A Brief Contractions Worksheet

A very simple, effective tool for increasing the flow of your paper is the proper use of the contraction. Contractions are formed when one shortens two or more words with an apostrophe. Although the form has been changed, the meaning of the original phrase remains intact. For example, the proper contraction of  "are not" is "aren't." The following example highlights the proper use of this contraction:

Original form: We are not going to the party.
Contraction: We aren't going to the party.

Use of contractions, such as the one highlighted in the above example, will help increase the clarity and flow of your paper. Below is a list of common contractions and their original phrases.

                         

can't	cannot
couldn't	could not
didn't	did not
doesn't	does not
don't	do not
hadn't	had not
hasn't	has not
haven't	have not
he'd	he had, he would
he'll	he will, he shall
he's	he is, he has
I'd	I had, I would
I'll	I will
I've	I have
isn't	is not
let's	let us
she'd	she had, she would
she'll	she will, she shall
we'd	we had, we would
we've	we have
you'd	you had, you would
you've	you have

For writers coming from a foreign language background, proper understanding of contractions and their use is essential for clear writing and communication. Practice using contractions in your everyday speech and writing and before you know it, you will be a contraction magician!

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