Contractions

A contraction is a short way to say two words. We join two words together and use an apostrophe (') to show that some letters are missing.

What You'll Learn

• How to read and use common contractions like I'm, he's, we're, can't, and don't
• Where the apostrophe goes when we shorten two words into one

When to Use

1. When you talk about yourself: "I'm happy today." (I'm = I am)
2. When you say someone is doing something: "He's eating his lunch." (he's = he is)
3. When you say no or cannot: "I can't find my bag." (can't = cannot)

How to Form

We take two words and join them. The apostrophe (') takes the place of the missing letters.

Remember: The apostrophe is like a little mark that says, "Some letters were here, but we took them away!"

Key Rules

1. The apostrophe replaces missing letters: When we shorten two words, we put an apostrophe where the letters are taken away. "do not" becomes "don't" because the "o" in "not" is gone.
2. Contractions mean the same thing: "I am" and "I'm" mean the same thing. You can use either one.
3. "Can't" is special: "Cannot" is one word, but we still shorten it to "can't" with an apostrophe.

Common Mistakes

Clue Words

Words that often form contractions:

am, is, are, not, do, can

When you see these words next to each other, you can often make a contraction.

• "I am" becomes "I**'m**"
• "do not" becomes "don't"
• "we are" becomes "we**'re**"

Tip: If you are not sure where the apostrophe goes, say the two full words first. Then find which letters you are removing. The apostrophe goes right there!

Practice Tips

1. Say both ways: When you read a sentence, try saying it with the contraction and without. "I'm tired" and "I am tired." They sound the same!
2. Spot the apostrophe: When you see a word with an apostrophe, try to figure out the two words it came from. "She's" comes from "she is."

Quick Reference