Guide to Spelling: Hooked on Phonics: Contractions: Suck It In
Contractions: Suck It In
Creating contractions is another useful skill, right up there with knowing how to work an ATM, execute a three-point turn, and rappel down a cliff. Fortunately, it's much easier to learn how to form contractions than it is to work an ATM or do a three-point turn. I'm not even going to discuss mountain-type stuff like rappelling.
Using contractions adds a more informal tone to your writing and reproduces the spoken word more accurately in your prose.
The basic rule for forming a contraction is a snap: to combine two words, just insert an apostrophe in the space where the letter or letters have been omitted. Here are some examples.
| Word #1 | Word #2 | Contraction | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | + | am | = | I'm |
| you | + | are | = | you're |
| he | + | is | = | he's |
| we | + | are | = | we're |
Strictly Speaking
Traditionally, contractions are not used in formal writing, such as reports and letters.
Danger, Will Robinson
Here's a key exception: will + not = won't (not willn't).
Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style © 2003 by Laurie E. Rozakis, Ph.D.. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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