A contraction is a short form of two words. English uses an apostrophe to show missing letters. Contractions are very common in speaking and in informal writing. In formal writing, many people use full forms instead.

Many contractions join a subject and the verb be. These forms help English sound natural in conversation. The apostrophe shows where letters are missing.

Subject	Form
I	I'm
you	you're
he	he's
she	she's
it	it's
we	we're
they	they're

Many contractions use not in a short form. These contractions are common in everyday English. Some negatives have special spellings.

Word or Phrase	Definition
don't	This is the contraction of do not.
doesn't	This is the contraction of does not.
isn't	This is the contraction of is not.
aren't	This is the contraction of are not.
can't	This is the contraction of cannot.
won't	This is the contraction of will not.

Contractions are common in speech, messages, and other informal writing. In formal writing, full forms are often more common. Some writers and teachers accept contractions in many texts, but others prefer full forms in more formal work.

Contractions often have reduced pronunciation. English speakers say them quickly, and some sounds become shorter. This is one reason contractions are common in natural speech.

Word	Notation	Description
I'm	aim	The two words are said as one short form.
you're	yor	The form is often shorter than you are in speech.
he's	heez	The form joins the subject and verb into one sound group.
don't	dohnt	The vowel stays clear, but the full form is longer.

You can now recognize common English contractions in speech and writing. You can use subject and be contractions and common negative contractions in everyday English. You also know that contractions are common in informal English and less common in formal writing.