Contraction

1. Definition

Contractions are a kind of abbreviation that combines two or more words by

removing certain letters and usually adding an apostrophe. Only certain words
can be contracted: typically small and common words (not, is/are), especially
pronouns (I, he/she/it, they), and modal verbs (can, will, might, must, should,
would, could).

Contractions are an incredibly useful way to save time in both writing and
speech, but there are a lot of rules about when and how to use them (for
example, in formal writing they’re considered inappropriate).

Even though they represent multiple words, contractions act as a single word.
Moreover, contractions all have a definite spelling, which means you can’t just
combine words however you like. We have to be careful because two different
contractions can be spelled the same, such as I would and I had, which are both
contracted as I’d.
In sentence structure, contractions act in the same way as the words that make
them.
I do not understand how to use contractions.
I don’t understand how to use contractions.

The point of contractions is simply to save time. By cutting out letters and
combining multiple words into one, your writing (and speech) becomes more
compact and therefore more potent. Contractions are common in casual
conversations like emails, text messages, or social media posts but not in formal
writing like academic papers.
2. Types
A . Negative contractions
They are typically used with tag questions.
Tag questions are declarative statements with a question “tagged on” the end
that asks if someone agrees.
The weather is hot today, isn’t it?

If the declarative part of the sentence is a positive statement, then the question
part is phrased as a negative and vice versa. When the tag question is negative,
use a contraction. If the main verb is be, then the verb in the tag question should
match (like in the example above, which uses is and isn’t). If the declarative
statement uses a main verb other than be, the tag question uses a negative
contraction formed with do and not.
She loves you more than me, doesn’t she?
B. Colloquial contractions
You may have heard some people use contractions like amn’t or ain’t, but these
are not common. Like slang, some contractions are popular only in certain
geographical regions or cultures. These are known as colloquialisms, and
colloquial contractions may not be understood by everyone because they’re
technically not proper English.

Specifically, the contraction amn’t is used mostly in Scottish and Irish English,
while the contractions ain’t and y’all are used mostly in regional American
English.
3. Examples of contractions:
Contraction Meaning
could’ve could have
he’d he had, he would
he’ll he will
he’s he has, he is
here’s here is
how’d how did, how would
how’ll how will
how’re how are
how’s how has, how is