English Grammer

 Grammar lesson*

*Contraction*

A *contraction* is a word made by shortening and combining two words. Words like can't (can + not), don't (do + not), and I've (I + have) are all *contractions.* People use *contractions* in both speaking and writing.

*Different Types of Contractions*

*POSITION CONTRACTIONS*

_Positive contractions are used often in common speech and in *casual* writing. They are often used when a pronoun, such as *“I”* is next to a verb, such as *“is”.* The most common positive contractions include:[_

*Familiarize yourself with positive contractions.*

*“I’m”:* contracted form of *“I am”*

*“You’d”:* contracted form of *“you had/ you would”*

*“They’d”:* contracted form of *“they had/they would”*

*Keep in mind the double meanings of some positive contractions.*

_Some contractions, such as *“he’d”* could be the contracted form of either *“he would”* or *“he had”.* The context of the sentence will help you determine which meaning is implicated by the *contraction.* Always read the entire sentence to figure out what *contraction* is being used._

*For example:*

“She’d like to go to the store.” This is the contraction of “She would like to go to the store” as it is the only grammatically correct option. “She had like to go to the store” is clearly incorrect.

*NEGATIVE CONTRACTION*

* Identify negative contractions.*

_Negative contractions are when you take a verb, such as *“are”* and combine it with *“not”.* The apostrophe is then used to replace the *“o”* in *“not”* so it becomes *“n’t”.* Examples of negative contractions are_

*“Daren’t”:* contracted form of *“dare not”*

*“Didn’t”:* contracted form of *“did not”*

Other negative contractions like *“mayn’t”* (contracted form of *“may not”),* *“mustn’t”* (contracted form of *“must not”)* and *“needn’t”* (contracted form of *“need not”)* are considered outdated contractions. They are not *used in common* speech and are often not used in written language.

*DOUBLE MEANING CONTRACTION*

* Understand the double use of some negative contractions.*

_When you are using the verb *“to be”* in a sentence and you are trying to create the negative form, there are two possible options. For example: *“we are not”* could be contracted to *“we aren’t” or “we’re not”. “She is not”* can be contracted to *“she isn’t” or “she’s not”. “They are not”* can be contracted to *“they aren’t”* or *“they’re not”*_

The exception is *“I am not.”* It can only be contracted to *“I’m not”.* Do not contract *“I am not” to “I’m n’t” or “ I am n’t”.* In English, the contractions *“‘s” and “‘re”* usually appear after pronouns.

For example: *“We aren’t ready yet.” “He’s not a good man.”*

You may put a contraction at the end of a question, such as: *“You’ve spoken to Mark, haven’t you?”* But if you are putting *“am not”* at the end of the question, it should be contracted to *“aren’t”.*

For example: *“I’m early, aren’t I?”*

* Apply only one contraction in a sentence.*

_It is grammatically incorrect to put more than one contraction in a sentence that is not a question. For example: “He’s not here”, instead of “He’s n’t free”._

. Keep in mind positive contractions should appear in the middle or the beginning of the sentence, never at the end of a sentence. For example *“I think we’re lost.” “Yes, I think we are.” You would not write, “Yes, I think we’re”.*

* INFORMAL CONTRACTION*

* Use informal contractions in casual conversation only.*

_Informal contractions like *“gonna” (contracted form of “going to”),* *“wanna” (contracted form of “want to”)* and *“gimme” (contracted form of “give me”)* are not appropriate for formal or informal writing, and should be restricted to casual conversation only._