
Cecilia Viana
Baby, It ain’t over ‘til it’s over
Updated: Mar 9, 2020
HOW TO USE AIN'T
Lenny Kravitz is coming to town, and ain’t that great news?
I remember being a teenager and daydream while listening to Lenny Kravitz’s It ain’t over ‘til it’s over, and wonder, “What exactly is ain’t?”. Even though it was clear it had a negative meaning, I hadn’t studied it at my language school, so I wasn’t sure of the grammar rules for this word. Of course, I couldn’t live in doubt for long, and I soon got the explanation I needed.
It is true: Lenny Kravitz is coming to Auckland this March, and this brought back memories of the grammatical doubts of my youth, so if you ever wondered what ain’t is all about, this post is here to throw some light upon its usage.
So, what exactly is ain’t?
It is a kind of joker (the playing card that has no fixed value) that works as an auxiliary verb. Which one? Well, you need to pay attention to the context to find that out. Yes, you’ve got to play the role of a grammar detective, but it is easier than it sounds. Can you guess what ain’t is replacing in these sentences?
1. I ain’t going nowhere.
2. You ain’t welcome here.
3. She ain’t an angel.
4. I ain’t got no money.
5. Since he left, she ain’t been the same.
If you have good grammar detective skills, you may have noticed ain’t is a short form of am not, are not, is not, have not and has not. But wait, baby, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over. You have to know that:
