GRAMMAR & STRUCTURE
Contractions

Definition

Contractions are the shortened forms of verbs. They use apostrophes (') to show the eliminated part of the word.

Example

He's tired today. (He's = He + is)

Explanation

Contractions:

• are used with auxiliary verbs ("be", "have", and modal verbs).
• follow nouns and personal pronouns.
• replace the first vowel or consonants and first vowel of the verb.
• add "n't" to the verb form in the negative. (NOTE: "I am" and "You are" do not follow this rule.)
• are used in informal writing and speaking, but are not used in formal writing.

Related Sections

Verbs
Simple Sentence Structure
Future Simple