Basic Emphasis Pattern: Structure Words
Contractions
To contract means to make something smaller. Contractions are a normal part of spoken English. Contractions reduce attention to structure words, helping to make the content words easier to notice.
Let’s make a difference between some typical contractions and their full forms. Notice the change in the number of syllables.
| Full Form | Contraction | Full Form | Contraction |
| I am | I’m | he has | he’s |
| is not | isn't | I will | I’ll |
| they have | they’ve | we have | we’ve |
| that is | that’s | you have | you’ve |
| I would | I’d | she had | she’d |
| she is | she’s | who is | who’s |
| cannot | can’t | where did | where’d |
| I have | I’ve | we are | we’re |
| why have | why’ve | they would | they’d |
| it has | it’s | it would | it’d |
SENTENCES TO PRACTICE:
1.
a. They’ve already gone.
b. They’d already gone.
2.
a. How long’ve you been there?
b. How long’d you been there?
3.
a. Where’d you put that?
b. Where’ll you put that?
4.
a. It’ll cost a fortune.
b. It’d cost a fortune.
5.
a. We’re shut down completely.
b. We’d shut down completely.
6.
a. We’d be pleased to help.
b. We’ll be pleased to help.
7.
a. They’ll cut the bread.
b. They’d cut the bread.
c. They’ve cut the bread.
8.
a. What’ve you put in the soup?
b. What’ll you put in the soup?
9.
a. Where’d everybody go?
b. Where’ll everybody go?
10.
a. I’ve run in the race.
b. I’ll run in the race.
