Contractions are forms like don’t and I’m. They represent the pronunciation of informal speech. They are common and correct in informal writing too.
Contracted forms are given in brackets.
- I am (I’m)
- I have (I’ve)
- I will (I’ll)
- I had/would (I’d)
- You are (You’re)
- You have (You’ve)
- You will (You’ll)
- You had/would (You’d)
- He is/ has (He’s)
- He will (He’ll)
- He had/would (He’d)
- She is/has (She’s)
- She will (She’ll)
- She had/would (She’d)
- It is/ has (It’s)
- We are (We’re)
- We have (We’ve)
- We will (We’ll)
- We had/would (We’d)
- They are (They’re)
- They have (They’ve)
- They will (They’ll)
- They had/would (They’d)
- There is/has (There’s)
- There will (There’ll)
- There had/would (There’d)
- Are not (Aren’t)
- Cannot (Can’t)
- Could not (Couldn’t)
- Dare not (Daren’t)
- Did not (Didn’t)
- Does not (Doesn’t)
- Do not (Don’t)
- Had not (Hadn’t)
- Has not (Hasn’t)
- Have not (Haven’t)
- Is not (Isn’t)
- Might not (Mightn’t)
- Must not (Mustn’t)
- Need not (Needn’t)
- Ought not (Oughtn’t)
- Shall not (Shan’t)
- Should not (Shouldn’t)
- Used not (Usedn’t)
- Was not (Wasn’t)
- Were not (Weren’t)
- Will not (Won’t)
- Would not (Wouldn’t)
Notes
1. In non-standard English, ain’t is used as a contraction of am not, are not, is not, have not and has not.
- He ain’t going to come. (= He is not going to come.)
- Don’t talk to me like that – you ain’t my master. (= You are not my master.)
- I ain’t got anything to read. (= I have not got anything to read.)
2. Daren’t, shan’t and usedn’t are not often used in American English.
3. Am not is not normally contracted in questions. We use aren’t.
I am late, aren’t I? (NOT … amn’t I)
