🌐
Scribbr
scribbr.com › home › contractions (grammar) | definition & examples
Contractions (Grammar) | Definition & Examples
May 2, 2025 - NoteSome contractions have more than one possible meaning. For example, “she’d” can mean “she had” or “she would.” The correct meaning is usually clear from the context of the sentence.
Discussions

Use of "had" contraction with a plural subject
Yes, you can make that contraction, but only when speaking. Nobody will understand what you mean if you write it down. Well, they might, but it looks funny. This goes for any noun. The written contraction only exists for pronouns. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/EnglishLearning
2
1
November 1, 2022
Can "she's" mean "she has" in written english?
Nonsense, but not every instance of has can be contracted to 's. I disagree with u/nihilcupio , you can't write "She's two apples"; people also don't say that, as far as I know. "Has" in the sentence "She has two apples" is the main verb, meaning "possess". But if "has" is just an auxiliary verb to indicate tense ("She has found her dream guy"), it's perfectly OK to contract: "She's found her dream guy" is OK in spoken and written English. Here's a wikipedia link, not the most authoritative, but carries some weight: Contracted auxiliaries The section also explain that 's for does is very informal: "I like that guy. What's he do?" And this is indeed a sentence I would not write down unless rendering speech. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/grammar
20
13
December 19, 2013
Could "she's" mean "she has"?
Yeah, the "s" can be a contraction of "is" or "has" You'll know which is by the verb or context She's pretty = she is pretty She's just arrived = she has just arrived More on reddit.com
🌐 r/EnglishLearning
27
34
April 30, 2019
When contractions started did you immediately know what it was?
I did! I had thought I was having them before, but they weren't consistent. When I woke up the morning I was in labor, I immediately thought, "Oh! THESE are contractions." More on reddit.com
🌐 r/BabyBumps
162
99
June 13, 2023
People also ask

What is the difference between an abbreviation and a contraction?
Abbreviations and contractions are both used to shorten a word, but in different ways. · An abbreviation is formed using the initial letters (or sometimes other parts) of a longer word or phrase to represent the whole. Common examples include “Mr.” for “Mister,” “Dr.” for “Doctor,” and “NASA” for “National Aeronautics and Space Administration.” They are used in formal writing as well as everyday conversations. · A contraction, on the other hand, is formed by combining two words and omitting one or more letters. The deleted letters are replaced with an apostrophe (e.g., “cannot” becomes “can’t”
🌐
scribbr.com
scribbr.com › home › contractions (grammar) | definition & examples
Contractions (Grammar) | Definition & Examples
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
What are contractions (words)?
Contractions are short words that are made by combining two words. This is often done by deleting certain letters and replacing them with an apostrophe (e.g., “do not” becomes “don’t”). · Although contractions are common in everyday speech, they should generally be avoided in formal or academic writing. However, there are exceptions (e.g., when writing dialogue in a story or directly quoting an author who uses contractions in your paper). · A good rule of thumb is to consider your audience and the intended effect of your writing when deciding whether to use contractions.
🌐
scribbr.com
scribbr.com › home › contractions (grammar) | definition & examples
Contractions (Grammar) | Definition & Examples
🌐
Gymglish
gymglish.com › homepage › online english lessons › grammar rules: learn and improve - gymglish › contractions: 'would' vs 'had'
Contractions: 'would' vs 'had': How and When to Use - Gymglish
The auxiliary verbs would and had are both contracted to 'd. How can they be distinguished? • Would is always followed by a verb in the infinitive without the to: I'd like some sugar please. I would like some sugar please. I'd be glad to meet you. I would be glad to meet you.
Find elsewhere
🌐
San Jose State University
sjsu.edu › writingcenter › docs › handouts › Contractions.pdf pdf
Contractions [pdf]
you’d  you had; you would · she’ll  she will; she shall · you’ll  you will; you shall · she’s  she is; she has · you’re  you are · shouldn’t  should not · you’ve  you have · that’s  that is; that has · One contraction that is not on the above list ...
🌐
Grammarly
grammarly.com › blog › grammar › contractions
What Are Contractions in Writing? Definition and Examples | Grammarly
August 10, 2022 - There’s another rule about contractions, again particular to American English, related to subject contractions in the present perfect tense (used for past actions that are related to or continue into the present). When the present perfect tense is used in the negative, it’s incorrect to use a subject contraction like she’s or I’ve.
🌐
University of Nevada, Reno
unr.edu › university › writing & speaking center › writing & speaking resources › contractions
Contractions | University Writing & Speaking Center | University of Nevada, Reno
Contractions that take out the first letter of the second word: I’m = I am · They’re = They are · I’d = I had · She’s = She is · How’s = How is · Contractions that take out the second letter of the second word: Note: Contractions that use the word “not” will replace the “o” with an apostrophe (‘).
🌐
Learn English
learnenglish.ecenglish.com › lessons › contractions
Contractions | Learn English
We make contractions by connecting two or more words together. One or more letters are removed from the words when they are connected. ... There would → There'd → "There'd have been more people here if the party had been on the weekend." That had → That'd → "That'd better be the last ...
🌐
Absolute Write
absolutewrite.com › forums › forums
Grammar contractions — he had/he'd
September 14, 2020 - What are royalties? What are standard contract terms? What does this line in my contract mean? How do I find an agent?
🌐
BoldVoice
boldvoice.com › blog › contractions-in-english
35 Essential Contractions in English | BoldVoice
October 20, 2024 - Conversely, when discussing past actions or conditions, it signifies "you had." ... This future tense contraction is a combination of the phrase "he will." The word means that a male subject will perform an action in the future. ... "She’ll" means the same as "he’ll," with the only difference being that the subject is female.
🌐
QuillBot
quillbot.com › home › contractions (grammar) | definition, list & examples
Contractions (Grammar) | Definition, List & Examples
Contractions in English examplesWhitney said that she’ll handle all of the party decorations.
Published   May 12, 2025
🌐
GCFGlobal
edu.gcfglobal.org › en › grammar › contractions › 1
Grammar: Contractions
This is an apostrophe. Knowing where to put the apostrophe can seem tricky, but there's a pretty simple rule that works with every contraction. Remember how we said contractions are made of two words that have been shortened?
🌐
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
🌐
Espresso English
espressoenglish.net › home › english tips blog › 50+ contractions in english: list & examples
50+ Contractions in English: List & Examples - Espresso English
July 16, 2024 - She’s already eaten dinner. He’s been sick all week. We’re going to be late – we should’ve left earlier. We do NOT use the contracted form if “have/has/had” is the MAIN VERB of the sentence, meaning possession.
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/englishlearning › use of "had" contraction with a plural subject
r/EnglishLearning on Reddit: Use of "had" contraction with a plural subject
November 1, 2022 -

Hi! I have a question about the use of contractions and "had."

I know that had can be contracted when it is used as an auxiliary (I had gone = I'd gone) but not when it is used as the main verb (I had a house =/= I'd a house).

Now, what happens when there is a *plural* subject, as in, "the lies had gone too far." Can this be contracted as "The lies'd gone too far?"

Thanks!

🌐
YourDictionary
yourdictionary.com › grammar › contractions & compound words › using contractions correctly
Using Contractions Correctly | YourDictionary
July 15, 2022 - If you combine “is” + “not” to form “isn’t,” you remove the “o” from “not” and replace it with an apostrophe. One common exception to this rule is the word “won’t.” It is a shortened form of “will not,” but you can see the word “will” is not in the contraction at all.
🌐
Study.com
study.com › courses › english courses › study.com act study guide and test prep
Contractions in Grammar | Overview, Definition & Examples - Lesson | Study.com
April 30, 2016 - The contraction for "I had" is "I'd," as in "I'd been there before." The contraction for "she had" is "she'd," as in "They said she'd already gone."
🌐
Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › grammar › british-grammar › contractions
Contractions - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary
The following are the most common contractions. ’m = am (I’m) ’re = are (you’re, we’re, they’re) ’s = is and has (he’s, she’s, it’s) ’ve = have (’ve, you’ve, we’ve, they’ve) ’ll = will (I’ll, you’ll, he’ll, she’ll, it’ll, we’ll, they’ll) ’d = had and would (I’d, you’d, he’d, she’d, it’d, we’d, they’d) The contraction for not is n’t: We use contractions with be + negative in two ways: She is not is contracted to she isn’t or she’s not.