Apostrophe Rules. Tip#1: Contractions and Omissions
A contraction is a shortened form of a word (or group of words) that omits certain letters or sounds. In a contraction, an apostrophe represents missing letters. The most common contractions are made up of verbs, auxiliaries, or modals attached to other words: He would=He’d. I have=I’ve. They are=They’re. You cannot=You can’t.
Some writers use less common contractions when they want to represent a particular style of speech. They might write somethin’ to represent the way people often don’t pronounce the final g of “something” in speech. Occasionally, you might see e’er (instead of ever) in poetry. And, of course, in the American South, you will probably encounter y’all (you all). Decade names are often contracted as well: the ’60s (the 1960s).
Contraction Uncontracted Examples
-n’t not Isn’t (is not), hasn’t (has not)
-‘re are They’re (they are), we’re (we are)
-‘d had, would She’d (she had, she would)
-‘ll will We’ll (we will), you’ll (you will)
-‘s is He’s (he is), it’s (it is)
I’m I am —
let’s let us —
Contractions are usually considered to be relatively casual. If you’re writing something very formal, you may want to avoid using them except in cases like o’clock, where the full phrase (of the clock) truly is rare.
