San Jose State University
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San José State University Writing Center www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter
By definition, a contraction is a shortened form of a group of words. Contractions are used in
Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › grammar › british-grammar › contractions
Contractions - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary
Contractions, which are sometimes called ‘short forms’, commonly combine a pronoun or noun and a verb, or a verb and not, in a shorter form. Contractions are usually not appropriate in formal writing.
Videos
00:27
Contractions with 'They' - YouTube
04:50
Learn Contractions using WILL | Pronunciation and Grammar - YouTube
09:51
Learn the Top 10 Contractions You Should Be Using in English - YouTube
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How to Pronounce CONTRACTIONS - you're, we're, they're - YouTube
05:35
Learn English Contractions using HAVE | Grammar and Pronunciation ...
10:13
👑 English Grammar: Contractions of HAVE | Improve your English ...
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
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Contractions (Grammar) | Definition & Examples
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.
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Contractions (Grammar) | Definition & Examples
What is the difference between a contraction and a portmanteau?
Contractions and portmanteaus are similar in that they are both formed by combining two words and omitting some letters. However, there is a difference between them: · Contractions usually combine two words that are often used together (e.g., “do not” becomes “don’t”). A contraction has the same meaning as its uncontracted form. · A portmanteau is formed by blending two words together to create a new word with a different meaning. For example, “brunch” is a combination of “breakfast” and “lunch.” This is also called a neologism.
scribbr.com
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Contractions (Grammar) | Definition & Examples
Grammarly
grammarly.com › blog › grammar › contractions
What Are Contractions in Writing? Definition and Examples | Grammarly
August 10, 2022 - Have and has are two of the most common words in contractions, whether they’re preceded by subjects (we’ve, it’s) or phrased as negatives (haven’t, hasn’t). However, have and has can be used as contractions only when they’re modal verbs, another name for helper verbs. When have or has is used as a main verb with the meaning “to own, possess, or hold,” they cannot be used as contractions.
GCFGlobal
edu.gcfglobal.org › en › grammar › contractions › 1
Grammar: Contractions
Here are some of the contractions you'll see the most: You might have noticed that the word won't is a little different from the other contractions. It means will not, even though the word will isn't there. This is because won't is based on a much older form of the word will. Even though the word changed, the contraction stayed the same! If anyone tells you that you should never use contractions in writing, they're wrong.
Dictionary.com
dictionary.com › browse › contraction
CONTRACTION Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
CONTRACTION definition: an act or instance of contracting or the quality or state of being contracted. See examples of contraction used in a sentence.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Contraction_(grammar)
Contraction (grammar) - Wikipedia
2 weeks ago - They may be considered idiomatic though the meaning of most were transparent when coined. Many are usually written hyphenated, but that reflects a common preference to hyphenate English compounds (except verbs) containing prepositions. "Fixed" is a matter of degree, and in this case, it essentially means "standard": that the contraction ...
Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english › contraction
CONTRACTION | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
1. the fact of something becoming smaller or shorter: 2. the fact of becoming…
Dictionary.com
dictionary.com › e › their-vs-there-vs-theyre
“Their” vs. “There” vs. “They’re”: What’s the ...
October 24, 2024 - Their is the possessive case of the pronoun they, meaning belonging to them. As in: They left their cell phones at home. Their is generally plural, but it is increasingly accepted in place of the singular his or her after words such as someone: Someone left their book on the table. They’re is a contraction of the words they and are.
Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › dictionary › contraction
CONTRACTION Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of CONTRACTION is the action or process of contracting : the state of being contracted. How to use contraction in a sentence.
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.
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.
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 - Maybe in spoken english "they were" ... alwasy "they are" ... Thanks for the responses. I’m not a writer it’s just something my autocorrect does sometimes, it made me wonder if that’s correct. More like auto”wrong” ... I'd say no. I don't know of any dialect that would ever do that. It would make it difficult to tell simple past from simple present in many cases. Double contractions - "You would've" ...
ThoughtCo
thoughtco.com › contractions-commonly-used-informal-english-1692651
What Are Contractions in English Grammar?
April 29, 2025 - For instance, "Sam's finished his term paper" implies completion in the past (Sam has finished), while "Sam's tired" is in the present tense, meaning Sam is. They may look odd in print, but certain multiple contractions such as I'd've (or I'd'a) and wouldn't've are fairly common in speech.
freeCodeCamp
freecodecamp.org › news › what-is-a-contraction-grammar-and-definition
What is a Contraction? Grammar and Definition
September 20, 2021 - They are informal and casual, since they give your writing a more friendly, light, accessible, and approachable tone. Contractions can make the reader feel like you are talking directly to them and having a conversation. It helps make your writing appear uncomplicated for everyone to understand and make sense of. Because contractions are shorter, it also means that they take up less space.
Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › grammar & usage › commonly confused › how to use they're, there, and their | merriam-webster
How to Use They're, There, and Their | Merriam-Webster
March 11, 2025 - They generally indicate contraction of two words, as in can't = cannot, we’ve = we have, or he’s = he is, or omission of a letter or letters, as in singin' for singing and 'em for them in stick it to 'em. They're (=they are) funny people.