CONTRACTIONS

(缩写式)

In everyday spoken English, including educated English, the contracted forms are used very often.

The non-contracted forms are only spoken for emphasis or when one is trying to speak especially clearly or in formal writing. For example: “I cannot see you tonight,” is more emphatic than, “I can't see you tonight.” An example of using the full form in order to speak especially clearly is when a person speaks his or her name: “My name is Sam Smith,” is easier to hear clearly than “My name's Sam Smith.”

Your spoken English will sound more natural and will become a little more fluent if you practice and use the contracted forms most of the time when speaking. However, if you can't say some of these very fluently, even after some practice, it would be far better in the IELTS test to speak the full form rather than stumble over the contracted form. One reason why some native English speakers use some full forms is that the speaker finds that some full forms are easier to say. The same should be true for you.

If a contraction has a link to an audio file on the internet, such as "we’ll", you sometimes have to point your mouse pointer to the pink word to hear the pronunciation on the "Howjsay" website.

Contracted form Full form

‘be’ verb, present tense
I’m from Taiyuan, Shanxi Province.	I am from Taiyuan, Shanxi Province.
You’re right.	You are right.
He’s very talented.	He is very talented.
She’s quite ambitious.	She is quite ambitious.
It’s a recent development.	It is a recent development.
We’re very busy at the moment.	We are very busy at the moment.
They’re about two thousand years old.	They are about two thousand years old.
‘have’ + got, present tense (See Note 1)
I’ve got a pet dog.	I have a pet dog.
“You've got to see it to believe it.” ("got to" usually spoken as, "gotta") (See Note 8)	“You have to see it to believe it.”
He’s got ‘a lot on his plate’. (See Note 8)	He has ‘a lot on his plate’.
She’s got a five-year-old son.	She has a five-year-old son.
It’s got two bedrooms, a living room and a small dining room.	It has two bedrooms, a living room and a small dining room.
We’ve got five minutes to get there.	We have five minutes to get there.
They’ve got three children.	They have three children.
‘have’ (助动词 + 过去分词)
I’ve been to Mt. Tai.	I have been to Mt. Tai.
I don't know if you’ve heard of it.	I don't know if you have heard of it.
He’s lived in the same house all his life.	He has lived in the same house all his life.
She’s been a teacher for more than twenty years.	She has been a teacher for more than twenty years.
It’s improved enormously.	It has improved enormously.
We’ve been trying to contact you all day.	We have been trying to contact you all day.
They’ve already eaten.	They have already eaten.
‘will’ + verb
I’ll start next week.	I will start next week.
If you visit the museum, you’ll be amazed at some of the exhibits.	If you visit the museum, you will be amazed at some of the exhibits.
He’ll probably finish his doctorate next year.	He will probably finish his doctorate next year.
She’ll be arriving tomorrow.	She will be arriving tomorrow.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens.	It will be interesting to see what happens.
We’ll be back at 5.	We will be back at 5.
They’ll certainly be pleased.	They will certainly be pleased.
This’ll be interesting.	This will be interesting.
That’ll be fun.	That will be fun.
There'll be an IELTS test next weekend.	There will be an IELTS test next weekend.
‘had’ (助动词 + 过去分词)
I’d already read it twice before.	I had already read it twice before.
You’d better hurry up.	You had better hurry up.
He’d been married before.	He had been married twice before.
She’d never been married.	She had never been married.
It’d never occurred to me. (See Note 6)	It had never occurred to me.
We’d driven for eight hours.	We had driven for eight hours.
They’d always been friendly to me.	They had always been friendly to me.
There + be (is, will be, has been)
There’s a balcony off the living room.	There is a balcony off the living room.
There’ll be many more private cars on the roads.	There will be many more private cars on the roads.
There’d been a flood in that area two years before.	There had been a flood in that area two years before.
(Note: “There was..” is never contracted. In fact, “was” is never contracted.)
There're many coal mines near my hometown. (See Note 9)	There are many coal mines near my hometown.
Not
No, there aren’t any photos on the walls.	No, there are no photos on the walls.
It isn’t unusual.	It is not unusual.
I wasn’t aware of that when I was young.	I was not aware of that when I was young.
There weren’t many cars in China twenty years ago.	There were not many cars in China twenty years ago.
It didn’t seem important at the time.	It did not seem important at the time.
It doesn’t matter.	It does not matter.
I don’t mind.	I do not mind.
It hadn’t rained for two years.	It had not rained for two years.
It hasn’t been easy.	It has not been easy.
I really haven’t given much thought to this question.	I really have not given much thought to this question.
I can’t remember his name.	I cannot remember his name.
University students couldn’t get married until this year.	University students could not get married until this year.
It mightn’t be correct. (See Note 6)	It might not be correct.
You mustn’t say that. (See Note 12)	You must not say that.
You oughtn’t worry. (See Note 2)	You ought not worry.
I shan’t be at home tomorrow. (See Note 3)	I shall not be at home tomorrow.
“People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” (See Note 7)	“People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.”
I won’t repeat that mistake.	I will not repeat that mistake.
I wouldn’t say that's the most important factor.	I would not say that's the most important factor.
You needn't worry. (See Note 10)	You need not worry.
Noun, pronoun or adverb + is
John’s an engineer.	John is an engineer.
My hometown’s on the banks of the Yangze River.	My hometown is on the banks of the Yangze River.
He said, “Somebody’s looking for you.”	He said, “Somebody is looking for you.”
That’s a good idea!	That is a good idea!
Mine’s old. (See Note 6)	Mine is old.
Here’s your pencil.	Here is your pencil.
Now’s a good time to visit China.	Now is a good time to visit China.
Football's probably the most popular spectator sport in China right now.	Football is probably the most popular spectator sport in China right now.
“Where there's a will there's a way.” (See Note 7)	“Where there is a will there is a way.”
Question Words + is
How’s your father?	How is your father?
When’s your exam?	When is your exam?
Where’s the exit?	Where is the exit?
Why’s that so? (See Note 6)	Why is that so?
What’s going on?	What is going on?
Who’s in there?	Who is in there?
Modal (情态帮助词) + have
I should’ve gone to bed earlier.	I should have gone to bed earlier.
He must’ve made a mistake. (See Note 11)	He must have made a mistake.
She might’ve forgotten.	She might have forgotten.
I could’ve been hurt. (See Note 4)	I could have been hurt.
Pronoun + would
I’d certainly suggest visitors to China see the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors in Xian.	I would certainly suggest visitors to China see the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors in Xian.
You’d have more time for study if you didn’t watch so much TV.	You would have more time for study if you didn’t watch so much TV.
He’d often arrive late. (See Note 5)	He would often arrive late.
She’d be an excellent teacher if she just smiled a little more.	She would be an excellent teacher if she just smiled a little more.
It’d often snow on my birthday. (See Note 6)	It would often snow on my birthday.
We’d have fewer cars on the roads if they were more expensive.	We would have fewer cars on the roads if they were more expensive.
They’d be healthier if they exercised more.	They would be healthier if they exercised more.

Note 1: British English speakers tend to use the contraction for this more than North Americans.

One must use the word “got” with the contracted form of “has” (when “has” means “有”) when using the third person singular pronoun, i.e., when using “he”, “she” or “it”. For example, we do not say, “She’s a dog.” (as the short form of “She has a dog.”) The reason for this is easy to see: “She’s a dog,” could mean, “She is a dog.”

Most people also use “got” with the contracted forms of “I have”, “you have”, “we have” and “they have” but some people, especially some British people, do say “I’ve a dog.”(= I have a dog).

Note that by adding the word “got” we don't really shorten these sentences at all. Therefore, using the full forms with the “have” verb often sounds just as normal and just as fluent as using the contracted form. Nevertheless, in the IELTS test, it might be a good idea to use the contracted form of this occasionally just to show that you know how to use this more colloquial (i.e., spoken) form.

Note 2: “Ought” = “should”. “Ought” is often used (e.g., “You ought to quit smoking.”), but “oughtn’t” and “ought not” are not used very often. Instead, most people usually say, “shouldn’t”.

Note 3: “Shall” is often used in Britain to mean, “will” when using “I” and “we”. For example, “I shall be busy tomorrow.” In the other English-speaking countries, “shall” is mostly used in formal language (e.g. in a formal speech) or in polite phrases such as, “Shall we begin?” However, even in these other countries, “Let’s begin” is more commonly used than, “Shall we begin?” because people in the other English speaking countries are generally less formal than in Britain. Only in Britain do people use, “Shan’t”.

Note 4: “I could have been hurt” = “I was not hurt but I almost got hurt.” = “I was close to being hurt.”

Note 5: “He would arrive late” = “He used to arrive late” = “It was his habit to arrive late”.

Note 6: “It’d” and some other contractions are sometimes difficult to say clearly, even for native English speakers. In these cases, using the full, non-contracted form in spoken English sounds natural and is just as good as using the contracted form.

Note 7: Proverbs especially use contracted English because proverbs are primarily spoken. To use the full form in a proverb almost always sounds a little strange.

Note 8: Similar to proverbs, commonly used colloquial and idiomatic expressions sound strange when spoken in the full form.

Note 9: There is no real contracted form of ‘there are’ in writing. However, most people don't speak, ‘there are’ as two clearly separate words (unless in the emphatic form, ‘Yes, there are.’) In other words, most people speak, 'there are' almost as if they were saying, ‘there're’.

Note 10: ‘Needn't’ should only be followed by a verb, not a noun. To say, “I needn't any money.” is incorrect (to most English speakers). Instead, you should say, “I don't need any money.” Americans don't use “needn't” very much; it's mostly British. If you always use, “don't need” instead of “needn't”, you will be able to avoid the mistake shown above because “don't need” can be followed by both a verb and a noun. However, you have to use the infinitive form of verb (e.g., “to go”) after “don't need”. For example: “You needn't come tomorrow” = “You don't need to come tomorrow.”

Note 11: ‘must have’, ‘ought to have’ and ‘should have’ are used to draw conclusions from the past. 用以对莫件过去的事情作结论。Example: ‘She must have received the parcel – I sent it by registered post.’ 她一定已经收到包裹了，我是用挂号寄的。(See Note 12, below.)

Note 12: ‘You mustn’t say that.’ This is an example where many people would, in fact, use the full form for emphasis because the the sentence involves strong feelings. Similarly, ‘She must have received the parcel – I sent it by registered post.’ would be spoken in the full form if the speaker is trying to express an especially strong belief that the parcel has arrived. (From Note 11.)

(缩写式)

‘be’ verb, present tense

There + be (is, will be, has been)

Not

Noun, pronoun or adverb + is

Question Words + is

Modal (情态帮助词) + have

Pronoun + would