Contractions in English
Contractions are shortened forms of two words, created by combining them and replacing some letters with an apostrophe (’). They’re commonly used in spoken English and informal writing to make sentences sound more natural and fluid.
What is a Contraction?
A contraction is a word made by shortening and combining two words, with an apostrophe replacing the missing letters.
👉 Example:
- Do not becomes don’t
- She is becomes she’s
List of Common English Contractions with Example Sentences
| Full Form | Contraction | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Are not | aren’t | They aren’t coming to the party. |
| Can not | can’t | I can’t believe it’s already Friday. |
| Could not | couldn’t | She couldn’t finish the exam in time. |
| Did not | didn’t | He didn’t call me yesterday. |
| Do not | don’t | Please don’t forget your homework. |
| Does not | doesn’t | It doesn’t matter now. |
| Had not | hadn’t | We hadn’t seen her before. |
| Have not | haven’t | I haven’t eaten lunch yet. |
| He is | he’s | He’s very kind. |
| He will | he’ll | He’ll arrive soon. |
| He would / He had | he’d | He’d gone home early. / He’d like that. |
| Here is | here’s | Here’s your coffee. |
| I am | I’m | I’m ready to go. |
| I have | I’ve | I’ve seen that movie. |
| I will | I’ll | I’ll help you with that. |
| Is not | isn’t | This isn’t working. |
| It is | it’s | It’s a beautiful day. |
| It has | it’s | It’s been a long time. |
| It will | it’ll | It’ll be okay. |
| Must not | mustn’t | You mustn’t lie. |
| She is | she’s | She’s coming with us. |
| She has | she’s | She’s been waiting for an hour. |
| She will | she’ll | She’ll call you later. |
| She would | she’d | She’d love to join. |
| That is | that’s | That’s amazing! |
| There is | there’s | There’s a problem here. |
| They are | they’re | They’re my best friends. |
| They have | they’ve | They’ve already left. |
| Was not | wasn’t | He wasn’t at school today. |
| We are | we’re | We’re going to the zoo. |
| We have | we’ve | We’ve made progress. |
| We will | we’ll | We’ll be there by 5. |
| We would | we’d | We’d better hurry. |
| Were not | weren’t | You weren’t at the meeting. |
| What is | what’s | What’s your name? |
| Who is | who’s | Who’s knocking at the door? |
| Who will | who’ll | Who’ll volunteer for the task? |
| Will not | won’t | I won’t forget this. |
| You are | you’re | You’re very talented. |
| You will | you’ll | You’ll enjoy this movie. |
| You would / had | you’d | You’d love it. / You’d already left. |
List of Contractions in English
- Are not – aren’t
- Can not – can’t
- Could not – couldn’t
- Did not – didn’t
- Do not – don’t
- Does not – doesn’t
- Had not – hadn’t
- Have not – haven’t
- He is – he’s
- He will – he’II
- He would – he’d
- He had – he’d
- Here is – here’s
- I am – I’m
- I have – I’ve
- I will – I’d
- is not – isn’t
- it is – it’s
- it has – it’s
- it will – it’II
- Must not – mustn’t
- She is – she’s
- She has – she’s
- She will – she’ll
- She would – she’d
- That is – that’s
- There is – there’s
- They are – they’re
- They have – they’ve
- Was not – wasn’t
- We are – we’re
- We have – we’ve
- We will – we’II
- We would – we’d
- Were not – weren’t
- What is – what’s
- Who is – who’s
- Who will – who’II
- Will not – won’t
- You are – you’re
- You will – you’II
- You would – you’d
- You had – you’d
Contractions are a simple yet powerful part of everyday English. They help your speech flow naturally and your writing sound more conversational. By mastering contractions, you’ll sound more fluent, confident, and clear in communication.
