Contractions or no contractions? That is the question
We use a contraction in informal English and especially when we speak. To mark that there’s something missing in the sentence, we use the apostrophe (‘). We CANNOT use contractions with principal verbs but just with auxiliaries, as you can see in these examples:
I’ve got a car (right) but I’ve a car (wrong) I have a car (right)
We’ve got to go (right) but We’ve to go (wrong) We have to go (right)
They’d like to go with us but You had to be careful (right) You’d to be careful (wrong).
As usual, the only exception is with the verb TO BE because it’s principal and auxiliary at the same time (remember the negative and the interrogative forms of that verb) but when the verb “to be” is in a short answer, it can’t be contracted either:
Aren’t they British? Yes, they are. They’re from Bristol.
The main problem with contractions is to know which verb is the one you’ve used and that’s easy if you pay attention to the following verbal form. Let’s see some examples:
He’d like to go (WOULD as it’s followed by infinitive without TO)
He’d been busy (HAD because it’s with a past participle; compare it with He’d BE busy)
He’d have been busy (WOULD as it’s a perfect infinitive: have been not has been)
He’d better stay at home (HAD, a special modal verb, also followed by infinitive without TO)
There are some contractions which are so frequent that it's difficult or weird (or even impossible like “o’clock”) to find them without being contracted. These are some examples but there are some more:
Let’s… You’d better… I’d rather… If you don’t mind… What’s wrong/the matter? I’d love to.
But there are some occasions where contractions are not used, no matter if they’re right or wrong; the principal rules are these:
very formal/academic writing: I cannot accept that or Let us explain that issue further
to give emphasis: I do not like that shirt (as when you say I do like it)
in positive short answers: Yes, I am but No, I’m not.
very old fashioned forms, especially in negative: shan’t oughtn’t mightn’t
If you need more explanations or you’d like to know more about this matter, you can visit these pages or links:
Grammarly (very short but clear)
Contractions in spoken English (very specific and long)
To sum up, use contractions as much as possible, especially when you speak, because it sounds more natural; however, take into account that if you’re writing something formal or if you want to be emphatic, don’t use contractions.
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