Hi, Ardith Hinton!
I read your message from 08.04.2022 20:24

  AK>> an informal way to say and write "am not", "are not", "is
  AK>> not", "has not" or "have not".

  AH> AFAIK it's widely accepted in many regional dialects, and I have
  AH> been known to say "ain't nobody here but us chickens" when somebody
  AH> asks whether any other people are still reading an echo which
  AH> hasn't had much recent traffic. I can get away with it in a jocular
  AH> /informal context. For those who must pass an exam to demonstrate
  AH> their proficiency in English, I wouldn't recommend it. ;-)

Olly Richards obviously tried  to make his pupils to see in their 
imagination some bright images. I was given this textbook by a man who 
studied English in California when he was a boy. As for me I read any 
book got in my hands. :)

  AK>> "There is no law for me. And there ain't no law needed for this
  AK>> town either!"

  AH> I must confess I have to wonder about Olly Richards. I imagine he
  AH> is churning out "high interest, low difficulty" reading material.
  AH> Tales about the wild & woolly west do have a certain popular
  AH> appeal, in North America at least, although the content may be
  AH> formulaic &/or stereotypical &/or exaggerated. But tales about
  AH> gangsters & businessmen who think they're above the law &/or who've
  AH> found ways to get others to do their dirty work for them have a
  AH> certain popular appeal too. I guess they're the updated version of
  AH> ye olde cowboy movies. I'm not saying you shouldn't read literature
  AH> I'd take with a grain of salt, because I know you read widely & in
  AH> these uncertain times you may want a break....: - Q

In this book there are many stories, for instance the one about annual 
meeting of monsters, where Invisible Man (Griffin) tried to persuade 
them to catch the world and choose him their leader. Another fun I 
notice was the way the Americans use the word "shorts". Until now I was 
sure that shorts are a kind of short trousers. But here I read:

-----Beginning of the citation-----
'OK,' Griffin continued. 'You all have allowed me to be
part of the monster team. Even though I am a human, you
let me act like a monster. I thank you for that.' The
Invisible Man paused to smile, although no one could
see. The monsters only saw his shorts moving back and
forth at the front of the room.
----- The end of the citation -----

But it seems were underpants - an American comics heroes like to put 
them atop, especially red ones. ;-)

  AK>> I can't see the sense, although I think I know what he means. ;)

  AH> I & others have noticed that as the population density grows within
  AH> a certain area the number of rules & regulations grows along with
  AH> it. I think it is reasonable to imagine that in a sparsely
  AH> populated area, over a century ago, some folks liked to believe
  AH> they could do as they wished &/or take the law into their own
  AH> hands. While I'm not sure when or where this story takes place I
  AH> can see how their modernized/citified counterparts might feel the
  AH> same way.... :-)

Yes, the story was about the times you told.

Bye, Ardith!
Alexander Koryagin
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