Remember how we said contractions are made of two words that have been shortened? The apostrophe replaces any letters that are in the original words, but that aren't in the contraction. For instance, the contraction couldn't means could not. As you can see, the o in not isn't in the word couldn't. read more
A contraction is a word or phrase that's (that has) been shortened by dropping one or more letters. In writing, an apostrophe takes the place of the missing letters. Contractions are commonly used in speech (or written dialogue), informal forms of writing, and where space is at a premium, such as in advertising. read more
A contraction is a word made by shortening and combining two words. Words like can't (can + not), don't (do + not), and I've (I + have) are all contractions. People use contractions in both speaking and writing. read more