Grammar for Everyone - Barbara Dykes 2007

11 The apostrophe - Contractions
Introduction
Part II The parts of speech

Definition: The word ’apostrophe’ is from a Greek word meaning ’a turning away’. It refers to the omission of something, in this case one or more letters of a word, and it affects written language in several ways.

Before learning about apostrophes, students should know:

• the function of nouns and their various plural forms

• the function of pronouns.

The apostrophe gives rise to much confusion and error. But, as with so many particulars of grammar, the confusion is not caused by any real complexity but rather from a lack of understanding.

Recently, a very good computer teacher told me that, as her students made so many errors in the use of the apostrophe, she had told them not to use them at all. Yet, if they are explained at the right time and in a simple way, apostrophes need offer no threat at all.

Contractions

This one causes the least difficulty and usually results in the formation of one word from two, involving the verb ’to be’, auxiliary (helper) verbs and negatives.

For example:

I’ll from I shall/will

she’d from she would

can’t from can not

We learn these forms from their use in spoken English, but need also to be able to write them in full.