|
Post by patapin on Dec 10, 2016 10:03:04 GMT
First, I was sure the interro-negative form of "to be" was "Am I not?" Then, I saw this form: "Aren't I?" After researches on the web, I found that this last form is mostly used in conversation.
Can you please confirm?
|
|
|
Post by Dil Bert on Dec 10, 2016 12:14:54 GMT
First, I was sure the interro-negative form of "to be" was "Am I not?" Then, I saw this form: "Aren't I?" After researches on the web, I found that this last form is mostly used in conversation. Can you please confirm? www.learnersdictionary.com/qa/aren-t-i-or-am-i-not
|
|
|
Post by patapin on Dec 11, 2016 10:19:57 GMT
Hi Dil Bert,
thanks for having searched for me. So I see we can use both forms.
As for yourself, have you ever used one of those?
|
|
|
Post by Dil Bert on Dec 11, 2016 12:55:59 GMT
I think the specific phrases "aren't I" and "am I not" are a bit troublesome. Most examples I can think of carry comedic overtones, indicating the speaker thinks too much of themselves or is pretending too. OTOH, "Am I not qualified?" doesn't necessarily have that connotation.
The examples given in the article (Aren’t you going to the movies tonight? No, we’re having a dinner party, so we aren’t going to the movies. John and Kelsey are going, aren’t they?) are a good representation of how aren't is used as a normal part of the language. In these sentences, you could make them more formal but still normal by not using the contraction: Are you not going to the movies tonight? No, we’re having a dinner party, so we are not going to the movies. John and Kelsey are going, are they not?
|
|
|
Post by MrB on Dec 11, 2016 17:23:59 GMT
They do have a place in normal speech - an example might be, "I hear you're having a party. Aren't I invited?". You might also say, "Am I not invited?" there as well. But I agree with Dilbert, that "am I not" in particular is often used for comic or pathetic effect.
|
|
|
Post by patapin on Dec 18, 2016 11:09:06 GMT
Thank you very much to both of you
|
|