Contractions in English are words or phrases that are shortened by dropping one or more letters and replacing the letter or letters with an apostrophe. They are very common in speech and informal writing but should usually be avoided in formal contexts.
Common Contractions | |
does not = doesn't | they are = they're |
cannot = can't | you are = you're |
will not = won't | I am = I'm |
should not = shouldn't | we have = we've |
have not = haven't | I have = I've |
is not = isn't | you have = you've |
are not = aren't | it is = it's |
here is = here's | there is = there's |
Caution!
An apostrophe does not always signal a contraction. Apostrophes are also used to indicate ownership.
Examples
Erik’s computer
The dog’s food
The kid’s toy
Where is the apostrophe button on the keyboard?
Below, you can see where the apostrophe button is located on the keyboard (click on the image for a full-size image):
