Questions tagged [contractions]
A contraction of a word is made by omitting certain letters or syllables and bringing together the first and last letters or elements.
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isn't going anywhere vs. [pronoun]'s not going anywhere
he's not going anywhere has 49,600 results.
he isn't going anywhere has 5,650 results.
(I performed a similar search in a private library, and the difference was more or less the same.)
Is the second ...
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Is it stylistically wrong to use only "I'm" and "It's" in their contracted forms in a text in which there are no other contracted forms? [closed]
I have written a number of texts. They are not formal texts, but are aimed for language learners. In all of these texts, I have used "I'm" and "It's" while all the other forms such ...
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What does whatcha mean?
In casual conversations, does whatcha mean any one of the following three options depending on contexts?
= what are you
▶ Whatcha gonna do?
= what have you
▶ Whatcha got?
= What do you
▶ Whatcha wanna ...
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Have or 've? When can we not contract "have"?
When is it not possible to use the contracted form of have?
Can I contract have in this sentence?
My parents have just arrived
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Which on of the sentence is correct and why?
How can I not know this?
How can't I know this?
Which one of the two sentences is correct? Or maybe they are both correct, but different in meaning.
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Why does "Don't you Dare" equal "Do not you dare"?
"Don't you dare" makes grammatical sense but why does "Do not you dare" not make grammatical sense?
user144733
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Is the following "what's" contraction similar to these other cases?
What's he doing?
Is this "what's" contraction the same as:
What's his last name?
What's the last time he showered?
Why or why not?
I ask because the first sentence sounds a little ...
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Aren’t I? vs. Am I not?
I am a good man, aren’t I?
I am a good man, am I not?
The first sentence is often used. According to grammar books, the second sentence is also correct, but it is rarely used. Can native speakers ...
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Let's be printed the matter
Let's be printed the matter.
This sentence is wrong and it sounds odd.
But grammatically what is the error in this sentence? Is there any specific format for Let's? I have read on a website that &...
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Is it common to use contractions with names
Are contractions commonly used with names in informal speech?
for example
Bob'll be here soon
Bill'll be here too
Mary'd find your joke amusing
And also, I find some contractions difficult to ...
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The preference for "may be" ot "maybe" after the conjuction "― and"
My dad turned around and stared at us, his fear confirming that something wasn't right ― and maybe even very wrong.
One student struggles to understand the sentence especially in a bold part. - and (...
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What does “gonna go” mean precisely? Is it the same as “going to go”?
Recently, I have come across the phrase "gonna go".
What is the difference between all these sentences?
I am gonna go get some ice cream.
I am going to go get some ice cream.
I am going to ...
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When can you use a contraction, and when can you not? What are some examples of longer contractions?
For example is
but I don't see how's that relevant
grammatical?
As for longer contractions, many of the ones that I've found on the internet don't seem to be legitimate. For example:
mustn't've
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Should I use "am" or "I'm" after already saying "I'm" in a sentence?
For example, "I'm looking forward to attending, and am excited to join" vs. "I'm looking forward to attending, and I'm excited to join."
Jay R.
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Does 'I'm pregnant with nobody' have a contradiction?
Does 'I'm pregnant with nobody' make sense? I try to express I have no baby growing in the uterus.
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Is "shouldn't it" equivalent to "should it not" in American English?
I have noticed that some Americans write "shouldn't it" in sentences. For example:
Why is the dog outside, shouldn't it be inside?
Is this correct grammar in American English? Because I ...
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What does the question imply?
What does Ron's question sound like it implies? A or B?
“Wait, you were busy and were going to reply?”
A: "Wait, you were going to reply after all? I thought you for sure missed my message”
B: &...
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"I was thinking you might’ve missed my message"
I have a question regarding the use of “might’ve”
Here I was thinking you missed my message.
vs
Here I was thinking you might’ve missed my message.
Would there have been any difference between using “...
user125657
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Contractions on a negative sentence in present
More specifically I'm talking about the present simple and continuous, for example I know you can answer a yes/no question whose answer is negative like this:
Is he in college?
No, he isn't.
Are ...
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Short forms of "be" and "have"
Are the short forms of verbs "To be" and "To have" common in written English?
For example "She has a baby" is probably more common than "She's a baby" in both ...
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Why can't I contract "it has" sometimes?
Why can we contract "it has" to "it's" in some sentences but not others?
For example:
Why is this correct
It's been moved (It has been moved)
this incorrect
It's four legs (It ...
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Can I use had in sentence for future time? For example "We'd be fee." Is this a simple future or simple past?
Can I use had in sentence for future time?
For example We'd be free.
Is this a simple future or simple past?
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Using 's when saying something 'is'
I've just said to a friend "That cloud's looking very dark". And apparently that's not correct.
He said "it's" is allowed as an abbreviation but "cloud's" is never "...
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Correct contraction with to be (not)
If I say: You are not Julie, what is the correct contraction?
You're not Julie
You aren't Julie
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Use contractions with common nouns
Although there you can find the below example on the website of Cambridge, I had a feedback from an English teacher telling me that the two contractions in bold in the second sentence are wrong. What ...
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Can I use apostrophe s to shorten "is"?
For example, I'd say:
The interview's on Monday.
Is that grammatically acceptable?
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Can you contract WILL with nouns in informal writing / speaking?
I'm considering writing the following in an email to a friend.
I'm sure the exam'll be easy.
But it just sounds wrong to me, even in an informal setting....
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Weak and strong "You're"
Dictionaries list two pronunciations for you're, a weak pronunciation and a strong pronunciation. In which situations do we use the strong version of you're /jɔːr/, and in which situations do we use ...
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Contracted form of Present Continuous with nouns ending with -s
How do we form the contracted form of Present Continuous with nouns ending with -s, for example:
Thomas is playing football next Sunday.
Can we write
Thomas' playing football next Sunday.
How does ...
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Why do we add an apostrophe to "gon'"?
English is not my native language, and I keep trying every day to develop my skills in it but I saw a new word of gon' instead of gone.
And I keep wondering: why do we add an apostrophe to it?
...
SugarBen
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Is 'yet's' "yet is" in "the fact that they haven't caught him yet's one hell of an achievement"
"Hard to help a boy who's vanished off the face of the earth," said Dirk.
"Listen, the fact that they haven't caught him yet's one hell of an achievement," said Ted. "I'd take tips from him ...
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“I’ve a cold” vs “I have a cold”—are both correct?
Would the sentence “I’ve a cold” be correct? I’m wondering if contractions can always be used in place of the original words.
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Is it mandatory to use contractions in tag questions and the like?
Example 1:
The weather is hot, isn't it?
vs.:
The weather is hot, is it not?
Example 2:
Aren't you going to study tonight?
vs.:
Are you not going to study tonight?
Apart from ...
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Is contraction obligatory in negative interrogative sentences?
I know that a verb and "not" are usually contracted when together in a negative interrogative sentence. Example:
Aren't they lovely?
Is it grammatically wrong to avoid the contraction? Example:
...
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Spelling for the spoken contraction of "on the" [closed]
When "on the" is spoken very fast they are connected, contracted, forming a connected-speech.
Even knowing that this contraction doesn't exist in English, how could it be written to reflect the ...
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Amy has had many different jobs : contraction
Can we contract the sentence
Amy has had many different jobs
to this one?
Amy's had many different jobs
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When "he's gone" means "he's dead", is it a contraction of "he is" or "he has"?
I have seen this a lot in movies. When a man dies, another person goes near him, feels his pulse, and then says in a sad voice: "He's gone".
Is this a contraction of "he is gone", or "he has gone"?
...
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Are contractions discouraged in formal writing? [closed]
I remember reading something long ago that says people should avoid contractions in formal writing. I wonder whether that is true. And by formal writing, I mean specifically the four types:
(1) ...
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Can one use a contraction in a question?
a) Why are you trying so hard?
b) Why you're trying so hard?
Is you're (b) an acceptable contraction form of are you (a) when I want to keep the sentence in a question form?
Is there another ...
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Can you use contacted forms like " 've " without joining them to a noun/pronoun?
Is a sentence like this fine, maybe in spoken English:
"I love these films and books, 've seen and read them multiple times".
Do you have to add a noun, or at least use the full form "have"?
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Can the expanded form of {don't/doesn't} be used as 'correct English'?
I know it may not be very common, but I need to use it in its expanded form (i.e., do not and does not) for a formatting issue.
For example:
X does not see any logic in your reasoning.
X: is ...
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Are double contractions formal? Eg: "couldn't've" for "could not have"
Are double contractions, such as following, formal (ie allowed in formal documents/papers)?
it'll've for "it shall have" or "it will have"
mightn't've for "might not have"
How about multiple ...
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What is the issue about "You are welcome" and "You're welcome"?
Recently, I came across a comment where a native English speaker stated that it is not "you are welcome" but "you're welcome". It was a side-comment as the original post wasn't about their difference; ...
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What tense is this: "Why'd you make him live all those years alone?"
In the movie "Something big" with Dean Martin, Mr. Baker asks colonel's wife:
"Why'd you make him live all those years alone?"
What tense is that? Grammary suggest me:
Why'd you made him live all ...
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Can we say or write : "No, it'sn't"?
I know we can answer either :
No, it's not
No, it isn't
But is it accepted and understandable to write :
No, it'sn't
What about saying it ?
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Is "this is the man who stolen my car" grammatically correct?
I had this in my last english exam and I had a to choose between 4 answers
"this is the man (who-whose-who's-which) stolen my car"
"who" is the only answer which makes sense to me although I think ...
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Are "We've all" and "we all have" the same?
i had been reading a paper but i haven't understood a paragraph. Can you help me?
paragraph as follows
"We've all left meetings feelings good about what we discussed only to later wonder why so ...
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The meaning of "I'd 'a' plum got him,"
Inside, Buckley found Bud Dawson utterly ignoring a bullet wound in
his shoulder, while he feelingly wept at having to explain why he
failed to drop the "blamed masquerooter," who shot him. At the
...
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When can we use short forms of be?
It’s clear that we can say we’re, they’re, he’s, she’s. However, when the subjects are not subject pronouns, can we use short forms of be? For example, can we say:
My dad’s washing the car.
...
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is he's / she's + name a correct sentence?
Is it correct to include a name right after a he's or she's?
It would define fully written in: ''He is John'' or ''She is Maria'' but it somehow just sounds wrong or impolite to me.
Jonathan