Is it acceptable to contract the phrase in the subject the way above (at least in a spoken English) without raising eyebrows?
1 Answer
Using the contraction is a matter of the author's style and the type of writing. It's use is acceptable to reproduce the compressed speech of conversation or first-person narration. From Misadventure: Monologues and Short Pieces by David Marguiles:
Prolly not. (Pause.) Threw me outta school 'cause of it. Least if I'd've been nineteen, least I'd've had a diploma from high school, least I'd've got a real job, maybe. They dint wanna give what you call special attention. Nowadays it's different.
I'd've
sounds almost exactly likeI'd have
in spoken English unless you're a classically trained speaker with perfect enunciation and/or put emphasis on the space betweenI'd
andhave
. I imagine you'd raise more eyebrows by consistently pronouncingI'd have
correctly with a notable space in between.