What Does It Mean To Begin A Contraction?

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A contraction is a shortened form of a word or a group of words that uses an apostrophe for omitted letters. Contractions in speech are a variation of the English language that is quite common, but one that most of us do not give much thought. Considered conversational rather than formal, contractions are most often heard in every day spoken English language. When used in writing, contractions bring the reader closer to the writer, and generally are not found in formal writing (Kolln, 2013). According to Mary M. Clark, the negative particle not is almost always contracted onto the auxiliary (2010). The findings in my research lead me to believe that we humans tend to prefer the easiest way to communicate with one another, and contractions …show more content…

For example, when asking my son if he cleaned his room as I asked, his negative answer was, No, I didn't. It would have sounded odd had he used, did not. The following are those contractions most often heard throughout my research: Will not won't Did not didn't or din't (Most often heard from my young grandchildren.) Cannot …show more content…

Many people seemed to be confused by their and they're when writing in conversations on Facebook. Of course, they're is the contraction for they are. The instances of this will often draw the attention of the "grammar police," as they have been dubbed in my social groups, to correct their obvious grammatical error. An example of this would be, Their going to the wedding. Since Facebook is extremely conversational in nature, it is common to see contractions of varying degrees amongst users conversations with one another. Another common mistake seen on this social network is the improper us of its (indicating possessive) for it's (contraction for it is), or vice

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