In normal speech, most people pronounce unaccented have as /əv/, and so it would make sense to write it "'ve".
But in fact, this is not common except in I've and they've, (where it loses the vowel and sounds like /v/), and in the forms would've, should've and could've.
You can find other examples occasionally, but they're not common. For example, in the iWeb corpus there are 36 instances of people've, compared with 20820 of should've, and 449 594 of they've.
Answer from Colin Fine on Stack ExchangeSan Jose State University
sjsu.edu › writingcenter › docs › handouts › Contractions.pdf pdf
San José State University Writing Center www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter
replacing any contractions with the groups of words they represent. 1. I can’t go with you because I’m busy that day. 2. It’s clear that the dog is frightened because he keeps placing his tail between his legs. 3. They’ve been trimming the trees at the park since this morning; I haven’t been able to
Elephango
elephango.com › index.cfm › pg › k12learning › lcid › 11877 › Contractions:_Had_and_Have
Contractions: Had and Have Educational Resources K12 Learning, Grammar, English / Language Arts Lesson Plans, Activities, Experiments, Homeschool Help
They had set up the stand. Good job reading those sentences! Try reading the next sentence below. Tell your parent or teacher what the contraction is, and what two words make up that contraction: We'd better get to school! The contraction in the sentence you just read is we'd. If you break up the word "we'd," you will have the words "we" and "had."
Videos
00:27
Contractions with 'They' - YouTube
05:35
Learn English Contractions using HAVE | Grammar and Pronunciation ...
10:13
👑 English Grammar: Contractions of HAVE | Improve your English ...
05:30
Learn English Contractions using HAVE | Could've, Would've, ...
02:15
How to pronounce they're in English #contractions #pronunciation ...
What are contractions?
Contractions are two or more words that are combined and shortened to save time. Typically, you can identify a contraction by the apostrophe, as with isn’t or they’ve—but don’t confuse contractions with possessive nouns, which also use apostrophes.
grammarly.com
grammarly.com › blog › grammar › contractions
What Are Contractions in Writing? Definition and Examples | Grammarly
When should you use contractions?
Contractions are considered informal, so they should not be used in formal writing like academic papers.
grammarly.com
grammarly.com › blog › grammar › contractions
What Are Contractions in Writing? Definition and Examples | Grammarly
What are some examples of contractions?
Some of the most common contractions in English include can’t, it’s, they’ve, what’s, and would’ve.
grammarly.com
grammarly.com › blog › grammar › contractions
What Are Contractions in Writing? Definition and Examples | Grammarly
Grammarly
grammarly.com › blog › grammar › contractions
What Are Contractions in Writing? Definition and Examples | Grammarly
August 10, 2022 - Contractions take words that usually go together, like can not or I have, and then remove certain letters to shorten them and make other words, like can’t or I’ve. Contractions are an incredibly useful way to save time in both writing and speech, but there are a lot of rules about when and how to use them (for example, in formal writing they’re considered inappropriate).
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Wikipedia:List_of_English_contractions
Wikipedia:List of English contractions - Wikipedia
"Ain't That a Shame") consist of or contain contractions; these are covered at Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Trademarks and Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Titles, respectively.
Lawless English
lawlessenglish.com › home › contractions with the verb have
Contractions with the verb HAVE - Lawless English
April 18, 2014 - The simple present of the verb HAVE (have | has) is frequently contracted with a subject.
University of Nevada, Reno
unr.edu › university › writing & speaking center › writing & speaking resources › contractions
Contractions | University Writing & Speaking Center | University of Nevada, Reno
Contractions are a way to mash together two words in order to make them shorter. Learn how and when to use them.
University of Sussex
sussex.ac.uk › informatics › punctuation › apostrophe › contractions
Contractions : The Apostrophe
Such contractions represent the most useful job the apostrophe does for us, since, without it, we would have no way of expressing in writing the difference between she'll and shell, he'll and hell, can't and cant, I'll and ill, we're and were, she'd and shed, we'll and well, and perhaps a few others.
Top answer 1 of 4
6
In normal speech, most people pronounce unaccented have as /əv/, and so it would make sense to write it "'ve".
But in fact, this is not common except in I've and they've, (where it loses the vowel and sounds like /v/), and in the forms would've, should've and could've.
You can find other examples occasionally, but they're not common. For example, in the iWeb corpus there are 36 instances of people've, compared with 20820 of should've, and 449 594 of they've.
2 of 4
2
The 've contraction works with:
- I've = "I have"; and
- they've = "they have";
- you've = "you have";
- we've = "we have";
- (one) must've = "(one) must have";
- (one) should've = "(one) should have";
- (one) could've = "(one) could have";
- (one) would've = "(one) would have".
Those not listed above, including "my parents have", cannot usually be contracted in the same manner.
My parents have just arrived
You may alternatively choose to refer to your parents as "they" and therefore use "they've" in your sentence.
My parents (they) have just arrived.
- They've just arrived.
- Who?
- My parents.
- They must've been traveling all day.
In addition to whether it is possible to be used, it should also be noted that contractions such as these are generally more informal and something should be avoided. When writing an academic paper, for example, it is often advised to use the full phrase ("I have" or "should have") instead of opting for the contraction.
YouTube
youtube.com › english with lucy
How to pronounce the contractions in English - we'd | they'll | he'd | they're | it'd - YouTube
Learn how to pronounce and use contractions like I'M, WE'D, THEY'LL, WE'RE, THEY'RE, HE'D, IT'D. I will teach you the correct usage and pronunciation of thes...
Published June 22, 2022 Views 603K
Portail linguistique du Canada
noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca › en › writing-tips-plus › apostrophe-contractions
apostrophe: contractions – Writing Tips Plus – Writing Tools – Resources of the Language Portal of Canada – Canada.ca
The contraction ’s is short for the verb is or has, or for the pronoun us in Let’s: It’s (It is) the best of its kind. It’s (It is) with fondness that Clara remembers the days of ice fishing with her grandfather. John’s (John is) flying to Toronto this morning. Miriam’s (Miriam has) already left. Let’s (Let us) plan a trip to Banff this winter. ... They’ve (They have) sent us a letter.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/grammar › can i use “they’re” as a contraction for “they were”?
r/grammar on Reddit: Can I use “they’re” as a contraction for “they were”?
November 6, 2023 - probably not. Maybe in spoken english "they were" might get shortened, but in written english "they're" is pretty much alwasy "they are"
Enchanted Learning
enchantedlearning.com › grammar › contractions › index.shtml
Contractions - Enchanted Learning
March 9, 2006 - For example, “don’t” is a contraction that is short for “do not”; the apostrophe in “don’t” takes the place of the missing “o”. Another example is “o’clock,” a contraction “of the clock.” A less common example of a contraction is “jack-o’-lantern,” short for “jack-of-lantern”; in it, the apostrophe takes the place of the missing “f” in “of.”
Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english › they-ve
THEY'VE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
THEY'VE definition: 1. short form of they have: 2. short form of they have: 3. contraction of they have: . Learn more.
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
Contractions with 'They' - YouTube
Common Contractions & Pronunciation.A contraction is a short form of a word or group of words in which certain letters or sounds are omitted.
Published October 18, 2024
GCFGlobal
edu.gcfglobal.org › en › grammar › contractions › 1
Grammar: Contractions
Words like can't (can + not), don't (do + not), and I've (I + have) are all contractions. People use contractions in both speaking and writing. They're so common that movies and books often try to make characters seem old-fashioned or strange by having them never use contractions.
Scribbr
scribbr.com › home › contractions (grammar) | definition & examples
Contractions (Grammar) | Definition & Examples
May 2, 2025 - Contractions are words or phrases that have been shortened by omitting one or more letters. Typically, you can identify a contraction by the apostrophe that is used to indicate the place of the missing letters.
Twinkl
twinkl.ca › teaching-wiki › contracted-form
What is a contraction in English? - Definition and Examples
Twinkl's Teaching Wiki gives explanations of common terms and key vocabulary used in teaching, and shows related Twinkl resources for each term.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/grammar › why can't i use the contractions "they're" or "we're" at the end of a sentence?
r/grammar on Reddit: Why can't I use the contractions "they're" or "we're" at the end of a sentence?
December 12, 2013 -
For example, "I've never met my parents; I have no idea who they're."
or
Is anyone else hungry? Because we're.
Obviously, those are both terrible sentences, but if they're=they are and we're=we are, shouldn't it work?
Top answer 1 of 2
2
Basically, because the "are" is important enough that it would feel wrong to squish it. I'm not 100% certain how to express that technically, though.
2 of 2
2
I don't have any expertise on the matter, but as a native speaker I'd say it sounds weird to me because usually words at the beginning or the end of a sentence are more important/stressed. In your example, "Is anyone else hungry? Because we're.", it sounds off because "are" is being singled out as important by the structure of the sentence. I don't think there's much call for a contraction in this format being at the end of a sentence without attempting to make it more important, making it more rarely used, which is why it might sound weird.
Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › grammar › british-grammar › contractions
Contractions - Grammar - Cambridge Dictionary
We make contractions with auxiliary verbs, and also with be and have when they are not auxiliary verbs.
Quora
quora.com › What-is-heve-And-its-actually-a-contraction-of-he-have-but-how-is-it-used-and-what-is-it-used-for
What is he've? And it's actually a contraction of he have but how is it used and what is it used for? - Quora
Answer (1 of 10): I can’t agree that “he have” is always wrong; think of the question, “Will he have a hat?” However, this is an outlier, and so unusual that it would not be appropriate to contract it. Contractions are used to elide/shorten commonly used phrases, just as abbreviations ...