GRAMMAR – COMMON CONTRACTIONS
We use contractions (I’m, we’re) in everyday speech and informal writing. Contractions, which are sometimes called ‘short forms’, commonly combine a pronoun or noun and a verb, or a verb and not, in a shorter form. Contractions are usually not appropriate in formal writing. We make contractions with auxiliary verbs, and also with be and have when they are not auxiliary verbs. When we make a contraction, we commonly put an apostrophe in place of a missing letter.
The following are the most common contractions.
- Is not isn’t
- Are not aren’t
- Was not wasn’t
- Were not weren’t
- Do not don’t
- Does not doesn’t
- Did not didn’t
- Have not haven’t
- Has not hasn’t
- Had not hadn’t
- Will not won’t
- Might not mightn’t
- Must not mustn’t
- I am I’m
- I have I’ve
- I will I’ll
- I would I’d
- You are you’re
- You have you’ve
- You will you’ll
- You would you’d
- You had you’d
- She is she’s
- She has she’s
- He is he’s
- He has he’s
- It is It’s
- It has It’s
- It will It’ll
