[etni] [FWD: Re: grammar weirdo]]
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- Date: Sun, 5 Sep 2004 21:46:11 -0700
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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [etni] [FWD: grammar weirdo]
From: "Wolfson" <wolfson@xxxxxxx>
Just fo the record, my son a thirteen year-old "NS" had problems with
this.
We had a period of a year when he would say "I are ..."!!!
This was when he was 11. It turned out that he had the impression from
someone that this was more correct.
Other than that he makes mistakes that I've always associated with young
NS
kids from NW London...
like "I been there and don' it !" :)
Dena
Ruth wrote:
> This week's grammar "tid-bit" for ESL Students _
> "aren't I"
> The contraction for "are not" is usually used in questions like:
> "Aren't I going with you?" However, "am" is the proper be- verb to be
> used with
> the pronoun "I": "I am going with you." The technically ungrammatical
> usage of "aren't" in questions where "I" is the subject can be
> considered a "forced" mistake, because there is no good grammatically
> correct
> alternative. There is no contraction for "am not;" we don't say "Amn't
> I going ... ?," and the uncontracted form, "Am I not going with you?,"
> sounds so formal that it is not practical in most situations.
> Consequently, even though "aren't I" is technically ungrammatical, and
> can sound a
> bit jarring to the ear, it is considered correct in normal
> conversational speech.
> any comments on this oddity of grammar??
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