I’m Right, You’re Right, Everyone’s Right: The Correct Way to Use Contractions

Hi, everyone! I’m Miss Krittika, an English teacher at Lil’ but Mighty! Today, we’ll be learning more about contractions. Do you know what they are?

As I’m writing this sentence, I’m using a couple of contractions. Can you guess them? If your answer is “I’m”, then you’re absolutely right! (see how I used another one?) If you have guessed correctly, give yourselves a pat on the shoulder.

What are contractions?

Almost all of us use contractions in our speech daily although we may not be aware of it. Contractions are also known as “short-forms”. They consist of a word or phrase that has been shortened by dropping one or more letters. In writing, an apostrophe is used to indicate the place of the missing letters. Simply put, a contraction is when you combine two words together to make one word. Shall we try some examples together?

Let’s try it with this sentence: I am starving.

The words “I” and “am” can be transformed into a contraction by replacing the letter “a” with an apostrophe. “I am” now becomes “I’m”.

So, our new sentence is: I’m starving.

Let’s take a look at another example: Sarah was not hungry.

The words “was” and “not” are transformed into a contraction by replacing the letter “o” with an apostrophe. “Was not” becomes “wasn’t”.

Our new sentence is – Sarah wasn’t hungry.

How about this one: They will be late for soccer practice.

The words “they” and “will” are transformed into a contraction by replacing the letters “w” and “i” with an apostrophe. “They will” becomes “they’ll”.

Our new sentence is – They’ll be late for soccer practice.

Do take note that when a contraction is used, the meaning of the sentence does not change. It remains the same.

However, it is important to note that not all words with apostrophes are contractions! This is because the apostrophe is also used to form possessive nouns. For example, in the phrase “my dog’s tail”, the apostrophe is used to show that the tail belongs to my dog and should not be confused as a contraction (’s = is) because the phrase “my dog is tail” does not make sense!

What are some commonly used contractions?

There are many commonly used contractions to take note of! Here are some of them in the table below:

Take note that two different contractions can be spelled the same – is and has, had and would. For instance, “he’d” can actually be “he had” or “he would”. In this case, read the sentence carefully to see which one has been used!

Below, I have also included a table listing contractions that consist of a verb and the word “not”:

Take note that when you contract using “not”, the apostrophe usually replaces the “o” in the word.

When can we use contractions?

We normally use contractions in our conversations as well as in our casual interactions such as in emails, text messages and even the posts we upload to our social media. This is because using it in such informal situations helps to create a casual and friendly tone. It also helps to make our speech shorter and easier to understand.

We can also use them in direct speech when we write dialogue for stories. When writing dialogue in your compositions, contractions help reflect how a character actually speaks. This allows the reader to engage and connect more with your characters.

It is important to note that you should not use contractions in formal writing as you need to establish a more serious tone. Before deciding whether to use contractions in a writing task, consider your audience and your purpose for writing.

Remember also to use the standard contractions and avoid inventing your own, especially in your writing. This is because only certain word combinations have contractions. Keep a lookout for contractions that are colloquial, for example “ain’t” and “y’all”, as such terms should not appear in formal writing at all.

I hope you have a better idea of what contractions are and when to use them. The next time you have a friendly conversation with your friend, listen and take note of the contractions used so you are exposed to the different kinds of contractions. Can you think of other commonly used contractions? Share your answers in the comments section! I hope to see you around!

With the runway to the PSLE ever shortening, now’s the time to secure your child’s ticket to success. With Term 2 having just begun, let Lil’ but Mighty identify areas where your child may need additional resources or a different approach to get PSLE ready.