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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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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1answer
33 views
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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2answers
24 views
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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131 views
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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2answers
40 views
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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1answer
79 views
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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0answers
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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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2answers
151 views
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?
...
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1answer
35 views
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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1answer
54 views
“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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2answers
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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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1answer
66 views
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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1answer
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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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2answers
38 views
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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1answer
1k views
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"?
...
3
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1answer
78 views
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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2answers
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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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1answer
25 views
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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1answer
151 views
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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2answers
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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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2answers
3k views
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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1answer
612 views
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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4answers
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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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2answers
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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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5answers
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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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2answers
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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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2answers
54 views
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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2answers
580 views
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.
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2answers
221 views
Are contractions and/or slang used in English exams and tests? [closed]
Are all those correct uses in English or is it just for explaining and not correct for writing on tests or exams?
Would it sound more fluent to write
Ex, Y'all, I'll, They're.
instead of
...
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0answers
1k views
What is the full form of 'won't you?' [duplicate]
In an example sentence like: 'Sit down, won't you?'
What is the full form of that sentence without contraction? Is it 'Sit down, will you not?' cause we can't say 'Sit down, will not you?'
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1answer
45 views
Can we write was and were in the form of contraction?
Can we write for example "We were waiting for you" in this way "We're waiting for you"? and if we can how to differentiate between the past and present in these sentences?
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4answers
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What do 'er and patch 'er up mean?
What does the contraction 'er and the phrasal verb patch 'er up mean in the following text:
This section will cover a lot of ground and your brain may meltdown a few times, but don’t worry, that’s ...
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1answer
62 views
Is this usage of contraction correct and if so is it natural?
I've wrote the following to a friend.
A consequence of my brain tumor was that my sense of taste's almost completely gone today.
I can't help feeling that I should have written "...sense of taste ...
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1answer
73 views
Are there contractions for past tense of lexical verbs? (was and were)
For present tense (declarative) of lexical verbs (to be) we have contractions for all pronouns:
(I am = I’m. You are = you’re. He is = he’s. She is = she’s. It is = it’s. We are = we’re. They are =...
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2answers
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Using contractions correctly in Grammar like the word “weren't” when asking a question
Are the two example questions correct or is there a rule that applies when using and not using contraction words?
"weren't you able to log into your online account?"
"were not you able to log into ...
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3answers
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We got a PM who’s [sic] 93 years old
while @elmoehussaini posted: “We got a PM who’s [sic] 93 years old. We got a Team of Eminent Persons to repair the economy who are of 60 years old and above. I guess the “I’m too old for this s***” is ...
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1answer
260 views
How does one pronounce I'd've?
I think it's the first time I've ever seen a double contraction like this:
"That’s, let’s be optimistic, a 30 to 50 mile radius at least in which we are the only two people left. I can’t even ...
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2answers
63 views
He's worried himself sick about his daughter
He's worried himself sick about his daughter.
In this sentence, Is either He's [He is] or [He has] ?
3
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1answer
268 views
Want To vs Wanna
What is the difference between both?
When should I use Want to and when should I use Wanna?
I was wondering if there is the correct way - gramatically speaking - depending on the situation, or if ...
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3answers
55 views
“Do you like movies, do not you?” Correct?
In writing, contraction should be avoided, right?
However, I feel strange to see "do not you" instead of "don't you".
I wonder if native speakers use "do not you" in writing instead of using "don't ...
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1answer
17k views
Agreed or agree?
I often meet on Interntet forums the following exchange:
A: (some proposition)
B: Agreed.
Why "agreed", not "agree"? Is it a contracted form of "have agreed" or the past simple? Is the form "...
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1answer
815 views
Think somebody + adjective
Is this sentence from a movie grammatical?
I thought you overqualified.
The construction "think someone adj." strikes me as odd. Explanations/examples?
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2answers
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where can I use aren't?
where I have to use aren't ? can I use "aren't" when I'm talking about clothes? example; " aren't this blouses a little expensive?" is it right?
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3answers
1k views
“needn't be answered” and “not needed to be answered”
Is there a difference or a grammatical mistake in this two sentences?
All the questions needn't be answered
All the questions are not needed to be answered
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3answers
14k views
“This's” instead of “this is”
Is it popular to contract "this is" to "this's"? Or is it better to keep the full form?
This's where we'll go tomorrow.
Or
This is where we'll go tomorrow.
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1answer
5k views
“here's it” versus “here it's”
Which is correct?
Weird is hard to spell. Here's it spelled correctly: weird.
or
Weird is hard to spell. Here it's spelled correctly: weird.
In conversation, both seem acceptable, but on paper ...
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3answers
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In the expression “There's got to be some” what does the 's stand for?
I wrote:
"Not at all." I kissed her slim curled lips. "There are very few things I want to do that doesn't include you."
"There got to be some."
A native speaker told me that I needed to ...
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1answer
434 views
Double contractions
Natives, what's the PDE grammar around double contractions like "couldn't've", "mustn't've" "shouldn't've" or "needn't've"? Are they in use in formal or informal English and in spoken or written ...
0
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1answer
496 views
“Is” instead of “are” with many
In spoken English I often hear a contraction of Why is used with many+plural noun. Is that acceptable informal language or should it be avoided?
Why's there so many books on the table? instead of Why ...
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2answers
6k views
“Why do you not give” Vs “Why do not you give”
Are they, both sentences, grammatically and semantically acceptable?
Why do you not give him your flesh and your bones?
Why do not you give him your flesh and your bones?
