Contraction

A contraction is a type of abbreviation that skips letters in a word or phrase to create a single, shorter word. It will usually use an apostrophe to show that letters are missing.

Most contractions shorten two words into one. However, there are some occasions where this isn’t the case. Sometimes, it will shorten a single word. For example, “can’t” is a shorter version of “cannot”. Other times, it will be more than two words. For example, “shouldn’t’ve” is a shorter version of “should not have”.

Some common examples of contractions include:

• I’d
• I’m
• You’re
• You’ve
• They’re
• They’d
• We’ve
• We’re
• Should’ve
• Didn’t
• Wouldn’t
• Can’t
• Aren’t
• That’s
• Isn’t
• Let’s

Contractions are very similar to elisions, another type of abbreviation that involves apostrophes. However, contractions are usually done to shorten longer words or phrases to make them quicker and more efficient to say or write. Elisions are used for effect in a text, for example, to manipulate sounds in a poem and make them fit the metre.

You should not be using contractions in your essays. They do not match the voice or style of academic writing.