{"id":579228,"date":"2023-09-09T11:20:52","date_gmt":"2023-09-09T09:20:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.nl\/?p=579228"},"modified":"2023-10-09T18:59:25","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T16:59:25","slug":"contractions-grammar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.com\/language-rules\/contractions-grammar\/","title":{"rendered":"Contractions (Grammar) | Definition & Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Contractions<\/strong> are words or phrases that have been shortened by omitting one or more letters. Typically, you can identify a contraction by the apostrophe<\/a> that is used to indicate the place of the missing letters.<\/p>\n

Examples: Contractions<\/figcaption>I can\u2019t<\/strong> speak Spanish.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s<\/strong> getting dark.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re <\/strong>not coming for dinner.<\/p>\n

Our flight is at 7 o’clock<\/strong> .<\/figure>\n

Contractions, which are sometimes called \u201cshort forms,\u201d are commonly used in everyday speech and certain types of writing to save us time and space.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t \"Contractions<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What is a contraction?<\/h2>\n

A contraction is a combination of two or more existing words that creates a shorter word. Sometimes, a contraction can be a single word (e.g., \u201ckinda\u201d), but in most cases contractions are formed using words that often go together (e.g., \u201cdo not\u201d becomes \u201cdon\u2019t\u201d). Only specific words can be contracted, like personal pronouns<\/a> (e.g., \u201cI,\u201d \u201cyou,\u201d \u201cthey\u201d), auxiliary verbs<\/a> (e.g., \u201cbe,\u201d \u201cdo,\u201d \u201chave\u201d), and modal verbs <\/a>(e.g., \u201ccan,\u201d \u201cmust,\u201d \u201cwill\u201d)<\/p>\n

Examples: Personal pronouns, auxiliary verbs, and modal verbs<\/figcaption>I\u2019m<\/strong> not too keen on football.<\/p>\n

The house wasn\u2019t<\/strong> what I remembered it to be.<\/p>\n

She\u2019ll<\/strong> meet us at the park.<\/figure>\n

In general, we use contractions in speech and writing because they help us convey our thoughts in fewer words.<\/p>\n

Note<\/figcaption>Contractions are common in both casual and formal speech, as well as informal writing<\/strong>. In formal writing<\/strong>, like college essays<\/a>, application letters, or business emails, it\u2019s best to avoid contractions.<\/p>\n

Scribbr\u2019s free paraphrasing tool<\/a> can help you to maintain a consistent tone in your writing and explore new ways to express your ideas.<\/figure>\n

How to use contractions<\/h2>\n

The rules for using contractions vary depending on the type of contraction.<\/p>\n