What is an apostrophe in contractions?
The apostrophe (’ or ‘) is used to form contractions — shortened forms of words created by leaving out letters. The apostrophe shows where the letters were removed. Contractions make speech and informal writing sound natural and friendly. They are common in conversation, emails, stories, and when we want a conversational tone 😊.
🔧 How contractions are formed
A contraction combines two words into one by removing letters and inserting an apostrophe where the missing letters belong. For example, do not → don’t (the o is removed and replaced by an apostrophe).
📘 Common contractions & examples
✅ Important common rules & warnings
It’s vs Its: It’s = it is / it has (contraction). Its (no apostrophe) = belonging to it. Example: It’s cold today. vs The dog wagged its tail.
You’re vs Your: You’re = you are. Your = belonging to you. Example: You’re late. vs Is this your pen?
Do not use apostrophes to make plurals of ordinary nouns (no ’s for plurals). Incorrect: apple’s for more than one apple. ✅ Correct: apples.
Formal writing caution: Contractions are fine in speech and informal writing, but use full forms (do not, cannot, it is) in formal essays and some exams ✍️.
🔎 More examples in sentences
- He’ll come later — short for He will.
- She’s finished her work — short for She has or She is (use context to decide).
- We’ve been waiting for an hour — short for We have.
- They’ve never seen the sea — short for They have.
- I’d love to help — contraction of I would or I had (context matters).