, but there are many possible situations where the use of this sort of language is appropriate, correct, and even better or wishful. I guess that every reasonably educated human being will agree that this sort of language is not suited for official writing or in situations where "correct" language is required, but listening to some blues lyrics, I feel this way of speaking or writing is absolutely proper, correct, or even desired. I think there's no regional relation, I've read and heard it in both American and British English for as long as I remember, and the Aussies also know how to handle this phenomenon.
I don't agree that by definition (or in all cases) the use of "ain't", and such, should be associated with individuals who are less or not educated, though in schools we are often told it should be considered "improper English". I love to to see and hear that our language is so alive, we just need to know (or learn) how to use what, when and where. Great topic and please correct me when you think I'm wrong.
Thayaparan, thank you very much for your answer!
Hello,
isn't means is not.
ain't means is not, are not or am not.
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