Seniors, ain't life grand?

Question

"Ain't like grand?"
~ Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde

Remember the saying ain't ain't a word? Did you get in trouble for using it at home or in school?

Answer 1

I was educated at a public school, and our senior English master, Mr. Bilsborough, would have a cardiac arrest if we had used such words.



Even "Can I open a window Sir?" evoked the response "I don't know, can you?"



The question was then to be re-phrased correctly: "MAY I open the window Sir?"



Double negatives, starting a sentence with 'and', knowing when to say 'who' or 'whom', and correct punctuation were pounded into us. The common usage of the grocer's apostrophe irritates me beyond reason. For instance "Carrot's for sale'.



Today's school leavers can hardly write, let alone put together a sentence using correct grammar and syntax.



It comes from the dumbing down of education and examinations to the level of the least able.



By the way.



Did you know that Clyde Barrow's middle name was 'Chestnut'?



And that he was born In Telico, Ellis County, Texas on Wednesday 24th March 1909?



I'm sure your life will improve for knowing that.

Answer 2

It ain't so much a question of not knowin' what to do. I knowed what's right and wrong since I been ten.



But I wasn't raIsed in the country. And if I'd used words like "ain't" when I was a child, people wouldn't have thought I was uncouth. They would have thought I was trying to be funny.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgrh0dp9XJU



But I'm indebted to Matthew Hopkins for referring to "grocer's apostrophes," which I see are also sometimes called "idiot's apostrophes," or, best of all, "grocers apostrophe's"). Everyone in my little redneck town uses "idiot's apostrophes," but I'd never seen them until I moved here. I'm pleased to learn that they are used by illiterate English people too, and that there's a name for them.

Answer 3

I do. And, for a word that isn't considered an actual word...it sure has managed to embed itself into the English language pretty firmly....it can be found in almost every dictionary ever printed, I might add. Yes, I remember being scolded for using it...I never could figure out what all the fuss was about...

Answer 4

Ain't isn't a proper word but I like to use it anyway. Ain't that grand?

Answer 5

Between my family and the good nuns at the Catholic school I attended,I never even thought of using aint. I saw what the nuns did to children who used that word and I never fancied getting hit.

Answer 6

My mom tried to cure me, but..as she was an avid fan of Elvis , I finally got her to back up some on it by singing AIN'T nuthin but a houndog every time she tried to call me on it. She was otherwise, a merciless grammar nazi her whole life. She never was able to cure me though.

Answer 7

Saying ain't in school was as if you said a cuss word! LOL

Answer 8

It's a great life if you don't weaken.....



I still use the word ain't when I'm feeling a little saucy.

Answer 9

Didn't get in trouble, but got corrected. Mother always felt it was the was people spoke who had not had much school. Now it is accepted. but it is very much slang.

Answer 10

Ain't wasn't allowed. I didn't start to use it until after I retired.

Answer 11

It was almost a swear word growing up. And yup, life is grand.

Answer 12

No, I sort of grew out of using "ain't" when I reached puberty..

Answer 13

well senior citizens would know about this grammer best because they have been around for thousands of years supplying us youngins with such great information on how to sustain a good relationship and never let your housekeeper/*****/ho/wife go.

Answer 14

It is still used in Britain , just bad grammar

Answer 15

Yes - "after I got learned"

Answer 16

yea