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gramirez
Phoenix
Joined: Nov 10, 2008
Posts: 1012
Location: Illinois
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 Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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I used to do it frequently, but very rarely anymore.
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Woodpeace
Deinonychus
Joined: Mar 27, 2008
Posts: 368
Location: Lancashire, England
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:05 am Post subject: |
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| I love irregular verbs in English. They make the language more interesting. |
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mgran
Phoenix
Joined: May 23, 2009
Posts: 662
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:40 am Post subject: |
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| I have just realised that there is one English verb which I always regularise in speech, and it is the inverted first person singular. Most people say "aren't I", which I just can't stand, so I say, "amn't I" instead. I think that's it. |
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Ambivalence
Phoenix
Joined: Nov 09, 2008
Posts: 612
Location: PEEuhLEE
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:56 am Post subject: |
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Mmm, yes, you'd never see "are not I" or "are I not" written down, but you might see "am not I" or even better "am I not". It really should be "amn't", wonder how it got to be "aren't"?
(edit)
D'oh, I'm an idiot, forget the rubbish that was in this place earlier.  I forget the existence of "I'm".
This then is my second attempt:
We can say:
I am
He/She/It is
You/They/We are
I'm
He/She/It's
You/They/We're
and we can say:
I am not
He/She/It is not
You/They/We are not
I'm not - different words being contracted, though!
He/She/It isn't
You/They/We aren't
But only:
Am I not?
Isn't He/She/It?
Aren't You/They/We?
There's a gap where amn't should go which we fill for some reason with "aren't". 
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Who_Am_I
born NotQuiteHuman
Joined: Aug 28, 2005
Age: 25
Posts: 4770
Location: My body is in Brisbane and my mind is in the gutter. :D
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| Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:57 am Post subject: |
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My linguistics books say that "ain't" was once used for "am not", and that it was once a perfectly acceptable construction and used by educated people.
Another thing that these books say is that the whole "don't end sentences with a preposition" thingy is because of early prescriptive grammarians attempting to impose the rules of Latin grammar onto English.
Answering the original post: I have never had any problems with irregular verbs. I like them, and any other irregularities of English, as they make the language more interesting.
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Music Theory 101: Cadences.
Authentic cadence: V-I
Plagal cadence: IV-I
Deceptive cadence: V- ANYTHING BUT I !!!!
Beethoven cadence: V-I-V-I-V-V-V-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I
-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I! I! I! I I I |
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