Timeline for Contraction of "is not"
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
5 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Oct 7, 2011 at 1:18 | vote | accept | kennysong | ||
| Oct 6, 2011 at 11:15 | comment | added | SabreWolfy | Your examples suggest to me a more permanent state of affairs though, but that may just be my interpretation. Ultimately, the sentences are the same when the contractions are removed, so there really shouldn't be a difference in meaning. | |
| Oct 6, 2011 at 11:02 | comment | added | user13141 | Sure. But I think you could just as easily say "He isn't really running around anymore" or "He isn't running around much" and convey the same thing. Poor Spot. | |
| Oct 6, 2011 at 10:19 | comment | added | SabreWolfy | True. However, consider Spot, who often runs around happily. He's now ill and is sleeping in his basket. I'm asked how Spot is. I would reply, "He's not running around" rather than "He isn't running around" to indicate that he is still unwell. Both mean "He is not running around", but, as you said, the context and tone would confer the subtlety of meaning. | |
| Oct 6, 2011 at 7:11 | history | answered | user13141 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |