Go Loco
StudyShopSign In
🔗

Contractions And Linking

Spoken Description

Learn how to use contractions and linking words and phrases to speak and write English more naturally. Clear explanations with examples and practice exercises for various tenses and sentence structures.

Aprende a usar contracciones y palabras de enlace para hablar y escribir inglés más naturalmente. Explicaciones claras, ejemplos y ejercicios prácticos para diferentes tiempos y estructuras.

-:- / -:-
English flows smoothly when sounds blend in speech, so contractions and linking help you sound natural and connected. This guide shows common contractions and how sounds join between words with linking, assimilation, and elision.

Contractions

Contractions shorten common phrases by replacing omitted sounds with an apostrophe, so speech is quicker and more relaxed. They usually appear in informal writing and everyday conversation.

Common Contractions

Here are typical contractions formed from auxiliary verbs, negatives, and pronouns that you hear in natural speech. Each pair shows the full form and the contracted form.
Full FormContracted Form
I amI'm
You areYou're
He isHe's
She isShe's
It isIt's
We areWe're
They areThey're
Do notDon't
Does notDoesn't
Did notDidn't
Will notWon't
Would notWouldn't
Can notCan't
Could notCouldn't
Have notHaven't
Has notHasn't
Had notHadn't
I willI'll
You willYou'll
He willHe'll
She willShe'll
We willWe'll
They willThey'll
I wouldI'd
You wouldYou'd
He wouldHe'd
She wouldShe'd
We wouldWe'd
They wouldThey'd
I haveI've
You haveYou've
He hasHe's
She hasShe's
We haveWe've
They haveThey've

1 of 3

Contractions With Not

Negative contractions shorten phrases like do not to don't, and they keep speech natural. Some negatives have two common forms: the contracted version with n't and the full form with not for emphasis.
Full FormContracted Form ( n't )
do notdon't
does notdoesn't
did notdidn't
will notwon't
would notwouldn't
cannotcan't
could notcouldn't
have nothaven't
has nothasn't
had nothadn't

1 of 3

Contractions With Will, Would, Have

Short forms like I'll, you'll, and they've speed up speech by joining the subject and auxiliary or modal verb. These contractions are common in promises, offers, and reported speech.
Full FormContracted Form
I willI'll
you willyou'll
he willhe'll
she willshe'll
we willwe'll
they willthey'll
I wouldI'd
you wouldyou'd
he wouldhe'd
she wouldshe'd
we wouldwe'd
they wouldthey'd
I haveI've
you haveyou've
he hashe's
she hasshe's
we havewe've
they havethey've

1 of 3

Linking

Linking joins sounds between words so speech flows smoothly. It can connect consonants to vowels, double sounds, and even change or drop sounds in fast speech. Linking makes sentences sound natural rather than choppy.

Types of Linking

The main types of linking are linking sounds added between words, assimilation where one sound changes to match a nearby sound, and elision where a sound disappears to make speech quicker.

1 of 2

Linking /r/

Linking /r/ happens in non-rhotic accents like British English where r is only pronounced when it connects to a vowel. It helps tie words together so speech stays fluid.

1 of 2

Linking /w/

Linking /w/ joins words when the first ends with a vowel sound like /uː/ and the next begins with a vowel. The small /w/ sound glides between them to make pronunciation easier.

1 of 2

Linking /j/

Linking /j/ adds a /j/ sound (like English y) between words when the first ends with /iː/ or /ɪ/ and the next starts with a vowel. This glide connects the sounds smoothly.

1 of 2

Assimilation

Assimilation happens when a sound changes to become more like a neighboring sound, making articulation faster. It often affects consonants at word boundaries in natural speech.
PhraseAssimilated Sound
good boy/d/ → /b/
ten girls/n/ → /ŋ/
last night/t/ → /n/

1 of 2

Elision

Elision removes a sound, commonly /t/ or /d/, to speed up speech. It often occurs in casual conversation when such sounds appear between two other consonants.
PhraseElided Sound
next day/t/ dropped
last time/t/ dropped
friends' house/d/ dropped

1 of 2

Summary

Contractions shorten common phrases for quicker, relaxed speech, and linking joins sounds between words so speech flows naturally. Assimilation changes sounds to match neighbors and elision drops sounds to speed up talking. Practicing these patterns helps you sound smooth and native-like.

All content was written by our AI and may contain a few mistakes. We may earn commissions on some links. Last updated: Mon Dec 8, 2025, 6:25 AM