A contraction is a shortened form of a word or group of words, created by omitting one or more letters (usually vowels) and replacing them with an apostrophe. Contractions are standard in spoken English and informal writing (emails, texts, fiction dialogue). They are generally avoided in formal academic or business writing. 1. Pronoun + Auxiliary Verb (Most Common) These combine a subject (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) with am, is, are, have, has, had, will, would .
| Full Form | Contraction | Example | |-----------|-------------|---------| | where is | where's | Where's the bathroom? | | what is | what's | What's your name? | | who is / who has | who's | Who's there? / Who's called? (not whose ) | | how is | how's | How's it going? | | why is | why's | Why's he so sad? | | when is | when's | When's the party? | These appear in dialects, fast speech, or very informal writing (texts, lyrics). most common contractions in english
| Full Form | Contraction | Example Sentence | |-----------|-------------|------------------| | I am | I'm | I'm going to the store. | | you are | you're | You're my best friend. (not your ) | | he is / he has | he's | He's here. / He's finished. | | she is / she has | she's | She's a doctor. / She's called. | | it is / it has | it's | It's raining. / It's been long. | | we are | we're | We're ready. | | they are | they're | They're leaving. (not their or there ) | | I have | I've | I've seen that movie. | | you have | you've | You've grown. | | we have | we've | We've arrived. | | they have | they've | They've forgotten. | | I had / I would | I'd | I'd seen it. / I'd love to. | | you had / you would | you'd | You'd better go. / You'd like it. | | he had / he would | he'd | He'd left. / He'd help. | | we had / we would | we'd | We'd finished. / We'd come. | | they had / they would | they'd | They'd known. / They'd agree. | | I will | I'll | I'll call you. | | you will | you'll | You'll be late. | | he/she/it will | he'll / she'll / it'll | It'll be fine. | | we will | we'll | We'll see. | | they will | they'll | They'll arrive soon. | | would not | wouldn't | He wouldn't say. | These combine a verb + not . Note how do not becomes don't (the o is dropped). A contraction is a shortened form of a
| Full Form | Contraction | Example | |-----------|-------------|---------| | is not | isn't | It isn't ready. | | are not | aren't | You aren't listening. | | was not | wasn't | She wasn't there. | | were not | weren't | We weren't happy. | | do not | don't | I don't know. | | does not | doesn't | He doesn't care. | | did not | didn't | They didn't come. | | have not | haven't | I haven't seen it. | | has not | hasn't | She hasn't called. | | had not | hadn't | We hadn't thought. | | will not | won't | I won't tell. (irregular) | | would not | wouldn't | She wouldn't listen. | | cannot | can't | You can't go. (one word) | | could not | couldn't | He couldn't find it. | | should not | shouldn't | You shouldn't do that. | | might not | mightn't | It mightn't matter. (rare) | | must not | mustn't | You mustn't forget. | won't (will not), can't (cannot — note the apostrophe goes after n ). 3. Question Word Contractions (Informal) These are very common in speech but rarely written in formal English. | | what is | what's | What's your name
Master these, and you will sound natural in everyday English. Just remember to avoid them in formal writing.
| Contraction | Meaning | vs. | Homophone | Meaning | |-------------|---------|-----|-----------|---------| | it's | it is / it has | | its | possessive of it | | you're | you are | | your | belonging to you | | they're | they are | | their / there | possessive / place | | who's | who is / who has | | whose | possessive of who | | there's | there is / there has | | theirs | possessive of they |