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 --- I am --- Example: Im waiting for my friend.Ill --- I will --- Example: Ill see you tomorrow.Id --- I had / I would --- Example: Id better leave now. OR Id already eaten by the time he arrived.Ive --- I have --- Example: Ive worked here for many years. Youre --- You are --- Example: Youre joking!Youll --- You will --- Example: Youll be sorry!Youd --- You had / would --- Example: Youd left before he arrived, hadnt you? OR Youd better hurry up.Youve --- You have --- Example: Youve been to London many times. Hes --- He is / has --- Example: Hes on the phone now. OR Hes been playing tennis since 10 this morning.Hell --- He will --- Example: Hell be here tomorrow.Hed --- He had / would --- Example: Hed prefer to meet you later in the week. OR Hed finished before the meeting began. Shes --- She is / has --- Example: Shes watching TV at the moment. OR Shes had a lot of trouble lately.Shell --- She will --- Example: Shell be at the meeting.Shed --- She had / would --- Example: Shed been working for two hours when he telephoned. OR Shed like to have a glass of wine. Its --- It is / has --- Example: Its been long time since we saw each other last. OR Its very difficult to concentrate.Itll --- It will --- Example: Itll be here soon.Itd --- It would / had --- Example: Itd be difficult to say no. OR Itd been a long time. Were --- We are --- Example: Were working hard on the Smith account this week.Well --- We will --- Example: Well begin when he arrives.Wed --- We had / would --- Example: Wed better hurry up if we want to catch the train. OR Wed finished the meeting before you arrived.Weve --- We have --- Example: Weve been waiting for you! Theyre --- They are --- Example: Theyre studying German this afternoon.Theyll --- They will --- Example: Theyll finish soon if they concentrate.Theyd --- They had / would --- Example: Theyd eaten their lunch when she stopped by to say hello. OR Theyd rather not come to the meeting.Theyve --- They have --- Example: Theyve just purchased a new home. Theres --- There is / has --- Example: Theres a hotel in the next town. OR Theres been too many telephone calls today!Therell --- There will --- Example: Therell be a price to pay!Thered --- There had / would --- Example: Thered better be a good explanation for this. OR Thered be some reason for that. Thats --- That is / has --- Example: Thats been on my mind lately. OR Thats why I cant come.Thatll --- That will --- Example: Thatll happen sooner than you think.Thatd --- That had / would --- Example: Thatd be the reason why. OR Thatd happened before my time. Negative Contractions arent --- are not --- Example: They arent coming next week.cant --- can not --- Example: I cant understand you.couldnt --- could not --- Example: He couldnt get his shoes on!didnt --- did not --- Example: We didnt visit Rome. We went straight to Florence.doesnt --- does not --- Example: He doesnt play golf.dont --- do not --- Example: They dont like cheese.hadnt --- had not --- Example: I hadnt thought of that!hasnt --- has not --- Example: She hasnt telephoned yet.isnt --- is not --- Example: She isnt listening to you.mustnt --- must not --- Example: Children mustnt play with fire.neednt --- need not --- Example: You neednt worry about that.shouldnt --- should not --- Example: You shouldnt smoke cigarettes.wasnt --- was not --- Example: I wasnt joking when I said that.werent --- were not --- Example: They werent invited to the party.wont --- will not --- Example: I wont be able to attend the conference.wouldnt --- would not --- Example: She wouldnt be surprised if he showed up at th e 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.

The United States Of The Bible - 1536 Words

â€Å"Of the many influences that have shaped the United States into a distinctive nation and people, none may be said to be more fundamental and enduring than the Bible (Reagan).† These are words spoken by the 40th President of the United States of America, Ronald Reagan. The fundamentals of the Bible are vast, a few include God as creator of all, sin and its consequences, God’s redemption of mankind through Jesus, the work of the Holy Spirit, and Heaven and hell. The Christian Bible is comprised of the 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. A man by the name of Marcion is believed to have rendered the first canon of the Bible. Though he grew up in a Christian home, and is perhaps one of the most influential and impactful men to walk the earth, Marcion is also considered one of the most reviled heretics. So much so, he was excommunicated from the church because his teachings departed from traditional Christianity. His teachings were rad ical, and caused many to follow him, thus starting a movement that came to be known as Marcionism. First, let’s examine a little about Marcion’s background. â€Å"Marcion of Sinope (84 - c.160 AD), born at Sinope in Pontus, the son of a bishop (Theopedia).† Additional information advised this about Marcion, â€Å"His near-contemporaries Rhodo described him as a â€Å"mariner† and Tertullian described him as a â€Å"ship-master (digplanet.com).† He was considered a wealthy man as well. Allegation leveled against MarcionShow MoreRelatedAmerican Culture747 Words   |  3 PagesToday, the United States is the largest economic and military power in the world, the political freedom and education level of the people are universally acknowledged to be among the top 3 in the world; so, what kind of American spirit has shaped the United States? 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The Ancient Greek Iconoclast’s Philosophy of Education Free Essays

The basic philosophical foundation that supports the Socratic philosophy of education Socrates, in The Republic, begins his query by asking how is it best to live one†s life? He suggests the best life is lived in such a fashion that is conducive to creating a just society. Such a society is the one designed that is most conducive to justice, and therefore to happiness, as opposed to pleasure. Remember that happiness for the Greeks was not a matter of individual self-fulfillment. We will write a custom essay sample on The Ancient Greek Iconoclast’s Philosophy of Education or any similar topic only for you Order Now Rather, Socrates considered happiness as fulfilling one†s most fitting vocational role in society. Socrates defined a society that is best in autocratic terms-a cobbler should not rule, and a potential ruler or philosopher should not make shoes, because this is antithetical to their natural abilities and fitness. But although Socrates advocated oligarchy as the fittest system of governance, he did not advocate aristocracy. In one of his earlier dialogues, called the â€Å"Meno,† Socrates is shown leading a slave boy through mathematical proofs. With correct prompting the boy is thus able to recover innate knowledge about the world. Thus Socrates saw intellectual gifts as intrinsic to the human mind and not necessarily based on the ability of the tutor. This is why Socrates did not charge for his teachings, unlike the Sophists. (Kemerling, 2002,†Socrates,† The Philosophy Pages) But to accept the Socratic doctrine one must also believe that potential intellectual abilities are not democratically bestowed upon individuals as suggested by the Sophists, who aimed to teach all people to rhetorically please the people in the law courts and in the political sphere, by using clever phrases. Socrates believed that there was an inherent paradox in acquring knowledge â€Å"the most fundamental questions about our own nature and function,† are actually unaswerable and undemonstratable by common rhetorical devices, therefore â€Å"it seems impossible for us to learn anything. The only escape, Socrates proposed, is to acknowledge â€Å"that we already know what we need to know.† (Kemerling, 2002, â€Å"Plato: Immortality and the Forms-Doctrine of Recollection,† Philosophy Pages) How does this philosophy define the roles of teacher? From the â€Å"Meno† cited above, it might seem that Socrates saw himself primarily as a questioner and a facilitator of the recollection innate gifts. â€Å"The dialogue form was probably invented by Plato† to portray the Socratic method, otherwise known as the dialectic.† (Huffman, 2005) The method known as the Socratic method of teaching, still practiced in many schools (particularly law schools) today, â€Å"consisted of asking questions like ‘What is courage?† of people who were confident of the answer. Socrates, claiming ignorance of the answers to the questions, would gradually show the people’s beliefs to be contradictory. Socrates did not answer his questions, though much could be learned from the course of the discussion.† (Huffman, 2005) How will this philosophy guide the learning expectations in a classroom? Using questions places the teacher in some authority, as the teacher directs the discussion through involved questioning. However, it also demands a great deal of preparedness and attentiveness on the part of the student, combined with a willingness to question what the student†s society may deem to be common sense. Students of innately high ability are supposed to continually excel, to justify the teacher†s expectations of the student’s gifts. Ultimately, this questioning of common sense doctrine resulted in the condemnation of Socrates for corrupting the youth of Athens and of questioning the piety of the Greek gods. (Huffman, 2005) How will this philosophy exemplify the high standards of teaching? On one hand, the Socratic dialectic may seem to be an equalizing form of philosophy. Anyone can answer the questions of the teacher. But because the method stresses student recollection, rather than the teacher†s ability to mold or impart knowledge upon a blank slate, it did not function as such in Socrates† actual practice. The Republic, the delineation of the ideal state, advances a tiered division of society, mimicking the division of the body into soul, heart, and lower regions-rulers are innately of the mind, warriors of the heart or hands, and laborers of the lower regions of the body. â€Å"Only those with a philosophical temperament, Plato supposed, are competent to judge between what merely seems to be the case and what really is, between the misleading, transient appearances of sensible objects and the the permanent reality of unchanging, abstract forms.† (Kemerling, 2002, Philsophy Pages, â€Å"Plato: Education and the Value of Justice†) How will this philosophy address public expectations concerning student achievement? Accountability? In the world of the Republic, students of high levels of ability do not necessarily have empowerment over their education. Although they are subjected to rigorous Socratic questioning, they are also kept away from members of other classes of society, and not permitted to be corrupted by fairytales and myths that could take them away from their innate gifts of purely understanding the nature of virtue and the world of the forms. â€Å"Perhaps our best alternative, Socrates held, is to suppose that virtue is a (divinely bestowed?) true opinion that merely happens to lack the sort of rational justification which would earn it the status of certain knowledge,† and therefore virtue is unteachable. (Kemerling, 2002, â€Å"Plato: Immortality and the Forms-Doctrine of Recollection,† Philosophy Pages) Student achievement thus ultimately lies in the ability of the student, and the accountability of the teacher lies in his or her ability to select the correct student for the correct form of learning, rather than his or function as a teacher in the classroom. 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