027 FORUM "aren't I" usage

'Am not I' sounds very affected in English and just try saying 'Amn't I?' Now you know why we say 'Aren't I/'
Alan

Can we not use " Am I not"? I live here in Ireland for neigh on 9 years, and never, ever, have I heard someone say "aren't I".
In fact, they do use "Amn't I", and pronounce it "Amen't I"

sorry miss shyone but
can u look up the question tag in any grammar book and u will see "aren't I?"
You know the saying: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"?
I have learned English here, and I'm sorry to say, not once did I hear 'aren't I'.
"aren't I" is grammatically correct. That's it ! :-??
yes I am sure that it is a correct grammatical rule. :P
Aren't I?
17 replies

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Intelligent Freak:
It sounds odd to me but some people are using it like "I am pretty, aren't I?"
Is it now acceptable?
Ciao,
IF [A]

20th September 2007
Contributing Member1,408

REPLY

Mister Micawber:
In all but the most formal situations. Here is some online commentary:
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.
Additional note:
Michael Swan: "Practical English Usage" Second Edition
"'Am not' is normally only contracted in questions, to 'aren't'"
"The question tag for 'I am' is 'aren't I'?: 'I'm late, aren't I?'"