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Contractions
This Page Includes...
What Are Contractions? (with Examples)
A contraction is an abbreviated version of a word or words.
Easy Examples of Contractions
There are two main types of contraction:(1) Those formed by replacing missing letter(s) with an apostrophe. (These contractions are formed either by shortening a word or merging two words into one.) For example:
- don't
- can't
- shouldn't
- he's
These are compressed versions of the full words:
- Mr. (compressed version of Mister)
- Dr. (compressed version of Doctor)
- Prof. (truncated version of Professor)
- Rev. (truncated version of Reverend)
Real-Life Examples of Contractions
Here are some real-life sentences with contractions:- I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong.
- If you're hotter than me, then I'm cooler than you.
- If we shouldn't eat at night, why's there a light in the fridge?
Click on the Two Contractions
(Interactive Game)
Only Use Apostrophes to Replace Letters in Standard Contractions
When an apostrophe replaces a letter, a new word is formed (most often, but not always, from two words originally). The new word is called a contraction. You cannot invent your own contractions. Here is a list of common contractions in English:Contraction | Original |
---|---|
aren't | are not |
can't | cannot |
couldn't | could not |
didn't | did not |
doesn't | does not |
don't | do not |
hadn't | had not |
hasn't | has not |
haven't | have not |
he'd | he had, he would |
he'll | he will, he shall |
he's | he is, he has |
I'd | I had, I would |
I'll | I will, I shall |
I'm | I am |
I've | I have |
isn't | is not |
it's | it is, it has |
let's | let us |
mustn't | must not |
shan't | shall not |
she'd | she had, she would |
she'll | she will, she shall |
she's | she is, she has |
shouldn't | should not |
that's | that is, that has |
there's | there is, there has |
they'd | they had, they would |
they'll | they will, they shall |
they're | they are |
they've | they have |
we'd | we had, we would |
we're | we are |
we've | we have |
weren't | were not |
what'll | what will, what shall |
what're | what are |
what's | what is, what has |
what've | what have |
where's | where is, where has |
who'd | who had, who would |
who'll | who will, who shall |
who're | who are |
who's | who is, who has |
who've | who have |
won't | will not |
wouldn't | would not |
you'd | you had, you would |
you'll | you will, you shall |
you're | you are |
you've | you have |
(Issue 1) Putting a period (full stop) at the end of a contraction.
Writers are often unsure whether contractions like Mr and Dr should be written with periods (full stops) (i.e., Mr. and Dr.). There are two conventions:Convention 1. Use a period every time.
- Dr. Smith asked Prof. Bloggs to remove para. 7 and paras. 18 to 22.
- Dr Smith asked Prof. Bloggs to remove para. 7 and paras 18 to 22. (Dr and doctor share the same last letters, as do paras and paragraphs. Therefore, these contractions do not require periods. Put another way, in the UK, truncated contractions (e.g., "Prof.") attract periods, but the compressed ones (e.g. "Mr") do not.)
(Issue 2) Confusing contractions with other words.
The following contractions are often confused with other words:- It's gets confused with its.
- You're gets confused with your.
- They're gets confused with there and their.
- Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all it's pupils.
- Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all it is pupils.
- Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils.
(Issue 3) Expanding a contraction like "should've" to "should of."
Contractions that shorten the word have (e.g., should've, could've) sound like they end with the word of. They don't! They have nothing to do with the word of. Writing should of, could of, or would of is a serious howler. Your readers will think you're dim if you make that mistake just once.(Issue 4) Using contractions in business writing.
Many people still consider contractions to be informal and inappropriate for business writing. Therefore, contractions are best avoided in business documentation, especially if you're writing about something serious and you're unsure of your readership. However, this is far from a ruling. Contractions can make text less stuffy and more enjoyable to read. If you're a cool or casual company and the subject is appropriate, whack those contractions in.- Pick a convention for putting periods (full stops) after contractions like Dr/Dr. and Mr/Mr. and stick to it.
- Don't confuse contractions (e.g., you're, they're) with other words (e.g., your, there). Remember that if you can't expand a contraction to its full version, then it's wrong.
- Don't write could of, should of, or would of...ever.
- If you think you can get away with using contractions in business writing, do it.
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