Wish I could. It's true that it's a great failing in our language that we're missing a first person singular contraction for "to be not" in the present tense, given that we have contractions for those words in pretty much all other tenses/persons. However, them's the rules, I guess.

However, a lot of grammarians consider the restrictions against "ain't" to be unnecessarily fussy, and I, for one, only correct it in formal writing, even when I'm copy editing for people. I allow idioms to stand, such as in the last sentence of the previous paragraph.

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

Well, technically, "ain't" isn't a contraction of anything. "Ai not" is not an English expression, and "amn't" hasn't caught on for obvious reasons.

Of course, the real reasons go much deeper and have more to do with culture than anything rational. Interestingly, back in the 1920's, "ain't" was accepted as a contraction for "am not", at least in Britain. But in the real world it was used mostly by the lower classes and was not restricted to "I ain't". Instead, it became a generic contraction for any form of the verb "to be" -- e.g. "he ain't", "they ain't", etc.

Apparently that usage was just too lazy and lax for the English gods, so "ain't" became anathema even when used in its originally intended application.

Edit: ya beat me, Gillian! Your post was on page 4 here and I missed it. Ain't that a kick?

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Bring back Firefly!

"It is quite clear that Occam's razor does not sharpen in your pyramid." (Nicolas)

"Still, a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." (Paul Simon)

I just don't understand why it's "it's I" and not "it's me," but then I was never very patient with grammar.

CJSF

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Two years ago moved from my town
I was looking up past the city lights
But the city lights got in my way

See the constellation ride across the sky
No cigar, no lady on his arm
Just a guy made of dots and lines

-from "See The Constellation"
by They Might Be Giants

Do you really want me to explain?

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

It's a byproduct of big city life, something to do with the Rapid Intransitive System which is linking all parts of the metropolis. But lost you shouldn't get. You can't sense the indicatives without a helping map.

As for me, if I were a grammarian, I would find all rules of English to be completely subjunctive.

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A person's name, or a mark representing it, as signed personally or by deputy, as in subscribing a letter or other document.

BTW, concerning subjunctivity, did you hear about the English professor who had a torrid love affair with a Physics professor? This particular prof sported a large, white beard and was notorious for presenting his lectures without the use of verbs.

The poor gal fell for the noun clause of desire.

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A person's name, or a mark representing it, as signed personally or by deputy, as in subscribing a letter or other document.

Strangely enough (?), yes, but you can do so via PM, so we don't clutter this thread up any more (I'll explain why I'd like to know, then).

Thanks!

CJSF

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Two years ago moved from my town
I was looking up past the city lights
But the city lights got in my way

See the constellation ride across the sky
No cigar, no lady on his arm
Just a guy made of dots and lines

-from "See The Constellation"
by They Might Be Giants

Replied; the first lesson should be in your e-mail inbox by now.

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"