contractions in English grammar
Contractions in English

Contractions are words that are shortened by combining two words into one with the use of an apostrophe.

Contraction is what you hear in conversation and see written. Understanding how to use contractions correctly can aid in your English language learning.

To sound like a native English speaker, you must use contractions.

We use contractions to shorten words or sentences when speaking or writing in English.

Contractions are defined 

as shortening or reducing one or more phrases or words in English grammar. Then, using an apostrophe (‘), replace them with letters. 

We utilize contractions to shorten our words by combining two words with an apostrophe.

Contractions are commonly used in everyday life, both in writing and in conversation.

We drop one or more words in Contraction and replace them with (‘) an apostrophe. As a result, the usage of an apostrophe indicates that there is a missing word at that location, and the later letters are combined to form a Contraction.

Contraction Words and How to Write Them

Since this word contract means “to squeeze together,” it only makes sense that a contraction is two words that have been made shorter by adding an apostrophe where letters have been removed. 

When you understand the general concept for making contractions, writing a contraction is simple.

When you create a contraction, you use an apostrophe to replace the letters that were taken from the original words.

When you combine the words “is” and “not” to get “isn’t,” the “o” in “not” is replaced by an apostrophe. 

The word “won’t” is a common exception to this rule. It’s a shortened version of “will not,” but the word “will” isn’t included in the contraction at all.

List of commonly used contractions:

contractions with not
are not aren’t
can not can’t
could not couldn’t
did not didn’t
do not don’t
does not doesn’t
had not hadn’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
might not mightn’t
shall not shan’t
contractions with will
he will he’ll
I will I’ll
it will it’ll
she will she’ll
they will they’ll
we will we’ll
who will who’ll
what will what’ll
you will you’ll
why will why’ll
how will how’ll
when will when’ll
where will where’ll
there will there’ll
these will these’ll
that will that’ll
contractions with is
he is he’s
here is here’s
it is it’s
she is she’s
that is that’s
there is there’s
what is what’s
where is where’s
who is who’s
when is when’s
why is why’s
contractions with are
they are they’re
we are we’re
what are what’re
how are how’re
you are you’re
who are who’re
these are these’re
contractions with has
it has it’s
she has she’s
he has he’s
who has who’s
where has where’s
there has there’s
that has that’s
what has what’s
contractions with have
I have I’ve
they have they’ve
we have we’ve
you have you’ve
these have these’ve
what have what’ve
how have how’ve
contractions with had
I had I’d
we had we’d
who had who’d
you had you’d
why had why’d
how had how’d
she had she’d
he had he’d
that had that’d
these had these’d
there had there’d
what had what’d
it had it’d
they had they’d
where had where’d
contractions with would
I would I’d
you would you’d
we would we’d
he would he’d
she would she’d
it would it’d
they would they’d
these would these’d
there would there’d
who would who’d
what would what’d
where would where’d
when would when’d
why would why’d
how would how’d
that would that’d
contractions with am
I am I’m
I am a I’ma
Informal contractions
let u let’s
let ne lemme
want to wannna
give me gimme
got to gotta
going to gonna
contractions in English grammar
Contractions in English