Ain't got no, I got life- Nina Simone
Hi Everybody!
Do you know the expression have got- as in, How many brothers and sisters have you got?'? It is very common in English, but students often avoid using it.
Well, I've got a secret to tell you! There is another way to say 'I have got...'. It is very informal and is most commonly used in songs. It is Ain't got...
In fact Ain't can substitute 'I'm not', 'you aren't', 'she/he/it isn't', 'we aren't', 'they aren't', 'I haven't', 'you haven't', 'she/he/it hasn't', 'we haven't' and 'they haven't'.
It is only used in the negative form, and sometimes the subject (I, you, she, etc...) is also omitted to make it super-informal!
If you consistently use ain't, you can avoid a lot of English grammar.
BUT...
... it is very informal and I don't recommend that you use ain't all the time!
You will hear it in songs, however.
Here is a good example. It is a fantastic and life-affirming song by Nina Simone called 'Ain't got no, I've got life...'. She mentions a lot of parts of the body (arms, legs etc...). How many can you hear? Count them as you listen and tell us how many you heard in the comments below.
When you have finished, listen again and see if you can fill in the gaps in the middle bit of the song!
Here is the song, and you will find the lyrics for the middle bit below...
Ain't Got No, I Got Life - Nina Simone
What ______ ________ got?
Why _____ _______ alive anyway?
What ______ ________ got?
_______ ________ take away?
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