A contraction is a shortened version of the written and spoken forms of a word, syllable, or word group, created by omission of internal letters.
23
votes
12answers
3k views
Can a word be contracted twice (e.g. “I'ven't”)?
I've seen a contraction of two words. I can't see why it wouldn't be possible to contract twice. Is it possible and how should it be punctuated?
Update: Ok, to sum up the answers so far
This ...
19
votes
5answers
2k views
Is there some rule against ending a sentence with the contraction “it's”?
I heard this lyric in a song the other day and it just sounded so wrong that I assumed it must be incorrect grammar, but I can't find any specific prohibition that applies.
That's what it's.
...
12
votes
5answers
19k views
Is “there're” (similar to “there's”) a correct contraction?
Q: "Do you have any juice?"
A: "Yes, there's some in the fridge."
Sounds perfectly fine to me, but:
Q: "Do you have any towels?"
A: "Yes, there's some in the closet."
Does not.
I asked ...
3
votes
2answers
1k views
Should contractions be avoided in formal emails?
In a formal email of the kind where you begin with "Dear Mr. Surname" and finish with "Best regards", for example, should we use the following contractions? Or are the non contracted forms more ...
9
votes
5answers
2k views
Using contracted forms (“don't”, “let's”) in a formal text
How compelled should I feel to use non-contracted forms (do not rather than don't and so on) when writing in a rather formal text, say an academic paper? In one case I am afraid to seem too stilted, ...
25
votes
8answers
2k views
Is it appropriate to use short form of “have” ('ve) when it means possession?
I feel uncomfortable saying sentences like the following:
"I've a car" instead of "I have a car"
"They've a great time" instead of "They have a great time"
"He's a pen" instead of "He has a pen"
...
5
votes
2answers
507 views
Usage of contractions like “it's” and “that's” in textbooks
Is it considered bad style to use abbreviations contractions like "it's" and "that's" (instead of spelling them out as "it is" and "that is") in a textbook or academic publication?
1
vote
4answers
480 views
“There is no rule” vs. “there isn't rule”
What are the differences between the two sentences below:
There is no rule.
There isn't rule.
2
votes
3answers
636 views
What does “ain't” mean?
What does the contraction ain't mean? Is it appropriate to use it in formal settings?
6
votes
2answers
5k views
Do contractions (e.g. “don't”) and full phrases (e.g. “do not”) have the same meaning?
What is the difference between "don't" and "do not" in the English literature as well as spoken English? Are they same?
The same question goes for "wouldn't" and "would not", "couldn't" and "could ...
5
votes
1answer
4k views
“Do you not” vs. “Don't you”
I live in the UK and I mostly hear people saying Don't you..., but some people say: Do you not...? What is the difference and which one is more correct?
You can put any example really. Something ...
13
votes
3answers
9k views
“Let's” vs. “lets”: which is correct?
Say I'm promoting a product. Which is correct?
[Product] let's you [do something awesome].
[Product] lets you [do something awesome].
Or neither?
8
votes
4answers
2k views
“It isn't” vs. “it's not”
Is one stronger than the other? More correct? Just curious, one of the many abstract things to pop into my head on the drive home today...
5
votes
5answers
2k views
Why is “ain't” not listed in dictionaries?
Google finds 52,000,000 matches for ain't but non-natives simply can't look up this word. Wiktionary isn't helpful.
Is it some kind of 'wildcard' for am/is/are not?
4
votes
8answers
2k views
Are contractions like “didn't” forbidden in written English? [duplicate]
Possible duplicate of:
Using contracted forms (“don't”, “let's”) in a formal text
Usage of contractions like “it's” and “that's” in textbooks
Should ...
11
votes
3answers
9k views
Were contractions less common in olden days?
We just viewed the new movie True Grit. The language of the characters was more formal sounding than we are used to, largely because of the absence of contractions. Is this historically accurate? Do ...
9
votes
6answers
655 views
“Your” vs. “you're”: Why the confusion?
I have seen many comments on different blogs and forums where English native speakers spelled you're as your. I'm not a native speaker, but I know and understand the difference between the two. Why is ...
6
votes
1answer
3k views
“They're not” vs. “they aren't”
How dissimilar are "they're not" and "they aren't"?
Is it dependent on context or are these exactly the same?
They are supposed to be going, but they are not.
They are not going.
14
votes
4answers
1k views
What phrase is “o'clock” contracting?
I have been intrigued by the word o'clock since I learned English. Although there is an equivalent to this word in my native language (Spanish en punto meaning on point or on the dot) I want to know ...
4
votes
4answers
442 views
Can “let us” always be used in place of “let's”?
Me: Perhaps we need to make a left
turn at Albuquerque
Him: Let us try that
Now I would have said, "Let's try that". "Let us" sounds wrong to me in this instance. Is it? Are there ...
3
votes
3answers
784 views
Can you contract the main verb in a sentence?
One can contract I have to I've when have is a helping verb, e.g.
I've got an octopus in my pants.
Is contracting the main verb technically incorrect or merely antiquated? My father loves to ...
25
votes
6answers
6k views
What is “won't” a contraction of?
"Don't", "wouldn't", "couldn't" and "isn't" are all contractions of "do not", "would not", "could not" and "is not"... So what's "won't" a contraction of?
It appears to be "will not", but if so, why ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Is “what’s” a correct short form of “what does”?
E.g. “What’s he think?”
Usually ’s is short for “is” so I don’t know.
5
votes
2answers
796 views
Tag Questions “is he not”
"He is happy, isn't he?"
If you did not use the contraction isn't he, in the question above, would the correct sentence be:
"He is happy, is he not?"
"He is happy, is not he?"
Sentence #1 seems ...
1
vote
1answer
338 views
Is it better to write without contractions? E.g. “cannot” instead of “can't” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Using contracted forms (“don't”, “let's”) in a formal text
Usage of contractions like “it's” and “that's” in textbooks
Should contractions ...
47
votes
10answers
11k views
Is “I'd've” proper use of the English language?
While reading a book, I came across the word I'd've, as in:
I'd've argued against it.
While it was obvious what it meant, it left me puzzled. Is I'd've a proper word?
9
votes
6answers
2k views
Is “Don't you know? ” the same as “Do not you know?”?
Well, we know don't is the same as do not, right?
Therefore, can I say "Do not you know?", instead of "Don't you know?"?
Well, I know that chances are I can't do that, but technically that should be ...
13
votes
2answers
1k views
Is it incorrect to say, “Why cannot…?”
At any point in history was "Why cannot...?" used as frequently as "Why can't...?" Is it even grammatically correct to say "Why cannot you do this?" I know it can be rearranged to be "Why can you not ...
4
votes
2answers
708 views
Usage of “ain't”?
As far as I understand, "ain't" can mean either "isn't" (ain't no sunshine) or "hasn't" (you ain't seen nothing yet).
Are there any rules when "ain't" is used? Does it have a different meaning than ...
1
vote
1answer
243 views
Pronunciation of “'ll”
How do I read the following sentences (especially in conversational speech)?
The dog'll eat the bones.
Tom'll go to school.
Anna'll come tomorrow.
I mean the sound of 'll.
20
votes
3answers
4k views
How to pronounce the programmer's abbreviation “char”
In many programming languages, char is a type name for character values. The word character is pronounced with a [k] sound, but what about char?
While trying to find the answer elsewhere, I learnt ...
16
votes
2answers
533 views
Can the “don't” contraction be expanded when used as a command?
I refer to the usage of "don't" as an imperative to tell someone what not to do. As in,
Hey! Don't you dare touch that button!
When it is used in the interrogative or as part of a statement, ...
3
votes
5answers
3k views
“There isn't” vs. “there's not”
They both expand to "there is not" but for some reason "There's not" sounds indescribably uncomfortable for most situations. Can anyone elucidate why this might be? Or am I wrong?
EDIT: Let me ...
9
votes
2answers
213 views
Is there a rule for when contractions are not possible? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is there some rule against ending a sentence with the contraction “it's”?
In conversing with non-native English speakers online, I saw someone type:
...
9
votes
4answers
901 views
Different pronunciations of “she's” depending on the meaning
According to The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, the contraction she's may be pronounced both with a short [i] sound(as in pit) and a long [i:] sound(as in sheep) when it means she is, but it ...
7
votes
1answer
789 views
Why would you write “ain't”? Isn't it a contraction only used in spoken English?
I often hear in English conversation or movies the contraction "ain't" (for "isn't"), but I am more surprised to see it in writing (and I am not referring to a novel, where I can understand its usage: ...
5
votes
4answers
730 views
Contraction for 'are' with nouns
Is this correct?
the candys 're in the box, the
womens're at the car
I know 'you're', 'we're', 'they're' are valid usages, but can it be used for nouns?
3
votes
2answers
846 views
Is “could've” or “should've” standard English?
As the title says — is "could've" or "should've" standard English or is it slang and should correctly be spelled "could have" and "should have"?
2
votes
2answers
224 views
Is there any syntactic technicality preventing double contractions from ever becoming valid? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicates:
Is “I'd've” proper use of the English Language?
Can a word be contracted twice (e.g. “I'ven't”)?
I think the contraction ...
1
vote
3answers
314 views
Are contractions worth all the trouble? [closed]
One of the most difficult things even for native speakers of English to learn is the correct use of contractions. To this day when I type it and want to follow it with s I have to spend a fraction of ...
1
vote
1answer
183 views
Contracting “Should not have” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Can a word be contracted twice (e.g. "I'ven't")?
What is the correct way to contract "should not have", if there is one? "Should have" becomes ...
0
votes
2answers
340 views
“You're not” vs. “you ain't” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What does “ain't” mean?
What's the difference between "you're not" and "you ain't" ("...coming home")? I do realize that ain't is a contraction of are ...
