What Are Contractions? (with Examples)

Contractions

A contraction is an abbreviated version of a word or words.

contractions grammar examples

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

Read more about apostrophes in contractions.

(2) Those formed by compressing or truncating a word. (These contractions do not feature apostrophes.) For example:

These are compressed versions of the full words:

Mister

Doctor

These are truncated versions of the full words:

Prof.

Professor

Rev.

Reverend

(Note: Under UK convention, contractions only attract a period (full stop), when the last letter of the contraction is different from the last letter of the full word. In other words, in the UK, only the truncated versions are written with a period.)

Read more about periods (full stops) in contractions.

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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 Two Contractions

Getting ready...

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

Why Should I Care about Contractions?

There are four common issues involving contractions.

(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.

Convention 2. Use a period if the last letter of the contraction and the full word are different.

Dr Smith asked Prof. Bloggs to remove para. 7 and paras 18 to 22.

doctor

paras

paragraphs

Convention 1 dominates in the US. Convention 2 is the most popular one in the UK, but Convention 1 is not uncommon. Pick a convention, and then be consistent.

(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.

A mistake involving it's, you're, or they're is considered a howler, and if you make too many, your readers will start to think you're a bit dim. Harsh but true. Here's a top tip:

Top Tip
Expand your contraction. If your sentence still makes sense, then you are safe to put your contraction back in. If your sentence doesn't make sense with the contraction expanded, then you shouldn't be using a contraction.

Let's try one:

Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all it's pupils.

Let's apply the tip:

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.

This tip works every single time.

Read more about possessive determiners. (Your, their, and its are all possessive determiners.)

(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.

Key Points

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.

Interactive Exercise

Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.

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Top Tip

Not in Business Writing

Usually, business writing demands more formality than the use of contractions portrays. So, unless you're deliberately trying to show an informal image, don't use contractions (like can't, doesn't etc.) in business writing. Expand them to the full versions.

Expanding Contractions Can Help Avoid Grammatical Howlers

If you always expand your contraction, you are less likely to make a mistake with the following:

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