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Elementary Dictionary
       

ain't

 
pronunciation:
eInt
features:
Language Note
part of speech: contraction
definition: "Ain't" is a short way to say "am not," "is not," "are not," "have not," or "has not." Some people think that using "ain't" is using English in the wrong way. Many teachers tell students not to write "ain't" in school assignments.
Although the teacher knew what Tommy meant when he wrote "It ain't easy" in his journal, she asked him to change it to "It isn't easy."
Language Note
Ain't is not correct English. So why is it in a dictionary? For one thing, it is part of American English. You may have heard people use "ain't," especially in everyday conversation. You may even use it yourself. This does not mean it is correct. In fact, "ain't" will make you sound uneducated, even ignorant, to some people. Use "am not" or "isn't" or "aren't," instead, especially in writing. Sometimes an author will write "ain't" on purpose, in order to show how a character talks. But authors probably don't talk that way themselves.