Contractions

Contractions are shortened or abbreviated versions of verbs, pronouns, and other phrases. You use contractions in everyday speech and informal writing.

What follows are examples of common contractions, with the contraction listed first and the complete phrase in parentheses:

• don’t (do not)

• wouldn’t (would not)

• haven’t (have not)

• shouldn’t (should not)

• can’t (cannot)

• won’t (will not)

• it’s (it is)

• I’d (I would or I should)

• you’d (you would)

• he’d or she’d (he or she would)

• we’d (we would)

• they’d (they would)

• let’s (let us, as in let’s do something)

• isn’t (is not)

• wasn’t (was not)

• aren’t (are not)

• didn’t (did not)

• doesn’t (does not)

• hadn’t (had not)