Tuesday, November 5, 2019
What Are Contractions (Warning Not a Guide to Pregnancy)
What Are Contractions (Warning Not a Guide to Pregnancy) What Are Contractions? If youââ¬â¢re heavily pregnant and noticing a tightness in your uterus at regular intervals, congratulations! Youââ¬â¢re probably about to go into labor. However, if youââ¬â¢re looking for advice on that issue, weââ¬â¢re afraid youââ¬â¢re in the wrong place. The ââ¬Å"contractionsâ⬠weââ¬â¢re interested in are words. But what are these contractions? And how can you avoid errors when using them in your writing? Read on below to find out! What Are Contractions? A contraction is an abbreviation formed by combining two words. For instance: Could not = Couldnââ¬â¢t I am = Iââ¬â¢m Where is = Whereââ¬â¢s As shown above, we use an apostrophe to indicate that letters have been dropped from the new word. All contractions are formed like this, so make sure not to miss the apostrophe out! When to Use Contractions Contractions are very common in speech. As a result, you can use them in writing if youââ¬â¢re aiming for an informal, friendly tone. Theyââ¬â¢re also very useful in fiction, especially dialogue. However, since contractions are informal, you should not use them in formal writing (e.g., college papers and technical writing). The one exception to this is ââ¬Å"oââ¬â¢clockâ⬠if youââ¬â¢re writing down a time in full (this is actually a contraction of ââ¬Å"of the clockâ⬠). What time of the clock is it? Watch Out for These Sneaky Words! Finally, weââ¬â¢ll end on a list of common contractions that are regularly misused or that could be confusing. Look out for these terms in your writing and make sure that youââ¬â¢ve got them right: Contraction What It Means Common Errors Itââ¬â¢s It is or it has Donââ¬â¢t confuse this term with the possessive determiner ââ¬Å"itsâ⬠(no apostrophe). Theyââ¬â¢re They are Not to be confused for the possessive determiner ââ¬Å"theirâ⬠or the adverb ââ¬Å"there.â⬠Weââ¬â¢re We are Not to be confused with the past tense verb ââ¬Å"wereâ⬠or the adverb ââ¬Å"where.â⬠Youââ¬â¢re You are Not to be confused with the possessive ââ¬Å"your.â⬠Canââ¬â¢t Cannot The full form of this term is written as a single word, so make sure not to write ââ¬Å"can notâ⬠in formal writing. Wonââ¬â¢t Will not This term is technically short for ââ¬Å"woll not,â⬠since ââ¬Å"wollâ⬠is an old-fashioned spelling of ââ¬Å"will.â⬠And although ââ¬Å"willâ⬠became standard for the positive form, the ââ¬Å"oâ⬠spelling became standard for the negative contraction. With these terms, if youââ¬â¢re not sure whether the contraction is correct, try using the expanded version in the sentence. For example, while ââ¬Å"weââ¬â¢reâ⬠and ââ¬Å"wereâ⬠look similar written down, there is an obvious difference between ââ¬Å"they were happyâ⬠(grammatical) and ââ¬Å"they we are happyâ⬠(ungrammatical).
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