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Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english › weren-t
WEREN'T | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
WEREN'T definition: 1. short form of were not: 2. short form of were not: 3. contraction of were not: . Learn more.
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San Jose State University
sjsu.edu › writingcenter › docs › handouts › Contractions.pdf pdf
San José State University Writing Center www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter
One contraction that is not on the above list is “it’s.” It is useful to note that “it’s,” a contraction,
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Quora
quora.com › If-were-not-and-we-arent-are-both-acceptable-why-is-werent-not
If 'we're not' and 'we aren't' are both acceptable, why is 'we'ren't' not? - Quora
Answer (1 of 8): It is spelled ‘weren’t’ and it is perfectly acceptable. It means ‘were (you) not’. Weren’t you going to go to town today? (were you not going to go to town today?)
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Gymglish
gymglish.com › homepage › online english lessons › grammar rules: learn and improve - gymglish › forming contractions (aren't, can't, i'd, you're, etc.)
Forming contractions (aren't, can't, I'd, you're, etc.): How and When to Use - Gymglish
Mustn't, contraction of must not · Weren't, contraction of were not · Wouldn't, contraction of would not · Didn't, contraction of did not · The auxiliary verbs to be and will are frequently contracted: I am · I'm · You are · You're · He/She/It is · He/She/It's ·
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Langeek
langeek.co › home › grammar › punctuation and spelling › contractions
"Contractions" in English Grammar | LanGeek
2 weeks ago - The verb 'have' can be contracted in the present and the past tense as well as with different subjects. In the following table, you can see the contracted forms of this verb: ... I've got to go. They'd been in China. He's been quite busy lately. To make negative sentences, we add 'not' to auxiliary verbs.
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GCFGlobal
edu.gcfglobal.org › en › grammar › contractions › 1
Grammar: Contractions
A contraction is a word made by shortening and combining two words. Words like can't (can + not), don't (do + not), and I've (I + have) are all contractions.
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EnglishClub
englishclub.com › vocabulary › contractions-negative.php
Negative Contractions | Learn English
Yeah baby I'm tired of your negative reaction So I wrote a list of your negative contractions And I felt the need to give you the full list, baby So here we go... 1, 2, 3 · aren't, are not can't, can not couldn't, could not daren't, dare not didn't, did not doesn't, does not don't, do not hasn't, has not haven't, have not hadn't, had not isn't, is not mayn't, may not mightn't, might not mustn't must not needn't, need not oughtn't, ought not shan't, shall not shouldn't, should not wasn't, was not weren't, were not won't, will not wouldn't, would not Baby the only thing I ever get from you is n
Top answer
1 of 2
4

‘An A-Z of English Grammar and Usage’ by Leech and others suggests the following:

With be, use the contraction + not (e.g. That’s not right).

With have and modal auxiliaries, use the verb + n’t option, e.g. hasn’t, can’t.

The authors go on to say that forms such as She isn’t hungry, as opposed to She’s not hungry, are less common, and that forms such as I’ve not met him, as opposed to I haven’t met him, are much less common.

The authors don’t say on what basis they make their recommendations, but they are likely to be based on frequency of use. There doesn’t seem to be any difference of meaning or emphasis. I would just add myself that a contraction such as I’ve not met him sounds more formal, perhaps because of its lower frequency.

2 of 2
0

As you've said, placing emphasis on a word is a matter of desired emphasis which is a matter of personal style rather than rules. I think you could make exactly the same point by putting stress on isn't (It ISN'T my fault!)

In the Python sketch, the emphasised word is 'it' not, 'not'. Part of the humour in the sketch is the repetition of it - 'It is.' 'No, it isn't.' 'Yes it is.'. This wouldn't have carried the same impact if the humour was based on, perhaps, the back and forth of 'It's not', 'Yes, it is.' 'No, it's not.'

Also, they can do this with a number of forms of the sentences in the sketch, for example 'It can be.' 'No, it can't ...' The humour wouldn't carry through these sentences if the emphasis had been used on the 'Is/Not' structure.

Find elsewhere
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Wikipedia:List_of_English_contractions
Wikipedia:List of English contractions - Wikipedia
This list is part of the internal Wikipedia Manual of Style. For encyclopedic information see English auxiliaries and contractions. This is a list of contractions used in the Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Abbreviations; these are to be avoided anywhere other than in direct quotations in encyclopedic ...
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
Contractions | Negatives “not” | isn't, aren't, don't, doesn't - YouTube
Contractions | Negatives “not” | isn't, aren't, don't, doesn'tLynn teaches negative English contractions - isn't aren't don't doesn't🔥 Free Video Classes - ...
Published   July 11, 2021
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Antimoon
antimoon.com › forum › t8199.htm
"Let's" is not a contraction. | Antimoon Forum
Homepage · How to learn English · Other articles · Learner reports · Resources · Translation wiki · About
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University of Sussex
sussex.ac.uk › informatics › punctuation › apostrophe › contractions
Contractions : The Apostrophe
The apostrophe is used in writing contractions — that is, shortened forms of words from which one or more letters have been omitted. In standard English, this generally happens only with a small number of conventional items, mostly involving verbs. Here are some of the commonest examples, with their uncontracted equivalents: ... Note in each case that the apostrophe appears precisely in the position of the omitted letters: we write can't, not *ca'nt, and aren't, not *are'nt.
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University of Hull Library
libguides.hull.ac.uk › writing › contractions
Contractions - Writing academically - Library at University of Hull
This page gives examples of common contractions and what to use instead. * It is a common misconception that the non-abbreviated form of could've and should've is 'could of' and 'should of'. Please note this is not the case and the full form uses the word 'have'.
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Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › grammar › british-grammar › contractions
Contractions - Grammar - Cambridge Dictionary
I am not is only contracted to I’m not. Not: I’m n’t or I am n’t. They are not is contracted to they aren’t or they’re not. The isn’t / aren’t contractions are more common after nouns.
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Scribbr
scribbr.com › home › contractions (grammar) | definition & examples
Contractions (Grammar) | Definition & Examples
May 2, 2025 - A contraction is a combination of two or more existing words that creates a shorter word. Sometimes, a contraction can be a single word (e.g., “kinda”), but in most cases contractions are formed using words that often go together (e.g., “do not” becomes “don’t”).
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BBC
bbc.co.uk › worldservice › learningenglish › grammar › learnit › learnitv184.shtml
Learning English | BBC World Service
negative auxilliary verbs: contracted forms: pronunciation · Yasmeen from Portugal writes: