Contractions

Can't, It's, O'er. What do these words have in common? That's right, they're all contractions. Contractions are a common and natural way of speaking; in fact, they're so common we've already used a further four just in this opening paragraph.

This explanation will introduce contractions, discuss the different types of contractions, and provide a comprehensive list of contraction words.

Contractions Grammar Definition

Contractions, sometimes called 'short forms' are words or phrases that have been shortened by removing one or more letters. When forming contractions, we typically join two words together by dropping a letter and replacing it with an apostrophe.

The most common contractions combine nouns/pronouns with verbs (e.g., he's), verbs with the word 'not' (e.g., hasn't), and question words with verbs (e.g., what's).

Contractions can also happen within a word, although these are much less common. For example, removing the v in over to create o'er, or using ma'am for madam.

Contractions are a common part of the English language (in speaking more than writing) and you likely use them all the time without even realizing it. They are a good way of saying what you want to say in a more informal and casual way. For example, saying "It is mine" might sound too formal and even robotic in certain contexts, whereas "it's mine" sounds more natural.

The Contractive Apostrophe

When we form contractions, we drop one or more letters from a word and join the remaining letters to another word. We use an apostrophe (') to show where the missing letters would have been - we call this apostrophe the contractive apostrophe.

be careful not to confuse the contractive apostrophe with the possessive apostrophe. The possessive apostrophe is followed by the letter s and lets us know when an object belongs to someone/something, e.g., Hannah's jacket.

Be careful with homophones that sound the same but play different roles

Types of Contractions

Now we have a good idea of what contractions are, let's look at the different types and how we form them.

Contractions With Nouns/Pronouns

We'll begin with pronouns as they're the most common; in fact, we used two pronoun contractions in this sentence. Can you spot them?

answer: we'll, they're

Pronouns are a type of word class that we use in place of a noun. For example, replacing a girl's name for she and a boy's for he, or referring to a group of people as they. We commonly contract pronouns with auxiliary verbs, such as is, are, am (verb to be), have, had, and will.

The contracted forms of the auxiliary verbs are:

• 's

• 're

• 'm

• 've

• 'd

• 'll

Contractions With Auxiliary Verbs and Not

Another common type of contraction is joining auxiliary verbs with the word not. The contracted form of not is: n't.

Contractions With Question Words

When we combine question words (e.g., who, what, where) with auxiliary verbs, we get interrogative contractions.

Other Contractions

Although the majority of contractions in English fit into the previous categories, there are a few others that don't follow the rules.

The contraction 'twas was made famous by the poem " 'Twas the night before Christmas "

Ambiguous Contractions

Ambiguous contractions occur when it isn't immediately clear what the contracted second word is. For example, she's could be a contraction of she is or she has. To understand the intended contracted word, we must look at the context of the sentence.

Other examples include had and would (e.g., she'd), and will and shall (e.g., shall).

Informal Contractions

Informal contractions are natural contractions we make in spoken language - they are typically frowned upon in written language. Common examples include:

• Gonna (going + to)

• Wanna (want + to)

• Shoulda (should + have)

• Woulda (would + have)

• Coulda (could + have)

Contraction Examples

Now you know all of the different contractions; let's see how well you can spot them in a sentence. Look at the below sentences, highlight the contractions, and explain which type of contraction they are.

ANSWERS:

1. It's and I'm = pronoun + auxiliary verb
2. They're = pronoun + auxiliary verb
3. Dad'll = noun + auxiliary verb
4. Don't = auxiliary verb + not
5. Why'd = question word + auxiliary verb

Contractions in Writing

Although contractions are a handy and often natural way of getting across a point in fewer words, they're not always welcome. You should avoid contractions in academic writing and keep them to a minimum in formal writing.

Additionally, some contractions are more accepted than others. For example, it's is more commonly accepted than a contraction like what're.

Contraction Words List

Looking for a comprehensive list of common English contractions? Look no further, we've got you covered!

Note: This is not a complete list of all contractions.