Contractions that use the word not - Word и Excel - помощь в работе с программами

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Summary

Contractions are shortened forms of words, in which some letters are omitted. An apostrophe generally marks the omission. Standard contractions include those that shorten the word not, the verbs be and have, and modal verbs. Here is a list of commonly used contractions.

Contracted Forms in English

Contraction	Full form	Examples
n’t	not	don’t (do not), isn’t (is not)
’s	is, has	she’s (she is, she has), what’s (what is, what has)
’re	are	you’re (you are), we’re (we are)
’ve	have	I’ve (I have), could’ve (could have)
’d	had, would	I’d (I had, I would), we’d (we had, we would)
’ll	will	I’ll (I will), you’ll (you will)
I’m	I am
let’s	let us
ma’am	madam

(See also: List of standard contractions in English)

Contractions are often used in speech and lend an informal, personal tone to writing. Avoid using contractions in formal texts, such as academic papers.

Example

Informal: We haven’t accounted for changes in pressure in this study.
Formal: We have not accounted for changes in pressure in this study.

What is a contraction in grammar?

A contraction is a word in which some sounds or letters are omitted. An apostrophe generally replaces the omitted letters. Contractions are common in speech and informal writing.

Examples

What’s going on?
what is = what’s (an apostrophe replaces the “i” in is)
I don’t know.
do not = don’t (an apostrophe indicates the omitted “o” in not)

I’m happy to help.

I am = I’m (an apostrophe replaces “a”)

Common contractions in English shorten the word not (isn’t, shouldn’t), the be verb (I’m, she’s, we’re), the have verb (you’ve, could’ve), and modal verbs (we’ll, they’d).

When should contractions be used?

Contractions lend an informal tone to writing and replace talking to your reader. In messages and personal communication, contractions sound normal and natural.

Examples

I’m on my way.
That’s fine. Don’t worry.
It’s all right.
Sorry I couldn’t take your call.

In contrast, in academic and other formal texts, avoiding contractions lends an air of formality to the document.

Examples

Informal: We couldn’t collect sufficient real-world data.
Formal: We could not collect sufficient real-world data.
Informal: It’s important to account for bias.
Formal: It is important to account for bias.

In ad copy, marketing slogans, and other signage, contractions can help save space and make your message sound more friendly.

Examples

It’s finger lickin’ good. (KFC)
I’m lovin’ it. (McDonald’s)
Because you’re worth it. (L’Oreal)

In creative writing as well, contractions, which are common in speech, can make dialogue sound more natural.

Example

“Now you said you’d do it, now let’s see you do it.”
“Don’t you crowd me now; you better look out.”
“Well, you said you’d do it—why don’t you do it?”

— Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)

Caution

Avoid using contractions in formal texts, such as academic papers, cover letters, and business proposals.

Example

Informal: We haven’t reviewed the financial statements of the subsidiaries yet.
Formal: We have not reviewed the financial statements of the subsidiaries yet.

In this article, we discuss common contractions in English and when they are used.

Contractions with not

Not can be contracted to n’t when it is used with an auxiliary verb like can and have.

Examples

I can’t believe you don’t have a phone. (cannot, do not)
Haven’t you pressed the button yet? (have not)
I won’t tell anyone what happened. (will not)
Nesbit shouldn’t spend all his time indoors. (should not)

Can, which already ends in n, combines with not to form can’t. Will and shall lose their endings and combine with not to form won’t and shan’t.

Here is a list of not contractions in English: note how the adverb not combines with both primary (be, have, do) and modal auxiliary verbs (like can and could).

Contractions with Not

Contraction	Full form
don’t	do not
didn’t	did not
isn’t	is not
wasn’t	was not
aren’t	are not (also am not)
weren’t	were not
hasn’t	has not
haven’t	have not
hadn’t	had not
can’t	cannot
couldn’t	could not
shan’t	shall not
shouldn’t	should not
won’t	will not
wouldn’t	would not
mightn’t	might not
mustn’t	must not
needn’t	need not

Be verb with not

The be verb contracts with not in two ways: you can either contract the verb form itself (is, are, am) or contract not.

Examples

Contracted not: Anita isn’t ready.
Contracted be verb: She’s not ready.

The word not is contracted more often with nouns.

Examples

Farley isn’t happy.
Seen more often than “Farley’s not happy.” (The name “Farley” of course is a noun.)
The books aren’t here.
Seen more often than “The books’re not here.” (“The books” is a noun phrase.)

The be verb is contracted more often with pronouns.

Examples

She’s not happy.
Seen more often than “She isn’t happy” (where “she” is a pronoun).
They’re not here.
Seen more often than “They aren’t here.”

Amn’t or aren’t?

With the pronoun I, use aren’t not amn’t to frame questions.

Examples

Aren’t I clever?
I’m your friend, aren’t I?

for “I’m your friend,

am I not

?”

However, when the sentence is not a question but a statement, “I am not” is usually contracted to “I’m not” rather than “I aren’t.”

Example

I’m not joking.
Generally preferred to “I aren’t joking.”

In some dialects (Scottish and Irish), amn’t is acceptable in speech but still avoided in writing.

Ain’t (nonstandard)

Ain’t is a nonstandard contraction used colloquially in some dialects, where it replaces the relatively more formal contractions isn’t and aren’t.

Examples

I ain’t dead.
They ain’t listenin’.
That ain’t important now, is it?
It ain’t done till I say it’s done.

It may occasionally also replace hasn’t or haven’t.

Example

They ain’t made a lock yet our Nesbit can’t pick.

Caution

The contraction ain’t is considered nonstandard and used only very informally.

Be and have contractions

Be and have, which take the verb forms am, is, are, has, have, and had, can contract and combine with a noun or pronoun (and occasionally, an adverb).

Examples

Lulu’s a dancer. (Lulu is)
Your order’s being processed. (order is)
I’m not ready. (I am)
They’re already here. (they are)
Lulu’s been baking again. (Lulu has been)
They’ve found the answer. (they have found)
She’d called me already before you got here. (she had called)
Here’s your money. (here is)
There’s no money in this purse. (there is)
That’s the restaurant I was telling you about. (that is)

Note that the have verb is not contracted in writing when it is the main verb and means “to possess.”

Example

Poor: Poco’s seven cars in his garage.

The main verb is has: Poco

has

. Don’t contract it.

Better: Poco has seven cars in his garage.
Poor: We’d no money.
Better: We had no money.

but

Acceptable: Poco’s bought another car.
The main verb is bought: Poco has bought. Has functions as an auxiliary (or helping) verb and can be contracted.
Acceptable: We’d discovered the cure by then.

Tip

Don’t use affirmative contractions at the end of a clause or a sentence.

Examples

Incorrect:“Have you ordered the shoes?” “Yes, I’ve.”
Correct:“Have you ordered the shoes?” “Yes, I have.”
Incorrect:“Are you ready?” “I don’t know that I’m.”
Correct:“Are you ready?” “I don’t know that I am.”
Incorrect:“Would you help me if you could?” “Of course I’d.”
Correct: “Would you help me if you could?” “Of course I would.”

In contrast, negative contractions are acceptable at the end of a clause or a sentence.

Examples

Correct: No, I haven’t.
Correct: Of course I wouldn’t.

Contractions with pronouns

Personal pronouns like I, you, and they combine with the be and have verbs (am, is, are, has, have) to form standard contractions. These pronouns also combine with the modal verbs will and would.

Examples

Hi, I’m Maya. (I am)
You’re coming with me. (you are)
It’s my first day at work. (it is)
We’re happy to help. (we are)
She’s had a long day. (she has)
They’ve all gone on a picnic together. (they have)
I knew he’d been fighting. (he had)
Of course I’ll help you. (I will)
She’d know if we were lying. (she would)

The following table shows how contractions for personal pronouns are formed.

Contractions with Personal Pronouns

Contraction	Full form	Pronoun contraction
’m	am	I’m
’s	is, has	she’s, he’s, it’s
’re	are	we’re, you’re, they’re
’ve	have	I’ve, you’ve, we’ve, they’ve
’d	had, would	I’d, you’d, he’d, she’d, it’d, we’d, they’d
’ll	will	I’ll, you’ll, he’ll, she’ll, it’ll, we’ll, they’ll

Note how contractions with ’s can be short for either is or has: “He’s” can mean “he is” or “he has.” Similarly, contractions with ’d can stand for either had or would: “I’d” means both “I had” and “I would.”

Caution

The contraction of “you are” is you’re, not your.

Examples

Incorrect: Your not wrong.
Correct: You’re not wrong. (you are)
Incorrect: Your your own worst enemy.
Correct: You’re your own worst enemy. (you are)

Your is a possessive that appears before a noun.

Examples

Your answers are not wrong.
The enemy of your enemy is your friend.

Tip

Insert an apostrophe in its only if it is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.” Omit the apostrophe when it is a possessive.

Examples

It’s raining.
it’s = it is (contraction)
It’s stopped raining.
it’s = it has (contraction)

The kitten is chasing its tail.

its tail = the kitten’s tail (possessive; no apostrophe)

Other pronouns like that, which, and who can also form contractions with be and have in informal usage.

Examples

That’s not true! (that is)
The report that’s being released today is misleading. (that is)
My friend Farley, who’s an astronaut, is afraid of heights. (who is)
The person who’s been eating all the cookies is me. (who has)
These reports, which’ve already been released, are misleading. (which have)

Contractions with nouns

In speech, nouns form contractions with is and has (singular forms of the be and have verbs). These contractions are not generally seen in writing, and never in formal texts.

Examples

Rita’s my sister. (Rita is)
Farley’s in quarantine this week. (Farley is)
Your money’s on the way. (money is)
My daughter’s going to Thailand in May. (daughter is)
The cat’s been eating all the cheese again. (cat has)
Anita’s found the answer! (Anita has)

It is rarer for the plural verbs are and have to join with nouns (cakes’re baked; the cats’ve been eating).

Contractions with adverbs

Adverbs like now, here, and there combine with is to form contractions in informal usage.

Examples

Now’s your chance! (now is)
Here’s the entrance to the cave. (here is)
There’s a slight chance I might be wrong. (there is)

There can also form a contraction with has.

Example

There’s been no change in status since we last spoke. (there has)

Plural contractions are rarer: there’re, there’ve.

Contractions with modal verbs

Modal verbs like could and would combine with have.

Examples

You could’ve done better, but you didn’t even try. (could have)
(would have)
You should’ve given her a chance to explain. (should have)

Caution

Could have and should have are contracted to could’ve and should’ve, not could of or should of. Could’ve is sometimes incorrectly written as could of because of how this contraction is pronounced.

Examples

You ~~could of~~/could’ve told me you had an extra phone.
I ~~should of~~/should’ve realized this would be a problem.

Will and would are contracted to ’ll and ’d in casual communication.

Examples

Anita’ll never believe what just happened. (Anita will)
I’ll buy the flowers myself. (I will)
You’ll call me, won’t you? (you will)
They’ll call us tomorrow. (they will)
You’d never know she was lying. (you would)
We’d like to cancel our membership. (we would)

Modal verbs can also form contractions with not.

Examples

Farley can’t find his shoes. (cannot)
She won’t tell anyone. (will not)
I wouldn’t know where to begin. (would not)
It shouldn’t be this hard. (should not)

Here is a list of contractions with modal verbs.

Contractions with Modal Verbs

Contraction	Full form
could’ve	could have
should’ve	should have
would’ve	would have
might’ve	might have
must’ve	must have
’ll	will (I’ll, you’ll, we’ll)
’d	would (I’d, she’d, they’d)
can’t	cannot
couldn’t	could not
shan’t	shall not
shouldn’t	should not
won’t	will not
wouldn’t	would not
mightn’t	might not
mustn’t	must not
oughtn’t	ought not
needn’t	need not

Contractions in questions

Negative forms using not are contracted in questions, not only in speech but also in formal usage.

Examples

Hasn’t Rita returned from Neptune yet?

Not “

Has not

Rita returned yet?,” which would sound odd and archaic.
Don’t you want to get paid?
Couldn’t you find the answer?
Can’t you see I’m busy?

Negative question tags are also always contracted.

Examples

Farley should be given another chance, shouldn’t he?
Not “Should not he?”
Rita has come back, hasn’t she?
Help me out, won’t you?

Forms of be and have can combine with question words like who and what in speech.

Examples

What’s going on? (what is)
What’s happened to him? (what has)
What’ve you done? (what have)
Where’s Anita when you need her? (where is)
Where’s she gone? (where has)
Where’ve you been? (where have)
Who’s that? (who is)
Who’s been eating all my porridge? (who has)
Who’ve you been talking to? (who have)

Contractions of words like what, where, and there with the plural verb are (what’re, where’re, there’re) are less common than singular forms (what’s, where’s, there’s).

Tip

Who’s is a contraction of who is, while whose is a possessive.

Examples

Who’s/~~Whose~~ that at the window?
who’s = who is (contraction)
Who’s/~~Whose~~ been sitting in my chair?
who’s = who has (contraction)
~~Who’s~~/Whose chair is this?
whose = whom does it belong to (possessive)

Double contractions

Double contractions with have occur in speech but not in writing.

Examples

Rita couldn’t’ve planned this all by herself. (could not have)
Poco shouldn’t’ve bought that new car. (should not have)
I’d’ve known if she’d been lying. (I would have)

The be verb doesn’t form double contractions.

Examples

Incorrect: She’sn’t not happy.
Correct: She’s not happy.
Correct: She isn’t happy.
Incorrect: I’mn’t going on holiday this year.
Correct: I’m not going on holiday this year.

Other contractions

Certain words like ma’am are contracted in speech. An apostrophe is used to signify the omitted sounds.

Examples

Yes, ma’am. I’ll send you the report today. (for madam)
Call the bo’s’n! (for boatswain)

Let’s

The contraction let’s, used often in speech, is a contraction of let us, not let is. Use let’s to make suggestions.

Examples

Let’s go watch a movie. (let us)
Let’s play a game, shall we? (let us)

O’clock (contracted of)

The contraction o’clock is short for “of the clock” and is used to indicate time.

Examples

Is it nine o’clock already?
I usually wake up at six o’clock.

The word of is also contracted in other terms like man-o’-war, will-o’-the-wisp, cat-o’-nine-tails, and jack-o’-lantern.

G-dropping

In some dialects of English, the final sound of a word ending in -ing is not pronounced. When such speech is transcribed, an apostrophe is used to indicate the omitted “g.”

Examples

We were just singin’ and dancin’ in the rain.
Well, you know he’s a ramblin’ man.

Relaxed pronunciation

Phrases such as kind of and sort of, commonly used in casual conversation, are often contracted to kinda and sorta.

Examples

I’m kinda confused about this layout.
I’m sorta impressed by what she has done here.
Would you like a cuppa tea?

In everyday speech, the infinitive marker to is sometimes combined with words such as going and want. Note that these are colloquialisms never used in formal writing.

Examples

I wanna fly like a bird.
I’m gonna go now.
I hafta find out what happened.

Aphaeresis, syncope, apocope

In informal speech, the first unstressed syllable of a word is sometimes dropped (by a process called aphaeresis.) An apostrophe marks the missing syllable.

Examples

I ain’t talkin’ ’bout that.
about
You’ll do it ’cause I asked you to.
because

When a syllable or sound from the middle of a word is dropped, it is called syncope. An apostrophe marks the elision. It is often found in poetry, where meter is helped by the dropping of a sound.

Examples

They flew o’er hills and mountains.
Yes, ma’am, we have rooms available.

The omission or elision of syllables at the end of a word is called apocope.

Examples

Did you watch the match on tele last night? (short for television)
Have you uploaded the photo? (for photograph)

Poetic contractions

Words may be contracted in poetry for the sake of rhythm and meter. Such contractions are not otherwise found in writing. These include words like o’er (over), ’tis (it is), ’twas (it was), e’er (ever), and ne’er (never). Note that modern poets do not often require or use poetic contractions.

Examples

It ate the food it ne’er had eat,
And round and round it flew.
I, smiling at him, shook my head:
’Tis now we’re tired, my heart and I.
Gliding o’er all, through all,
Through Nature, Time, and Space . . .

Note

A contraction is a form of elision, in which sounds or syllables are elided or omitted for ease of speaking or for the sake of meter.

List of standard contractions in English

Here is a list of over 70 commonly used contractions in English.

Standard English Contractions

Contraction	Full form
don’t	do not
didn’t	did not
isn’t	is not
wasn’t	was not
aren’t	are not (also am not)
weren’t	were not
hasn’t	has not
haven’t	have not
hadn’t	had not
can’t	cannot
couldn’t	could not
shan’t	shall not
shouldn’t	should not
won’t	will not
wouldn’t	would not
mightn’t	might not
mustn’t	must not
oughtn’t	ought not
needn’t	need not
could’ve	could have
should’ve	should have
would’ve	would have
might’ve	might have
must’ve	must have
I’m	I am
you’re	you are
she’s	she is, she has
he’s	he is, he has
it’s	it is, it has
we’re	we are
they’re	they are
I’ve	I have
you’ve	you have
we’ve	we have
they’ve	they have
I’ll	I will
you’ll	you will
he’ll	he will
she’ll	she will
it’ll	it will
we’ll	we will
they’ll	they will
I’d	I had, I would
you’d	you had, you would
she’d	she had, she would
he’d	he had, he would
it’d	it had, it would
we’d	we had, we would
they’d	they had, they would
that’s	that is, that has
that’ve	that have
that’d	that would
which’ve	which have
who’s	who is, who has
who’re	who are
who’ve	who have
who’d	who had, who would
who’ll	who will
what’s	what is, what has, what does
what’re	what are
what’ll	what will
where’s	where is, where has
where’d	where did
when’s	when is, when has
why’s	why is, why has
why’d	why did
how’s	how is, how has
here’s	here is
there’s	there is, there has
there’ll	there will
there’d	there had, there would
let’s	let us
ma’am	madam
o’clock	of the clock

Источник

Contractions

Negative Words for Class 3 English

This page assists learners to understand the contraction of words in English, especially negative words. These
words are used informally and adds a more personal tone.
The concept also details the rules pertaining to them and the mistakes students tend to make while using
contractions negatively in sentences as well.

In this learning concept, the students will learn:

To form negative words using contractions.
Formation of contraction words.
To make sentences with negative contractions.
List of contraction words.

The contractions in English grammar for class 3 has been explained in a grade appropriate manner using
illustrations, examples, and mind maps. Students can evaluate their learning by solving the two printable
worksheets given at the end of the page. Download for free, the concept worksheets and check their solutions
that are provided in PDF format.

Contractions are used informally or formally to shorten a written or a
spoken form of a word.

Negative contractions

Contractions written which have a negative meaning to verbs are called as
negative contractions. We can use ‘nt’ contractions with ‘to be’ verbs. They
are created using auxiliary verbs like be, have, do, would, can, should,
etc.

Sentences with Negative contractions

Negative contractions include the word ‘not’ that makes a verb negative.
In sentences, contractions appear right after the subject. For instance,
aren’t, isn’t, wasn’t, weren’t, can’t, couldn’t, mustn’t, shouldn’t,
won’t, wouldn’t, didn’t, doesn’t, don’t, hasn’t, haven’t, hadn’t.

Examples :

She doesn’t like chocolates.
These aren’t almonds.
She won’t be attending the awards this year.

Statements do end with negative contractions.

Example:

Question: Have you been to the new restaurant yet?

Answer:
No, I
haven’t

Rules:

Contractions are joining two words together using an apostrophe. The
apostrophe replaces the letter ‘o’ in the word ‘not.

Examples :

Long-form	Contracted form
are not	aren’t
would not	wouldn’t
has not	hasn’t

While using negative contractions, there is no space used in between the
verb and the n’t.
The word ‘not’ can be written as n’t when used with auxiliaries — can and
have. Notice the spelling of the word.

Examples :

I can’t believe you haven’t watched that movie. (cannot,
have not)
I don’t have money? (do not)
I won’t tell anyone. (will not)
You shouldn’t eat junk food. (should not)

Contractions with the verb + negation are done in two ways.

Examples :

They’re not coming home today. (The contraction is they + are)
They aren’t coming home today. (The contraction is are + not)

For some contractions the spelling of the word changes once the negative
word (n’t) is added. This change is observed in contractions like ‘shan’t’
and ‘won’t’. Will and shall combine with not to form won’t and shan’t.

Examples :

I shan’t make that mistake again.
I won’t stay up late at night.

Common Mistakes:

Apply only one negative contraction in a sentence. It is grammatically
improper to use more than one contraction in a sentence that is not a
question.

Example:

She’s
not completing her homework.

She’s n’t
completing her homework.

Do not use ‘ain’t’ as a contraction in spoken or written English. The
contraction ‘ain’t’ is informally used as a replacement for contractions
like aren’t, isn’t, and can’t. This usage of the word ‘ain’t’ is not
correct. Refrain from using it instead, use the correct contraction
whenever necessary.

Exceptions:

Not all negative constructions are contracted with the form -n’t.

Examples :

I am not a thief becomes I’m not a thief.
I may not come. (‘May not’ cannot be contracted)

A word that is an exception to what has been mentioned till now is won’t
– it comes from will + not = won’t.

Example:
Will does not become willn’t.

Источник

Definition and Examples of Negative Contractions

Updated on November 04, 2019

A negative contraction is a negative verb construction that ends in -‘nt.

These are the negative contractions commonly used in speech and in informal writing:

aren’t, isn’t, wasn’t, weren’t
can’t, couldn’t, mustn’t, shouldn’t, won’t, wouldn’t
didn’t, doesn’t, don’t
hasn’t, haven’t, hadn’t

Shan’t (the contraction of shall not) is extremely rare in American English, but it can still be heard in British English. Contractions for may not (mayn’t) and might not (mightn’t) occur infrequently in contemporary English. Except in Hiberno-English (which uses amn’t), there is no negative contraction for am, though the nonstandard form ain’t is sometimes used in casual speech.

Examples and Observations

«‘If you shouldn’t be defendin’ him, then why are you doin’ it?’
«‘For a number of reasons,’ said Atticus. ‘The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.'»
«‘You mean if you didn’t defend that man, Jem and I wouldn’t have to mind you anymore?'»
«‘That’s about right.'»
(Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird. J.B. Lippincott, 1960)
Stella: Oh, you can’t describe someone you’re in love with! Here’s a picture of him
Blanche: An officer?
Stella: A Master Sergeant in the Engineers’ Corps. Those are decorations!
Blanche: He had those on when you met him?
Stella: I assure you I wasn’t just blinded by all the brass.
(Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire, 1947)
«I’ll say, ‘It was an accident Mom . . . a mistake . . . it won’t happen again.’
«And Ralph will say, ‘If you hadn’t been thinking about that girl this never would have happened.'»
(Judy Blume, Then Again, Maybe I Won’t. Bradbury Press, 1971)

«I’m getting very deaf. I suppose I don’t hear people. Emily’s got a bad toe. We shan’t be able to start for Wales till the end of the month.»
(John Galsworthy, The Forsyte Saga, 1922)
«‘Don’t go to any trouble on my account,’ Paul D said.
«‘Bread ain’t trouble. The rest I brought back from where I work.'»
(Toni Morrison, Beloved. Alfred Knopf, 1987)

Negative Contraction and Auxiliary Contraction

«[N]egative contraction is possible for a much wider range of verbs than the auxiliary (or non-negative) contraction in standard English. Practically every verb (except am) has a form with a contracted negative, whereas auxiliary contraction is only possible for a smaller number of verbs. For this reason, speakers have a choice between negative vs auxiliary contraction for the following verb forms only: is, are; have, has had; will, would; shall, should. Some of the auxiliary contracted forms are ambiguous: he’s not is the contracted form of both he is not and he has not (although this use is relatively rare); I’d not be derived from either I had not, I would not or I should not, and you’ll not can, at least in principle, be the contracted form of you will not or you shall not.

«In addition, however, one has to consider different syntactic environments. The distinction between auxiliary and negative contraction is only relevant for declarative sentences. Only here and for those verbs listed above do speakers have a choice between negative contraction, auxiliary contraction and completely uncontracted forms.»

(Lieselotte Anderwald, Negation in Non-Standard British English: Gaps, Regularizations, and Asymmetries. Routledge, 2002)

Rogue Contractions

«Negative contraction is not a possibility with am not (*I amn’t), and this causes a difficulty in questions (where inversion does not allow verb contraction). In colloquial English, aren’t I is sometimes substituted for the non-existent *amn’t I. (The full form am I not is generally avoided.)

I’m naughty aren’t I? (conv)

‘Aren’t I supposed to understand?’ (fict)

«[Ain’t] is a very versatile negative contraction, capable of substituting for all negative contractions of be or the auxiliary have:

‘There ain’t nothing we can do.’ (fict) isn’t>
‘I’m whispering now, ain’t I?’ (fict) aren’t>
I ain’t done nothing. (conv) haven’t>

Ain’t is common is the conversation of some dialects, and it occurs in representations of speech in writing. However, ain’t is widely felt to be nonstandard, and so it is generally avoided in written language, as well as in careful speech.»

(Douglas Biber, Susan Conrad, and Geoffrey Leech, Longman Student Grammar of Spoken English. Pearson, 2002)

The Case Against Ain’t

«Long a shibboleth for 20th-century Americans, the negative contraction ain’t continues to be Substandard when used unconsciously or unintentionally. It is a word, though, and in Vulgar and some Common use, it replaces are not, is not, am not, has not, and have not in statements. Standard English replaces I ain’t with I’m not and the interrogative ain’t I (which is often added to statements, e.g., I’m safe, ain’t I?) with a choice of somewhat clumsy locutions: am I not? aren’t I? or an even more roundabout Isn’t that so? . . . The firm rejection of ain’t in Standard use is hard to explain, but clearly, Americans have come down hardest on it, and they have made the rejection stick in Standard American English. Consciously jocular uses are acceptable, but using ain’t in circumstances that do not suggest deliberate choice may brand you as a speaker of Vulgar English.»

(Kenneth G. Wilson, The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Columbia University Press, 1993)

Negative Contraction and Be Contraction

«Whereas for all auxiliary verbs negative contraction (e.g. haven’t, hasn’t, won’t) is vastly preferred over auxiliary contraction (e.g. ‘ve not, ‘d not, ‘ll not), we get the reverse picture for be. Even isn’t (12.5%) and aren’t (3.5%) are used very rarely in the British Isles, so that the near absence of amn’t in standard as well as non-standard varieties is not a striking exception, but simply the tip of the iceberg.
«The motivation for this striking preference of be-contraction over negative contraction for all other auxiliaries is most likely a cognitive one, namely the extremely low semantic content of be.»
(Bernd Kortmann, Tanja Herrmann, Lukas Pietsch, and Susanne Wagner, Agreement, Gender, Relative Clauses. Walter de Gruyter, 2005)

Negative Contractions and Language Acquisition

«[C]hildren will use some of the negative contractions prior to their acquisition of the rules for not in the verb phrase. The negative contractions don’t, won’t, and can’t are acquired early and may be used prior to the acquisition of the particular auxiliaries which they represent. Children appear to learn these negative contractions as single morphemes and use them to negate prior to learning the auxiliary plus not.»
(Virginia A. Heidinger, Analyzing Syntax and Semantics: A Self-Instructional Approach for Teachers and Clinicians. Gallaudet University Press, 1984)

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These tables show you all the short forms of auxiliary verbs and modals followed by ’not’.

Auxiliary + not

We can use the present and past form of auxiliary verbs with ’not’ in the short form.

|long form

short form
have not	haven’t
has not	hasn’t
is not	isn’t
are not	aren’t
do not	don’t
does not	doesn’t

Auxiliary + not (present)

There is no short form of ‘am not’.

long form	short form
had not	hadn’t
was not	wasn’t
were not	weren’t
did not	didn’t

Auxiliary + not (past)

Modal + not

long form	short form
can not	can’t
could not	couldn’t
shall not	shan’t
should not	shouldn’t
will not	won’t
would not	wouldn’t
must not	mustn’t
might not	mightn’t

Modal + not

Is it uncommon to use the short form of ‘may not’.

Learn more

Making and using contractions;
Subject pronoun contractions;
Question word contractions.

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Description

Here is one big set of word cards for practising the contracted form of verbs in the negative. Reading these cards will be fun for rule makers and rule breakers alike 🙂

Verbs in the set include present and past forms of to be, to have and to do, plus:

can
could
must
should
will
would

The Common Contractions Flashcards do have one or two negative forms in each set. The overlapping cards that appear here and in another set are:

is not / isn’t
are not / aren’t
has not / hasn’t
have not / haven’t
will not / won’t
would not / wouldn’t

Checklist

1 Page

A list of the 32 word cards included in this set.

Contractions with NOT Word List

are not
aren’t
can’t
cannot
could not
couldn’t
did not
didn’t
do not
does not
doesn’t
don’t
had not
hadn’t
has not
hasn’t
have not
haven’t
is not
isn’t
must not
mustn’t
should not
shouldn’t
was not
wasn’t
were not
weren’t
will not
won’t
would not
wouldn’t

How do Contractions Work?

As already mentioned all contractions consist of an apostrophe that represents the missing letters. Identifying the right place to put the apostrophe can appear tricky, but there is a rule that works with every contraction.

Contractions are made of two words that are shortened. An apostrophe replaces any letters that were present in the original words, but that which do not exist in the contraction. Example: The contraction wouldn’t mean would not. The ‘o’ in not’ is not there in the word wouldn’t. The apostrophe takes its place, right between the n and t.

When to Use Contractions?

You can use contractions in many cases and they are explained as follows

Contractions are common in everyday conversations. The use of contractions saves time.
Some people are often misguided thinking that contractions should never be used in writing. This belief is wrong. The use of contractions depends on the tone of writing.
In informal writings, you can make use of contractions to maintain a friendly tone. In formal writings, contractions are avoided to maintain a serious tone.

See More:

Word Classes
Root Words

Common Contraction Words

Given below is a list of the most commonly used contractions:

Contraction Words	Base Words
I’d	I had
I’ll	I will
I’m	I am
I’ve	I have
they’ve	they have
could’ve	could have
he’d	he had or he would
he’s	he is
he’ll/she’ll	he will/she will
we’d	we had or we would
we’ll	we will
we’re	we are
we’ve	we have
let’s	let us
might’ve	might have
must’ve	must have
she’d	she had or she would
should’ve	should have
there’s	there is
they’re	they are
they’d	they would
they’ll	they will

Negating Contractions

These contractions include the word ‘not’ and negate the meaning of the verb.

don’t- do not
hadn’t- had not
hasn’t- has not
haven’t- have not
isn’t- is not
shouldn’t- should not
wasn’t- was not
weren’t- were not
won’t- will not
aren’t – are not
can’t- can not
couldn’t- could not
didn’t- did not
doesn’t- does not
mustn’t- must not

Interrogative Contractions

Interrogative adverbs are generally combined with the verb to form a contraction. These include

What are = What’re
What will = What’ll
Where is = Where’s
Where are = Where’re
Where will = Where’ll
Who is = Who’s
Who are = Who’re
Who will = Who’ll
Who had, who would = Who’d
Who have = Who’ve
What is = What’s
Where had, where would = Where’d
Where have = Where’ve
Why is = Why’s
What had, what would = What’d
What have = What’ve
When is = When’s
When are = When’re
When will = When’ll
When had, when would = When’d
When have = When’ve

Informal Contractions

Many contractions have evolved through speech. However, these informal contractions are not used in formal writing. Here is a list of such contractions:

Sort of- Sorta
Kind of- Kinda
Got to- Gotta
Going to- Gonna
Got you- Gotcha
Dancing- Dancin
Give me- Gimme

Importance of Contractions

Contractions aren’t mandatory in written English. Using the complete word is always grammatically correct. However, there are several reasons why contractions are preferred in English:

Contractions provide a friendly tone to what you write. The use of contradictions makes it appear as if you are directly “talking” to your reader.
In a novel or play, contractions help you reflect on how a character Most importantly, contractions save space. Advertisements, slogans, and other written works can be kept short with the help of contractions.

FAQs on Contractions

1. What are the benefits of using contractions?
The shortened form of a word or group of words is known as contraction. A word is shortened by the omission of certain letters or sounds. The use of contraction gives a friendly tone to what you write. In addition, it also saves your space and time.

2. When are contradictions used?

Contractions are common in everyday conversations.
In informal writings, you can make use of contractions to maintain a friendly tone.
In formal writing, contractions are avoided to maintain a serious tone.

3. What are some of the common contractions in English?

The shortened form of a word or group of words is known as contraction. A word is shortened by the omission of certain letters or sounds. Some of the common contractions include: we’d, I’d, Who’re, she’d, etc.

Conclusion

Contractions are common in English. Even though contractions may seem confusing at first, it’s the aptest way for you to save time and space. Hence the use of contractions makes your speech and writing simpler. Check out English Vocabulary Words as well to expand your knowledge base on the language.

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What Are Contractions in English Grammar? — Summary

Contractions are shortened versions of words or phrases formed by omitting certain letters. In writing, an apostrophe indicates the omission. Examples of contractions are:

cannot = can’t
you + are = you’re
would + have = would’ve

What Is a Contraction?

A contraction is when a word or phrase is shortened, creating a new singular word. This is done by omitting certain letters from the word(s). In writing, an apostrophe replaces the omitted letter(s).

did + not = didn’t

Singular words can be contracted. For example, can’t is the contracted version of cannot and ma’am for madam. It’s even possible to combine three or more words (she would have = she’d’ve), although this is only found in colloquial speech and shouldn’t be used in writing.

The most common type of contraction in English is the two-word contraction. This means that two words are combined to create a condensed word. However, you can’t simply combine any two words and call it a day. There are rules that should be followed if you want to use contractions correctly. Below, we’ll show you how to form contractions, explain the rules, and provide examples.

How To Form a Contraction

Most contractions are formed by shortening the second word. The first word used in a contraction can also be shortened, but this is much more common in informal and casual speech or writing.

It’s also important to remember that the apostrophe does not indicate where the space would be found between the two words. Instead, the apostrophe shows where a letter has been excluded.

She ~~has’nt~~ been picked up from school yet.

She hasn’t been picked up from school yet.

Now that we’ve covered that, let’s go over how to form contractions.

Keep in Mind

Contractions are usually found in casual speech and informal writing. Many style guides suggest not including contractions in formal writing.

Writing Contractions With Forms of “To Be”

To be is the most common verb in English. It can be a linking verb or an auxiliary verb. It has eight different forms, but only the present simple tense forms—is, am, and are—get contracted.

Is:

Is is used for third-person singular subjects. It’s contracted by replacing the “i” with an apostrophe.

She called to inform us that she’s going to be late.

Is is commonly contracted with question words like who, what, where, when, why, and how.

Who is going to be there? = Who’s going to be there?

What is going on? = What’s going on?

Where is he going? = Where’s he going?

When is he arriving? = When’s he arriving?

Why is she asking that? = Why’s she asking that?

How is it going? = How’s it going?

Am:

Am is used for first-person singular subjects and only gets contracted with the pronoun “I.” The apostrophe replaces the “a” in “am.”

I’m not sure if I’ll be going to the party or not.

Are:

Are is used for second-person singular subjects and first, second, and third-person plural subjects. It is contracted by replacing the “a” with an apostrophe.

You’re not going to believe what happened.
We’re visiting my mom in a few days.
They’re going to be in the Bahamas next week.
What’re you planning on taking?

It’s important to remember not to end a sentence with a contracted is, am, or are.

Do you know where my ~~dog’s?~~

Do you know where my dog is?

Yes, that’s what ~~I’m~~.

Yes, that’s what I am.

I’m curious about where ~~they’re~~.

I’m curious about where they are.

Writing Contractions With Other Auxiliary Verbs

There are other auxiliary verbs that can also be contracted: did, have, (including its conjugations has and had), as well as will and would (which are modals).

Did:

Did helps form questions and also expresses negative actions about the past. It can only be contracted with question words (not including when). You contract it by replacing the “di” in “did” with an apostrophe.

What’d you do when you returned?

Will:

Will has many different uses. It can be used to form future tenses, express ability or willingness, make requests, complete conditional sentences and more. It’s contracted by replacing the letters “wi” with an apostrophe.

They’ll arrive at the train station at 10 AM.

Would:

Would is the past-tense of will. However, it does not get contracted with question words. An apostrophe replaces the letters “woul–.”

She said I’d need more time.

Have:

Have forms the present perfect tense with any subject (except the third-person singular). It gets contracted by replacing “ha–” with an apostrophe.

We’ve been here before.

Has:

Has forms the present-perfect tense with third-person singular subjects. Use an apostrophe to replace the “ha–.”

It’s been fun.

Had:

Had forms the past perfect tense for all pronouns, but it does not get contracted with question words. Its contraction is formed by replacing “ha–” with an apostrophe.

He’d already finished all his work by the time I arrived.

Please note that in American English, have, has, and had do not get contracted when they are the main verbs.

I’ve a tournament tomorrow.

I have a tournament tomorrow.

However, in British English, this is acceptable, but more commonly heard in casual speech rather than formal writing.

Writing Contractions That Include “Not”

Up until now, you may have noticed that:

The verb to be commonly gets contracted with the subject of its clauses or with question words.
The other auxiliary verbs usually contract with personal pronouns or questions words (except has, which can also attach to people’s names).

The adverb “not” can also get contracted, but only with auxiliary verbs.

are + not = aren’t

is + not = isn’t

do + not = don’t

did + not = didn’t

does + not = doesn’t

have + not = haven’t

has + not = hasn’t

had + not = hadn’t

were + not = weren’t

was + not = wasn’t

Modal auxiliary verbs can also get contracted with “not.”

cannot = can’t

could + not = couldn’t

will + not = won’t

would + not = wouldn’t

should + not = shouldn’t

must + not = mustn’t

Shall and might can also get contracted with “not” to create shan’t and mightn’t, respectively, but these words are uncommon and outdated.

Additionally, am usually doesn’t get contracted with “not,” but there are some dialects that do (e.g., amn’t in Irish and Scottish English and ain’t which is sometimes used in American English).

Contractions: Problem Areas

Contractions can be a challenge at first, especially when it comes to remembering which letters to omit and where to place the apostrophe.

But some contractions cause even more confusion—for English language learners and native speakers alike—because they’re homophones.

Take for example it’s and its. Many people mistakenly add an apostrophe even though they want to show possession: in that case, use its.

Have you seen the new house? Its backyard is huge.

Similarly, they’re, there, and their also cause a lot of confusion as does let’s and lets.

Remember, only use they’re when you mean “they are.”

They’re going to love the surprise.

Let’s means “let us” while lets is how to conjugate the verb let for third-person singular subjects. However, be careful when using “let’s,” as it’s only used to express a request or suggestion.

Let’s go to the park.

If you’re using “let” meaning “give permission” or “to cause,” then use let us.

Is dad going to ~~let’s~~ go to the sleepover?

Is dad going to let us go to the sleepover?

~~Let’s~~ know when you’re arriving.

Let us know when you’re arriving.

Don’t Get Discouraged With Contractions; There’s Help Available

As you can see, there’s a lot to remember regarding contractions. Familiarizing yourself with them if you haven’t already done so is a good idea, especially if you want to improve your fluency in speech and writing.

LanguageTool—a multilingual writing assistant—can ensure proper use of all contractions. Additionally, this advanced spelling and grammar checker can check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. It’s free and supports more than 30 languages. Give it a try!

Did you correctly answer this quiz about contractions?

Источник

Summary

What is a contraction in grammar?

When should contractions be used?

Contractions with not

Be verb with not

Amn’t or aren’t?

Ain’t (nonstandard)

Be and have contractions

Contractions with pronouns

Contractions with nouns

Contractions with adverbs

Contractions with modal verbs

Contractions in questions

Double contractions

Other contractions

Let’s

O’clock (contracted of)

G-dropping

Relaxed pronunciation

Aphaeresis, syncope, apocope

Poetic contractions

List of standard contractions in English

Negative Words for Class 3 English

Negative contractions

Sentences with Negative contractions

Examples :

Example:

Rules:

Examples :

Examples :

Examples :

Examples :

Common Mistakes:

Exceptions:

Examples :

Definition and Examples of Negative Contractions

Examples and Observations

Negative Contraction and Auxiliary Contraction

Rogue Contractions

The Case Against Ain’t

Negative Contraction and Be Contraction

Negative Contractions and Language Acquisition

Auxiliary + not

Modal + not

Learn more

Description

Contractions with NOT Word List

You may also like…

Dolch Sight Words

Common Contractions

Action Flashcards – Set A

Dolch Nouns

How do Contractions Work?

When to Use Contractions?

Common Contraction Words

Negating Contractions

Interrogative Contractions

Informal Contractions

Importance of Contractions

FAQs on Contractions

Conclusion

What Are Contractions in English Grammar? — Summary

What Is a Contraction?

How To Form a Contraction

Keep in Mind

Writing Contractions With Forms of “To Be”

Is:

Am:

Are:

Writing Contractions With Other Auxiliary Verbs

Did:

Will:

Would:

Have:

Has:

Had:

Writing Contractions That Include “Not”

Contractions: Problem Areas

Don’t Get Discouraged With Contractions; There’s Help Available