# It's not/it isn't **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159 "2012-09-09T03:25:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/1 "2012-09-09T03:25:32Z")
I hijacked another thread to ask about this, so thought I’d ask again properly. Are these two interchangable? Are there different rules for each? Examples would be helpful too! ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/2 "2012-09-09T03:28:48Z")
I see no difference in meaning. Just use whichever sounds best in the context. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/3 "2012-09-09T03:32:58Z")
I prefer _'tisn’t_ for maximum efficiency. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/4 "2012-09-09T03:50:59Z")
> [@boomerwang](#): > > I hijacked another thread to ask about this . . . Well, I offered [my take on the difference in that same thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15348639&postcount=33). When I get a free moment, I could devise some examples–or is it not clear enough? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/5 "2012-09-09T03:52:17Z")
I still can’t seem to get away with “I amn’t.” ☹ ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/6 "2012-09-09T04:11:14Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > I prefer _'tisn’t_ for maximum efficiency. 'tain’t?😃 ETA: alright, everyone for taint, raise your hands. . . ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/7 "2012-09-09T04:23:08Z")
Here’s an article in a linguistics journal about this subject. Unfortunately, it costs to download it: > **[It's not or isn't it? Using large corpora to determine the influences on...](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/language-variation-and-change/article/abs/its-not-or-isnt-it-using-large-corpora-to-determine-the-influences-on-contraction-strategies/005704762DCCE89EAED41349D996D270)** > > It's not or isn't it? Using large corpora to determine the influences on contraction strategies - Volume 14 Issue 1 ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/8 "2012-09-09T04:31:16Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Here’s an article in a linguistics journal about this subject. Unfortunately, it costs to download it: > > [http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=C1D024CA4062EEE6AAD52E89887DF12A.journals?fromPage=online&aid=119513](http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=C1D024CA4062EEE6AAD52E89887DF12A.journals?fromPage=online&aid=119513) 'Tain’t worth it. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/9 "2012-09-09T04:37:35Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Here’s an article in a linguistics journal about this subject. Unfortunately, it costs to download it: > > [http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=C1D024CA4062EEE6AAD52E89887DF12A.journals?fromPage=online&aid=119513](http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=C1D024CA4062EEE6AAD52E89887DF12A.journals?fromPage=online&aid=119513) Thanks. Apparently, though, that analysis is purely at the sentence level (with socio-linguistic references). From what I understand, there’s an important discursive dimension which that kind of analysis can’t take into consideration. (The abstract implies as much.) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/10 "2012-09-09T04:48:36Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > I still can’t seem to get away with “I amn’t.” ☹ This is why I think “ain’t” should be recognised as an acceptable word. ---
**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/11 "2012-09-09T04:55:45Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Well, I offered [my take on the difference in that same thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15348639&postcount=33). When I get a free moment, I could devise some examples–or is it not clear enough? Yes, I saw your reply in that thread, and I appreciate it. But some examples would help this dopey fellow understand more betterly. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/12 "2012-09-09T14:06:37Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > I still can’t seem to get away with “I amn’t.” ☹ Come to Ireland, where it’s the standard negative form of “I am”. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/13 "2012-09-09T14:51:06Z")
They are both contractions for “it is not.” Grammatically they mean exactly the same thing but the emphasis and connotation may be different depending on the speaker’s intent. The selection is a matter of style, not grammar. “I think your shirt is ugly.” “It’s not!” “Is it time to go home yet?” “It isn’t.” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/14 "2012-09-09T15:32:30Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > This is why I think “ain’t” should be recognised as an acceptable word. It isn’t? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/15 "2012-09-10T11:27:20Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > It isn’t? It is generally described as “non-standard”. You won’t find it in writing by professional journalists or authors but you might hear it in some everyday speech. Whether you find it “acceptable” has to do with whether you are a prescriptivist or descriptivist. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/16 "2012-09-10T12:45:45Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > It isn’t? It amn’t. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/17 "2012-09-10T13:10:28Z")
> [@boomerwang](#): > > Yes, I saw your reply in that thread, and I appreciate it. But some examples would help this dopey fellow understand more betterly. Please refer to [this article](http://www.ucl.ac.uk/english-usage/projects/verb-phrase/book/varelaperez.pdf). > [@](#): > > As predicted by Tottie (1991), Table 16 shows that implicit denials are much more > numerous than explicit denials, even in spoken language. In both LLC-mini-sp and ICEGB-mini-sp, corrective contexts are extremely favourable to ’s not (70.8% and 92%, respectively), followed by implicit denials (66.3% and 75.7%, respectively). The least favourable context for ’s not in both corpora is that of explicit denials: 47.3% of the cases in LLC-mini-sp, while in ICE-GB-mini-sp the frequency of ’s not in this context has risen to 69.4%. > > Negative contraction (isn’t) is better represented in explicit denials than in > implicit denials and correctives in both corpora. LLC-mini-sp shows a balance between negative contraction and operator contraction, both of which are equally common (47.3% each). In ICE-GB-mini-sp, the ratio of isn’t in explicit denials has decreased to 25.4%, a percentage that is still higher than that for correctives and implicit denials. > > In any case, the highest increase of ’s not in ICE-GB-mini-sp is detected precisely in the two contexts where it shows the lowest absolute frequency, i.e. in correctives and explicit denials. On the page previous page, the differences are given as follows: > [@](#): > > In the process of conducting this analysis, it was found that the discourse function of negation exerted a strong effect on the choice of construction. Thus, ’s not and isn’t may appear in three discourse environments: (a) explicit denials; (b) implicit denials; and (c) corrective sentences. Explicit denials, as in (23)-(24), deny a proposition which has been explicitly asserted, while implicit denials, as in (25)-(26) deny something that might merely be expected or which can be contextually inferred but has not been asserted by anybody (Tottie 1991: 21). Corrective sentences, as in (27)-(28), take the form not/-n’t X but Y, in which case the focus of the negative is the constituent before > but, which need not be made explicit in the sentence: > (23) A: I mean it sounds like there’s uh technical \<,\> things like release > work and it sounds like some kind of therapy that you’re doing > B: Yeah \<,\> Uhm \<,\> I think the answer to that is no it’s not > therapy uhm \<,\> and I’m certainly I 'm not trained as a \<,\> as a > therapist (ICE-GB:S1A-004 #90:1:B) > (24) l: and it’s quite silly to try and blame ourselves # for something > that’s quite beyond our control > f: Bill Mallalieu very shortly # > m: it isn’t beyond our control# (LLC 1.54.929-932) > (25) (coughs) well Billy`s always said that there isn`t enough water in this > country to make hydroelectric possible (LLC 2.8b.97) > (26) A: Have you seen it before Caroline > C: I have never seen it still I really \ really it’s not > my sort of film \<,\> (ICE-GB:S1A-049 #282:1:B) > (27) … I’ve suddenly realized # it’s he’s not there as a dramatist now # he’s > there as a satirist (LLC 1.4.290) > (28) That’s not the guy you were talking to That was someone else (ICEGB: > S1A-058 #13:1:B) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/18 "2012-09-10T14:10:35Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > It is generally described as “non-standard”. You won’t find it in writing by professional journalists or authors but you might hear it in some everyday speech. Whether you find it “acceptable” has to do with whether you are a prescriptivist or descriptivist. Not really. It can be found in the writings of professional journalists and authors. It just ain’t that common is all. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/19 "2012-09-10T14:50:24Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Not really. It can be found in the writings of professional journalists and authors. It just ain’t that common is all. Well, I doubt you will find “ain’t” in editorial copy that is not quoting somebody. I’m fairly certain most, if not all, newspaper style guides forbid “ain’t” in that context. Maybe in an opinion piece, you might find it. That said, for “professional authors,” of course it’s used. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159/20 "2012-09-10T14:59:20Z")
I remember in sixth grade, when a bunch of us were trying out for speaking roles in the school play, and one of the lines was “You said it was [something], but it’s _not_!” Of course to 11-year old ears, we chose to hear “but it’s _snot_!” This wasn’t supposed to be a funny line, but we giggled every time someone delivered it. My friend and I got wise and when it was our turn, we subsituted “but it _isn’t_!” which diffused the inappropriate levity :). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-it-isnt/634159.md?page=2)