Contractions for the word are

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening to you where ever you are in the world! Today we are combining English grammar with English pronunciation because we are talking about contractions in English.

This post will help you with grammar because I’ll be reviewing the common structure and use of contractions in English, or combining two words with an apostrophe, and it will help your English pronunciation because Americans contract the majority of their words in conversations while speaking. So today is what we call a DOUBLE WIN!

In addition to grammar and pronunciation, you will (as always) be improving your reading comprehension with this post and listening skills with my “5 Minute English” video lesson below. If you aren’t familiar with “5 Minute English“, this is a video learning series created by me to help you learn English in just 5 minutes. I know we are all busy, so I hope you can squeeze this into your day or week and will guide you in your learning process.

So without further ado (without waiting anymore), here is your 5 Minute English video lesson: Contractions in English.

When you’ve finished watching the video, you can continue reading for some more details and examples, and don’t forget to practice what you’ve learned by commenting and/or writing your practice sentences in our online classroom documents!

Let’s continue learning below…

What are they?

Contractions are a combination of two words, “held” together by an apostrophe ( ‘ ). The beginning letter(s) of the second word are dropped and replaced by this apostrophe. Some examples are:

• can + not = can’t
• she + will = she’ll
• he + is = he’s
• they + are = they’re
• would + have = would’ve

etc..

Why do you need to know them?

As I mention in the video, they’re an important part of not only understanding English more effectively, but also sounding more like a native English speaker. As you may know (or can review here) English has a lot of reductions, links, and changes when spoken. This means that you can study sentences and phrases, only to be confused when you actually hear someone speaking, because they’re nothing like what you studied!  Let’s analyze WHY understanding contractions will help you be a better listener by looking at the sentence in the video:

She’ll tell them when you’re here.

Without knowing contractions, you would have studied: “she will tell them when you are here.” So you analyze the sentence and see the subjects, auxiliaries and verbs, and feel confident, right?! However, when you hear someone say this sentence, you will hear something like:

 “Sheel tellum when yerear”

Yes, English is crazy.

Point of this example, if you are familiar with the words that are commonly contracted and are familiar with how they sound, then you will understand English more effectively (I promise).

On that same note, if you are able to speak in this way (sheel tellum when yerear) then you will sound like a native English speaker, you will begin to master pronunciation, which is exactly what you probably want to do!

I hope I have convinced you of their importance.

Common Contractions: words with….

not

The negative word “not” is often contracted with modals:

can = can’t

would = wouldn’t

could = couldn’t

should = shouldn’t

must = mustn’t  (*not common in American English)

..and other auxiliary verbs in a variety of time tenses :

do = don’t  ||   does = doesn’t  ||  did = didn’t

will = won’t

has = hasn’t  ||  have = haven’t   ||  had = hadn’t

(BE) is = isn’t  ||  are = aren’t   ||  was = wasn’t   ||  were = weren’t

will

The future tense word “will” is often contracted with subjects:

I = I’ll

you = you’ll

he = he’ll

she = she’ll

they = they’ll

we = we’ll

..and sometimes with question words:

what = what’ll

where = where’ll

why = why’ll

who = who’ll

when = when’ll

how = how’ll

**Please note with these question word contractions, they aren’t written and are not often used even when speaking. The most common are: “what’ll” and “who’ll” in conversation**

perfect tenses ( have has had)

In the present and past perfect tenses, we know that we need the auxiliary ‘has/have’ (present perfect) and ‘had’ (past perfect) + past participle. For this structure, contract the auxiliary form of ‘has’ and the subject:

I = I’ve ||  I’d

you = you’ve  ||  you’d

he = he’s ||  he’d

she = she’s || she’d

they = they’ve  ||  they’d

we = we’ve  || we’d

**Please note that for the contractions that can be 2 different words (EX: he’s = he has OR he is), you must look at the word after the contraction. If it’s an adjective, you know it’s HE IS, if it’s a past participle, you know it’s HE HAS**

would

The word would can be contracted with subjects like this:

I = I’d

you = you’d

he = he’d

she = she’d

they = they’d

we = we’d

*As noted before, pay attention to the word(s) that come after the contraction to tell you the meaning (EX: I’d = I had OR I would  → I’d + past participle = I had  OR I’d + base verb = I would)

..with the auxiliary “have” (in past modal expressions):

would’ve

..with question words:

what = what’d

where = where’d

why = why’d

who = who’d

when = when’d  (*not common*)

how = how’d

..or negatively with ‘not’ (see above)

be 

The verb ‘to be’ can be contracted with subjects, such as:

I (am) = I’m

you (are) = you’re

he (is) = he’s

she (is) = she’s

they (are) = they’re

we (are) = we’re

..or with question words with IS:

what = what’s

where = where’s

why = why’s

who = who’s

when = when’s

how = how’s

With the verb ‘to be’, we also reviewed that it can be contracted with ‘not’  (EX: is + not = isn’t). It is your personal choice whether you want to contract the subject + auxiliary or auxiliary + not, both are perfectly OK (EX: He’s not going  VS  He isn’t going).

Are you ready to practice?

In the video, at minute 3:49, you will see 8 practice sentences with a variety of contractions for you to review. You can practice them in the following ways:

1. write out the whole sentence without a contraction (EX: She isn’t there → She is not there)
2. listen to my pronunciation and repeat
3. using the same contractions you see, create new objects and main verbs if you can
4. create 8 new sentences of your own!

Alright, great job today! You are now 1 step closer to understanding and using English more effectively. WAHOO! 

The learning doesn’t have to stop here! There are many ways to continue learning with me!

If you want to practice your speaking and pronunciation skills with me online, then sign up to join my video group conversation lessons. These group conversation lessons are for a small group of students (4-6) and help you focus on speaking and pronunciation in a more personalized setting.

You can join my waitlist and get more  information ⇒ sign up for that here

I also have a monthly training program for more flexible learning! The Conversation Club helps you, an English learner, review more phrasal verbs, idioms, pronunciation and speaking skills. Sign up here or enter your email below for more information.

Happy Studying! ♥

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This list is part of the internal Wikipedia Manual of Style. For encyclopedic information see English auxiliaries and contractions.

This is a list of contractions used in the Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Abbreviations; these are to be avoided anywhere other than in direct quotations in encyclopedic prose.

Some acronyms are formed by contraction; these are covered at Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Abbreviations. Some trademarks (e.g. Nabisco) and titles of published works (e.g. “Ain’t That a Shame”) consist of or contain contractions; these are covered at Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Trademarks and Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Titles, respectively.

Please note that this page can be edited by anyone. It’s illustrative, not exhaustive, and some of its entries are colloquial or obsolete.

Also, please note that many other proper contractions can be formed by combining various contractions listed here.

In English grammar, we might use the contracted form of a verb when we are speaking or writing informally.

Let’s look at a list of contracted forms of verbs (with their expanded form) so you know how to use them:

What is the contracted form of a verb?

A contraction is a shortened form of a verb that is used when two words are combined to form one.

This involves removing one or more letters and adding an apostrophe to create a new word. For example, “I am” becomes “I’m.”

When are contracted forms used?

Contracted forms are used frequently in everyday spoken language and informal written language, such as e-mails and text messages.

They cannot be used in formal, academic writing, or professional documents where each word needs to be spelled out completely.

The following is a list of common contracted forms of verbs:

• I am – I’m
• I am not – I ain’t
• Let us – Let’s
• I will – I’ll
• We will – We’ll
• I would – I’d
• We are – We’re
• You will – You’ll
• You would – You’d
• He is – He’s
• She is – She’s
• It is – It’s
• She has – She’s
• He has – He’s
• It has – It’s
• We have – We’ve
• They have – They’ve
• Where is – Where’s
• Who is – Who’s
• There is – There’s
• They are – They’re
• They will – They’ll
• Might have – Might’ve
• Must have – must’ve

Negative Common Contractions

• Is not – Isn’t
• Are not – Aren’t
• Can not – Can’t
• Was not – Wasn’t
• Could not – Couldn’t
• Did not – Didn’t
• Have not – Haven’t
• Had not – Hadn’t
• Has not – Hasn’t
• Should not – Shouldn’t
• Would not – Wouldn’t
• Were not – Weren’t
• Will not – Won’t

While contracted forms of verbs are usually informal in nature, it is always best to use the full form in a formal context.

Contractions With The Verb HAVE

Here are some shortened forms of the verb “have.”

• I have – I’ve
• You have – You’ve
• He has – He’s
• She has – She’s
• It has – It’s
• We have – We’ve
• They have – They’ve
• I have not – I haven’t – I’ve not
• You have not – You haven’t – You’ve not
• He has not – He hasn’t – He’s not
• She has not – She hasn’t – She’s not
• It has not – It hasn’t – It’s not
• We have not got – We haven’t – We’ve not
• They have not got – They haven’t – they’ve not

The contracted form “haven’t” is more common than the contraction with not. However, this may vary depending on the region you are living.

Example sentences:

We have not met. We’ve not met (less common). We haven’t met (more common).

Contractions With The Verb HAVE (Past Form)

• I had – I’d
• You had – You’d
• He had – He’d
• She had – She’d
• It had – It’d
• We had – We’d
• They had – They’d
• I had not – I hadn’t – I’d not
• You had not – You hadn’t – You’d not
• He had not – He hadn’t – He’d Not
• She had not – She hadn’t – She’d Not
• It had not – It hadn’t – It’d Not
• We had not – We hadn’t – We’d Not
• They had not – They hadn’t – They’d Not

In American English, instead of saying:

“I have a new toy” they prefer to say, “I’ve got a new toy.” This is informal. However, “I’ve a new toy” is also correct; it’s just less common.

However, “has” can never be contracted when it’s the main verb in the sentence and in the third person present tense (he, she, it).

For example:

• She has food.

“She’s food.” This is incorrect. Instead, we can say, “She’s got food”

• He has a bicycle.

“He’s a bicycle.” This is incorrect. Instead, we can say, “He’s got a new bicycle.”

However, if “have” is the auxiliary (helping) verb, then we can contract the verb:

• He has arrived.

“He’s arrived.” This is correct, as the main verb is “arrive” and not have.

• It has snowed.

“It’s snowed.” This is correct as the main verb is “snow” and not have.

Contractions With The Verb BE

• I am – I’m
• You are – You’re
• He is – He’s
• She is – She’s
• It is – It’s
• We are – We’re
• They are – They’re
• There is – There’s
• How is – How’s
• What is – What’s
• Where is – Where’s
• Here is – Here’s
• You are not – you aren’t – you’re not
• He is not – he isn’t – he’s not
• She is not – she isn’t – she’s not
• It is not – it isn’t – it’s not
• We are not – we aren’t – we’re not
• They are not – they aren’t – they’re not

The contracted form “isn’t/aren’t” and “not” are used interchangeably and you will hear both said.

If you want to emphasize that you are not involved in something, you might be more inclined to use the “not” contracted form when speaking, although either contracted form is perfectly fine.

For example, “she’s not a liar.”

Contractions with the Verb BE (Past Form)

• I was not – I wasn’t
• You were not – You weren’t
• He was not – he wasn’t
• She was not – she wasn’t
• It was not – it wasn’t
• We were not – we weren’t
• They were not – they weren’t

You can also use the contracted form with a noun, for example, “the dog’s on the sofa” (the dog is on the sofa) and “Alice’s here” (Alice is here).

Again this is informal and is more common when speaking.

Contractions with the verb DO

• I do not – I don’t
• You do not – You don’t
• He does not – He doesn’t
• She does not – She doesn’t
• We do not – We don’t
• They do not – They don’t

Contractions with the Verb DO (Past Form)

• I did not – I didn’t
• You did not – You didn’t
• He did not – He didn’t
• She did not – She didn’t
• It did not – It didn’t
• We did not – We didn’t
• They did not – They didn’t

Contractions With The Modal Verb WILL

• I will – I’ll
• He will – He’ll
• She will – She’ll
• It will – It’ll
• We will – We’ll
• They will – They’ll
• I will not – I won’t – I’ll not
• He will not – He won’t – He’ll not
• She will not – She won’t – She’ll not
• It will not – It won’t – It’ll not
• We will not – We won’t – We’ll not
• They will not – They won’t – They’ll not

Nowadays, most people say “won’t” instead of “not.

For example,

• “I’ll not go to the dance.” (old-fashioned; not common)
• I won’t go to the dance.” (more common)

Contractions with the modal verb WOULD

• I would – I’d
• He would – He’d
• She would – She’d
• It would – It’d
• We would – We’d
• They would – They’d
• I would not – I wouldn’t – I’d not
• He would not – He wouldn’t – He’d not
• She would not- She wouldn’t- She’d not
• It would not – It wouldn’t – It’d not
• We would not – We wouldn’t – We’d not
• They would not – They’d not- They’d not

“I’d not” is grammatically correct but sounds odd to native English speakers as it is not used. It is most more common to say I wouldn’t, he wouldn’t, she wouldn’t, etc.

Contractions with the modal verb WOULD (Past Form)

• I would have – I would’ve – I’d have
• You would have – You would’ve – You’d have
• He would have – He would’ve – He’d have
• She would have – She would’ve – She’d have
• It would have – It would’ve – It’d have
• We would have – We would’ve – We’d have
• They would have- They would’ve – They’d have
• I would not have – I wouldn’t have- I’d not have
• He would not have – He wouldn’t have- He’d not have
• She would not have – She wouldn’t have- She’d not have
• It would not have – It wouldn’t have- It’d not have
• We would not have – We wouldn’t have- We’d not have
• They would not have – They would’ve – They’d not have

“I’d not have” is grammatically correct but sounds strange to native English speakers as it is not spoken. It is most more common to say I wouldn’t have, he wouldn’t have, she wouldn’t have, etc.

Short Forms of Other Modal Verbs

The modals can, may, must, should, and can also be contracted when used as auxiliaries. For example, “He can’t do it,” “She shouldn’t have come,” and “I wouldn’t have done it.”

• Cannot – Can’t
• Can Not Have – Can’t’ve
• Must not – Mustn’t
• Must not have – Mustn’t’ve
• Should not- Shouldn’t
• Should not have – Shouldn’t’ve
• Shall not – Shan’t
• Shall not have – Shalln’t’ve
• Used not – Usen’t – Usedn’t
• Could not – Couldn’t
• Could not have – Couldn’t’ve
• Might not – Mightn’t
• Might not have – Mightn’t’ve
• Ought not to – Oughtn’t to
• Ought not have – Oughtn’t’ve
• Need not – Needn’t
• Need not have – Needn’t’ve
• Will not – Won’t
• Will not have – Won’t’ve
• Dare not – Daren’t
• Dare not have – Daren’t’ve
• Had Not – Hadn’t

Some of the contractions are rare and awkward, like “oughtn’t’ve” and “usedn’t.”

In Conclusion

The contracted forms of verbs are informal and are used more commonly in speech.

It is good to know them in case you hear them in spoken English, and their usage varies depending on the region.

A contraction is a word or phrase that has been shortened by dropping one or more letters. In writing, an apostrophe is used to indicate the place of the missing letters. Contractions are commonly used in speech (or written dialogue), informal forms of writing, and where space is at a premium, such as in advertising.

In very formal writing, such as academic papers, grant proposals, or other works that need to appear professional, you may not want to use contractions at all.

Why Do We Use Contractions?

We rely on contractions all the time in normal conversation. When people speak to each other, there is typically an expectation that they will use contractions (can’t, won’t, shouldn’t) whenever they can, as doing so saves time.

Some people are under the impression that contractions should never appear in writing, but this belief is mistaken. The use of contractions is directly related to tone.

In informal writing (from text messages and blogs to memos and personal essays), we often rely on contractions to maintain a colloquial tone. In more formal writing assignments (such as academic reports or term papers), avoiding contractions is a way of establishing a more serious tone.

Before deciding whether to use contractions in a writing assignment, consider your audience and your purpose for writing.

The Contractive Apostrophe

In telescoped words and phrases (e.g., doesn’t, there’s, sou’wester), an apostrophe marks the spot where one or more letters have been omitted. It is not necessarily where the words have been joined together. This apostrophe is also known as the contractive apostrophe.

Some people, including the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, have been in favor of eliminating apostrophes entirely. Shaw called them «uncouth bacilli,» though it’s unlikely that Shaw’s analogy to bacteria will help the apostrophe go away anytime soon.

Contracted Nouns and Pronouns

In casual conversation, contractions involving nouns are fairly common («My dad’ll be home soon»). In writing, however, they’re much rarer than contractions with pronouns such as I’ll, he’d, and she’s. You can contract proper nouns to mean is or has, such as in the sentence «Shelly’s coming with us,» or «Jeff’s bought a new computer.» Watch out for the homonyms who’s and whose; the contraction is «who is» or «who has,» and the whole word is possessive, as in «Whose car is that?» And of course, if you’re visiting the South, you’ll likely hear the colloquial «y’all» for «you all.»

Negative Contractions and Verb Contractions

Contractions are often made with auxiliary, or helping, verbs, such as to be, do, have, and can. We can say «it isn’t raining» or «it’s not raining.» But we cannot say «it’sn’t raining.» In negative clauses, we have a choice between using negative contractions like not (n’t) and contracting the pronoun and verb (it’s). But we can’t do both.

Contracting ‘Not’

The contracted form of not (n’t) can be attached to finite forms of the helping verbs be, do, and have. However, amn’t (mainly Scottish and Irish) is extremely rare, unlike the disparaged ain’t.

The n’t form can also be attached to most of the modal auxiliaries such as can’t, couldn’t, mustn’t, shouldn’t, won’t, and wouldn’t. Yet, you won’t hear many Americans saying mayn’t or shan’t; even those contractions are too formal.

Contractions in Tag Questions

A tag question is a short question added to the end of a declarative sentence, usually to make sure that something has been done or understood. For example, «It’s a tag question, isn’t it?»

Because of their colloquial nature, negative tags are commonly contracted: didn’t we? haven’t you? aren’t they? This is much less formal than did not we? or did we not?

Ambiguous Contractions

Most contractions ending in ‘d and ‘s are ambiguous. The ‘d can represent either had or would; ‘s can represent either has or is. All the same, the meaning of these contractions is usually clear from their context. For instance, «Sam’s finished his term paper» implies completion in the past (Sam has finished), while «Sam’s tired» is in the present tense, meaning Sam is.

Multiple Contractions

They may look odd in print, but certain multiple contractions such as I’d’ve (or I’d’a) and wouldn’t’ve are fairly common in speech. We like shortcuts, so it’s easy to say something like, «If I’d’ve told you the real reason, you probably wouldn’t’ve come back with me.» Quite often, we don’t even notice it. The words just run together as we talk.

Under the category of rarities, there are a few double and even triple contracted nautical terms. These include words like bo’s’n (short for boatswain) and fo’c’s’le (a variant of forecastle), words that landlubbers can probably live without.

Before you start recklessly sprinkling apostrophes everywhere, make sure you’re not putting an apostrophe plus s on something that should actually be plural: i.e., the greengrocer’s apostrophe.

Aphaeresis, Syncope, and Apocope

Another common type of linguistic shortening (or elision) is the omission of certain sounds or letters from an individual word.

In phonetics, elision at the beginning of a word (for instance, gator from alligator) is called aphaeresis. In the middle of a word (ma’am from madam), it is a syncope. When it appears at the end of a word (ad from advertisement), we call it an apocope.

Aphaeresis and apocope can occur together, as in flu—a clipped form of influenza.

Standard Contractions in English

In the following table, you’ll find a list of more than 70 contractions in English.