English Contractions for ESL

English Contractions for ESL English contractions are shortened forms of helping or auxiliary verbs in both positive and negative sentences. Contractions are generally used in spoken English, but not in formal written English. However, written English is becoming more informal (emails, notes to friends, etc.) and you will often see these forms in print. Heres an example from a business email: Ive been working on a new project. It hasnt been easy, but next week Ill finish. This example shows three contractions: Ive / hasnt / Ill. Learn the rules of contraction use in English below. Each of the following English contractions includes an explanation of the full form and example sentences to provide context for understanding. Positive Contractions Im : Im waiting for my friend.Ill : Ill see you tomorrow.Id : Id better leave now. OR Id already eaten by the time he arrived.Ive : Ive worked here for many years. Youre : Youre joking!Youll : Youll be sorry!Youd : Youd left before he arrived, hadnt you? OR Youd better hurry up.Youve : Youve been to London many times. Hes : Hes on the phone now. OR Hes been playing tennis since 10 this morning.Hell : Hell be here tomorrow.Hed : Hed prefer to meet you later in the week. OR Hed finished before the meeting began. Shes : Shes watching TV at the moment. OR Shes had a lot of trouble lately.Shell : Shell be at the meeting.Shed : Shed been working for two hours when he telephoned. OR Shed like to have a glass of wine. Its : Its been long time since we saw each other last. OR Its very difficult to concentrate.Itll : Itll be here soon.Itd : Itd be difficult to say no. OR Itd been a long time. Were : Were working hard on the Smith account this week.Well : Well begin when he arrives.Wed : Wed better hurry up if we want to catch the train. OR Wed finished the meeting before you arrived.Weve : Weve been waiting for you! Theyre : Theyre studying German this afternoon.Theyll : Theyll finish soon if they concentrate.Theyd : Theyd eaten their lunch when she stopped by to say hello. OR Theyd rather not come to the meeting.Theyve : Theyve just purchased a new home. Theres : Theres a hotel in the next town. OR Theres been too many telephone calls today!Therell : Therell be a price to pay!Thered : Thered better be a good explanation for this. OR Thered be some reason for that. Thats : Thats been on my mind lately. OR Thats why I cant come.Thatll : Thatll happen sooner than you think.Thatd : Thatd be the reason why. OR Thatd happened before my time. Negative Contractions arent : They arent coming next week.cant : I cant understand you.couldnt : He couldnt get his shoes on!didnt : We didnt visit Rome. We went straight to Florence.doesnt : He doesnt play golf.dont : They dont like cheese.hadnt : I hadnt thought of that!hasnt : She hasnt telephoned yet.isnt : She isnt listening to you.mustnt : Children mustnt play with fire.neednt : You neednt worry about that.shouldnt : You shouldnt smoke cigarettes.wasnt : I wasnt joking when I said that.werent : They werent invited to the party.wont : I wont be able to attend the conference.wouldnt : She wouldnt be surprised if he showed up at the party. Contractions in Speech English learners should become familiar with contractions in order to understand the grammar of what is said quickly. Native English speakers tend to speak quickly and glide over function words such as helping verbs. Most English contractions are contractions of helping verbs, so an understanding of the role these contracted helping verbs play in grammar can help you better understand spoken English. English learners should feel free to use contractions whenever they speak, but the use of contractions is not required. If you prefer to speak using full helping verb forms, continue to do so, but become familiar with contractions in order to help your understanding.