|
ESL Forum:
Techniques and methods
in Language Teaching
Games, activities
and teaching ideas
Grammar and
Linguistics
Teaching material
Concerning
worksheets
Concerning
powerpoints
Concerning online
exercises
Make suggestions,
report errors
Ask for help
Message board
|
ESL forum >
Ask for help > negative questions with the pronoun "I" and verb to be in the present tenses
negative questions with the pronoun "I" and verb to be in the present tenses
|
[email protected]
|
negative questions with the pronoun "I" and verb to be in the present tenses
|
|
Hello everyone,
I wonder what is the correct form of verb to be to use in the negative questions with the pronoun "I" in the present tenses.
For example:
A: wash the dishes.
B: ............n �t I washing them now?
I appreciate your help. |
29 Aug 2013
|
|
|
|
raul.vasquez.ramirez
|
|
aren �t I...? just as in a question tag, or Am I not....?
Well I �m not that sure
any native can help us? |
29 Aug 2013
|
|
|
|
|
cunliffe
|
|
�Am I not?� is usually used in a �tongue in cheek � sort of way, or for emphasis. The usual tag is �aren �t I.� Edit: e.g. �I am the best educated person in the room, am I not?� �Amn�t I?� may be spoken in certain parts of the UK, although I haven�t heard it, but it would certainly be incorrect on paper.
|
30 Aug 2013
|
|
|
almaz
|
|
In Scottish and Irish English, we still tend to use the fairly obvious inversion, amn�t I. It seems that the �m� sound in the contraction was dropped in Southern English speech many centuries ago - to produce something like a�n�t, which first appeared in print in the 17th century. According to the best usage dictionary in the world (MWDEU, of course), aren�t is a recent contraction and nobody�s too sure how this �curious hybrid� came about. It�s not really a problem in the UK these days (�colloquially acceptable�), and it looks like the American opposition to it is softening - although the old language maven himself, William Safire, actually preferred ain�t I.
|
30 Aug 2013
|
|
|
Peter Hardy
|
|
History is a beautiful thing, often lost in translation. So people do say �Aren �t I" more often, but you �ll hear the old (?) or even bad (according to some) "Ain �t I". Having said this, the Microsoft people always want to correct the latter, but they are Americans, so .... The best thing to do is change the subject altogether and say something like: "Aren �t you supposed to do the washing up?" Cheers, Peter.
|
30 Aug 2013
|
|
|
alexziaa
|
|
I am not She is not He is not it is not They are not We are not
Inese and Obama are not
and same in the short forms....
I �m not She isn �t He isn �t it isn �t They aren �t We aren �t
I hope all is as clear as Vodka ??? take care !!!!
|
30 Aug 2013
|
|
|
Mariethe House
|
|
What an erudite explanation, Alex(Almaz)! I love it! Thank you.
|
30 Aug 2013
|
|
|
raul.vasquez.ramirez
|
|
Alex he �s asking about the negative question form not the negative itself |
30 Aug 2013
|
|
|
|
|
