Bill Situ
English and ESL Instructor, IWE Study Group
"Don't", "I'd", "I'm", "couldn't", and "can't" are a few of many examples of contractions in the English language. In their original form, these contractions would be, "do not", "I had", "I am", "could not", and "can not". Any word that has an apostrophe in it and that is not a possessive (e.g. the dog's, Paul's, etc.) is a contraction. Everyone uses contractions on a regular basis, but in formal writing assignments, it is best that we avoid them.
Look at the following sentence:
I didn't go to school today. ("Didn't" is a contraction and therefore should be avoided)
Instead, write the sentence as such:
I did not go to school today.
Contractions in reality are a form of laziness and therefore, you should not ever use them in formal writing, which includes work that you hand in to your teachers. It is perfectly acceptable to use contractions when you are speaking, but start getting into the habit of taking them out of your writing.
Now that you have read this, from now on, remember to look over your writing and see if you have used any contractions before submitting your assignment.
Look at the following sentence:
I didn't go to school today. ("Didn't" is a contraction and therefore should be avoided)
Instead, write the sentence as such:
I did not go to school today.
Contractions in reality are a form of laziness and therefore, you should not ever use them in formal writing, which includes work that you hand in to your teachers. It is perfectly acceptable to use contractions when you are speaking, but start getting into the habit of taking them out of your writing.
Now that you have read this, from now on, remember to look over your writing and see if you have used any contractions before submitting your assignment.
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