Contraction facts for kids

A contraction is a special kind of word. It's made by joining two or more words together. When we do this, we usually remove one or more letters from the original words. In their place, we add an apostrophe ('). For example, "do not" becomes "don't," with the apostrophe replacing the 'o' from "not."

We use contractions a lot in everyday talk and informal writing. They help us speak faster and make our language sound more natural.

How Contractions Work

When you combine words to make a contraction, the apostrophe is super important. It shows exactly where letters have been taken out. Think of it like a little placeholder!

For example:

• "You are" becomes "youre". The apostrophe replaces the 'a'.
• "They have" becomes "theyve". The apostrophe replaces 'ha'.
• "It is" becomes "its". The apostrophe replaces the 'i'.

Types of Contractions

Contractions usually fall into a few main groups, depending on the words they combine.

Pronoun and Verb Contractions

Many contractions combine a pronoun (like I, you, he, she, it, we, they) with a verb.

With 'be' verbs

These are very common.

• 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 = They're

With 'will'

The word "will" often gets shortened.

• I will = I'll
• You will = You'll
• He will = He'll
• She will = She'll
• It will = It'll
• We will = We'll
• They will = They'll

With 'have'

"Have" and its forms ("has," "had") also combine with pronouns.

• I have = I've
• You have = You've
• We have = We've
• They have = They've
• He has = He's (Be careful! "He's" can mean "he is" or "he has"!)
• She has = She's (Same here: "she is" or "she has")
• It has = It's (Again, "it is" or "it has")
• I had = I'd (Also tricky! "I'd" can mean "I had" or "I would")
• He had = He'd (Can mean "he had" or "he would")

Negative Contractions

These contractions combine a verb with the word "not." The apostrophe usually replaces the 'o' in "not."

With 'be' verbs

• Are not = aren't
• Is not = isn't
• Was not = wasn't
• Were not = weren't

With 'do' verbs

• Do not = don't
• Did not = didn't
• Does not = doesn't

With helping verbs

Many helping verbs (also called auxiliary verbs) combine with "not."

• Cannot or Can not = can't
• Could not = couldn't
• Should not = shouldn't
• Might not = mightn't
• Must not = mustn't
• Will not = won't (This one is a bit different! "Will not" changes completely to "won't".)
• Would not = wouldn't

With 'have' verbs

• Has not = hasn't
• Have not = haven't
• Had not = hadn't

When to Use Contractions

Contractions are great for making your writing and speaking sound friendly and informal. You'll hear them all the time in conversations, emails to friends, and even in many books and articles.

However, in very formal writing, like a school essay or a scientific report, it's often better to use the full words (e.g., "do not" instead of "don't"). This makes your writing sound more serious and official.

See also

In Spanish: Contracción para niños