The document provides information about using contractions in writing, including:
- Contractions are formed by combining two words and replacing certain letters with an apostrophe.
- Common types of contractions include positive contractions formed from pronouns and verbs, and negative contractions formed from verbs and "not".
- Context is important to determine the intended meaning when contractions have multiple meanings.
The document provides information about using contractions in writing, including:
- Contractions are formed by combining two words and replacing certain letters with an apostrophe.
- Common types of contractions include positive contractions formed from pronouns and verbs, and negative contractions formed from verbs and "not".
- Context is important to determine the intended meaning when contractions have multiple meanings.
The document provides information about using contractions in writing, including:
- Contractions are formed by combining two words and replacing certain letters with an apostrophe.
- Common types of contractions include positive contractions formed from pronouns and verbs, and negative contractions formed from verbs and "not".
- Context is important to determine the intended meaning when contractions have multiple meanings.
The document provides information about using contractions in writing, including:
- Contractions are formed by combining two words and replacing certain letters with an apostrophe.
- Common types of contractions include positive contractions formed from pronouns and verbs, and negative contractions formed from verbs and "not".
- Context is important to determine the intended meaning when contractions have multiple meanings.
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ON USING
CONTRACTION Find a partner and mull on how the following quotation relates to the message of “MOTHER to SON” by Langston Hughes.
“Our struggles, efforts to face difficulties
in life, sacrifices, charity and fervent prayers are the seeds of our success. To be strong for storms that last not fore’er as seasons change with God in control keep us standin’.” Pay attention to the two underlined words. „Ï What do they have in common? „Ï What punctuation mark is used in each of them? „Ï What term do we use to identify the expressions that use apostrophe in place of omitted letter/s? „Ï Why do some poets use this form of expression? Use an apostrophe to make a contraction. When you create a contraction, you are taking two words and putting them together. You then insert an apostrophe to replace certain letters in the two words.[4] o For example: “he is” is contracted to: o “he’s”. “They are” is contracted to: “they’re”. o You can also use contractions in questions o . For example, “Where did they go?” o “Where’d they go?” 3 •Recognize the difference between “it’s” and “its”.
One of the most misused contractions is
the contraction “it’s”. “It’s” is the contracted form of “it is” or “it has”. It is never the possessive form of “it”. Use the context of the sentence to determine if you need to use an apostrophe or no apostrophe for “it”.For example: “It’s late.” You use an apostrophe because this is the contracted form of “it is”. “It’s been a lovely evening”. This is the contracted form of “it has”. •But a sentence like: “The cat licked its tongue” does not require an apostrophe for “its” because the “its” is possessive in the sentence. “It” refers to “the cat” and is possessive, so it does not require an apostrophe. “The cat licked it’s tongue” would mean “The cat licked it is tongue” or “The cat licked it has tongue” and this is clearly incorrect. Understanding the Different Types of Contractions 1 •Familiarize yourself with positive contractions. Positive contractions are used often in common speech and in casual writing. They are often used when a pronoun, such as “I” is next to a verb, such as “is”. The most common positive contractions include:]“I’m”: contracted form of “I am” •“I’ve”: contracted form of “I have” •“I’ll”: contracted form of “I will” •“I’d”: contracted form of “I would/ I should/ I had” •“You’re”: contracted form of “you are” •“You’ll”: contracted form of “you will” •“You’d”: contracted form of “you had/ you would” •“He’s”: contracted form of “he has/ he is” •“He’ll”: contracted form of “he will” •“He’d”: contracted form of “he had/he would” •“ 2 Keep in mind the double meanings of some positive contractions. Some contractions, such as “he’d” could be the contracted form of either “he would” or “he had”. The context of the sentence will help you determine which meaning is implicated by the contraction. Always read the entire sentence to figure out what contraction is being used. For example: “She’d like to go to the store.” This is the contraction of “She would like to go to the store” as it is the only grammatically correct option. “She had like to go to the store” is clearly incorrect. “She’d completed the work by the time I arrived.” This is the contraction of “She had finished the work by the time I arrived” as it is the only grammatically correct option. “She would finished the work…” is clearly incorrect. 3 Identify negative contractions. Negative contractions are when you take a verb, such as “are” and combine it with “not”. The apostrophe is then used to replace the “o” in “not” so it becomes “n’t”. Examples of negative contractions are:[8] “Aren’t”: contracted form of “are not” “Can’t”: contracted form of “cannot” “Couldn’t”: contracted form of “could not” “Daren’t”: contracted form of “dare not” “Didn’t”: contracted form of “did not” “Doesn’t”: contracted form of “does not” “Don’t”: contracted form of “do not” “Hasn’t”: contracted form of “has not” “Haven’t”: contracted form of “have not” “Hadn’t”: contracted form of “had not” “Isn’t”: contracted form of “is not” “Shouldn’t”: contracted form of “should not” 4 Understand the double use of some negative contractions. When you are using the verb “to be” in a sentence and you are trying to create the negative form, there are two possible options. For example: “we are not” could be contracted to “we aren’t” or “we’re not”. “She is not” can be contracted to “she isn’t” or “she’s not”. “They are not” can be contracted to “they aren’t” or “they’re not”.[9] The exception is “I am not.” It can only be contracted to “I’m not”. Do not contract “I am not” to “I’m n’t” or “I am n’t”. In English, the contractions “‘s” and “‘re” usually appear after pronouns. For example: “We aren’t ready yet.” “He’s not a good man.” 5 Apply only one contraction in a sentence. It is grammatically incorrect to put more than one contraction in a sentence that is not a question. For example: “He’s not here”, instead of “He’s n’t free”.[10] Keep in mind positive contractions should appear in the middle or the beginning of the sentence, never at the end of a sentence. For example: “I think we’re lost.” “Yes, I think we are.” You would not write, “Yes, I think we’re”. Quiz .I. In "Mother to Son," the mother compares her life to a a. staircase b. river c. journey d. road 2. In "Mother to Son," the stair has all of the following flaws EXCEPT b. tacks b. splinters c. cracks d. torn up boards 3. In "Mother to Son," the mother tells her son a. to be more carefree b. not to give up c. to not fall in love d.to make more money 4. In "Mother to Son," the mother's tone is best described as a. harsh b. indifferent c. fearful d. kind and firm 5. In "Mother to Son," who is the persona? a. Son b. mother c. James d. Hughes 6. In "Mother to Son," the tacks, splinters, torn up boards represents…… a. challenges b. hazards c. difficulties d. all of the above 7. In "Mother to Son," from which line does the mother tell her advice to her son? b. Lines 1-7 b. lines 8-13 c. lines 14-20 d.lines 21-22 8. In "Mother to Son," what poetic device is used when the mother compares her life to a stairway? c. simile b. metaphor c. personification d. onomatopoeia 9. To whom does the mother address this poem? a. Son b. mother c. James d. Hughes 10. . What is the speaker doing in the poem? a. sitting b. climbing c. giving up d. eating
CHOOSE THE LETTER OF THE CORRECT CONTRACTION
OF WORDS. 11. We should not be late to the party. A: shoul'dnt B: should'not C: shouldn't D: sh'ouldnt 2. I would not call out if I was you. A: wouldn't B: wou'not C: woul'nt D: wouldno't 3. He could not remember the name of his first grade teacher. A: could'not B: coul'nt C: couldn't D: could'nt 4. She is not listening to the directions. A: isno't B: is'nt C: is't D: isn't 5. Mary and Clark will not be able to make it the show. A: won't B: will'nt C: willn't D: will'not 6. Let us begin the lesson now. A: Let'us B: Let's C: Letus' D: Lets 7. Bill did not close the door when he left the house. A: didnt' B: did'nt C: didnot D: didn't 8. They are going to the mall in an hour. A: Theyare B: They'ar C: They'r D: They're 9. You are going to the store with me. A: You're B: Your C: You'r D: Your'e 10. I had not finished my meal but they took my plate anyway. A: hadno't B: had't C: hadn't D: hadnot