Contractions, an addendum

Greetings. As discussed in a recent post, many students struggle to correctly position the apostrophe within contractions and possessives. Spelling contractions correctly can be a challenge.

Learners do not typically struggle with the meaning of contractions, except homonyms— who's versus whose, it's versus its, you’re versus your and they’re/ there/ their. Contractions (and homonyms) can be challenging for native speakers as well as English Language Learners.

Forming contractions involves a change in spelling but no real change in meaning. For example, is not conveys the same meaning as the contracted form isn't. However, there may be a change in register, as for example from the more formal can not to the less formal can’t. 

As student move up the grades, it is important to discuss variations of language, including register, slang, jargon, and dialect. Contractions are tricky in that sense, and evolving in usage and acceptance . Not so long ago, contractions were deemed lazy, slangy, unfit for formal discourse. The truth is that contractions are practical. Much more efficient to say here’s than here is. Mechanically easier to articulate, too. Contractions flow, making speech fluid and natural. This is similar to how much easier it is to articulate cell over cellular and phone over telephone (see posts on clips and linguistic blends). Furthermore, contractions have long been a part of worldwide human language patterns.

“Unfortunately, contractions aren’t readily accepted in scholarly works. They are almost looked down upon as childish and immature. However, that is far from the truth. While most look at contractions as a fairly modern invention, they’ve been here since before all of us, our parents, our grandparents, our great grandparents, and many generations before that were born” (from Historically Irrelevant: The History of Contractions).

Where do contractions fit in speaking and writing today? That is somewhat fluid. One thing we know for sure, the placement of the apostrophe is a problem for far too many spellers.

Emphasizing the Wee Apostrophe

Apostrophe comes from Greek, according to Etymology Online:

apostrophe(n.1)

"mark indicating an omitted letter," 1580s, from French apostrophe, from Late Latin apostrophus, from Greek apostrophos (prosoidia) "(the accent of) turning away," thus, a mark showing where a letter has been omitted… In English, the mark often represents loss of -e- in -es, possessive ending. By 18c. it was being extended to all possessives, whether they ever had an -e- or not.

Thats not boring, is it? Its interesting! Wouldnt you folks’ like to hear more?

Some students struggle mightily with apostrophes in possessives and contractions, etc. Where does that pesky apostrophe go?? Which letter(s) does it replace?? To say nothing of whether or not the word even needs an apostrophe. Mistakes can create misunderstandings, a comprehension glitch.  It is common for writers to mistake a plural (boys) for a possessive (the boy's backpack) for a contraction (this boy's so hungry).  Writing aside, some readers do not know how to interpret the apostrophe.

To complicate the issue, an apostrophe has multiple uses: In addition to possessives and contractions, an apostrophe goes after a lowercase letter to make it plural. Watch your p’s and q’s. And don’t forget to dot your t’s! See the wise old Owl at  Purdue’s writing lab for an interesting backstory on those p’s and q’s. 

Note also the use of an apostrophe to hold the place of omitted numbers, as in '60s for 1960s, and the television program That '70s Show. 

But the possessives and the contractions are paramount in terms of writing competency. Teachers must be very clear about the apostrophe. They must explicate the whys and the wherefores. That tiny notation has to pop! 

Harvesting a Bumper Crop of Vocabulary

Hello and happy harvest season. Educators know that vocabulary develops not only through dedicated lessons but also through reading, and thoughtfully chosen daily language. Expand vocabulary by using new words and synonyms for known concepts in discussions at home and school. Add that to wide reading and word study, including morphology lessons, and new vocabulary will take root, eventually leading to a plentiful harvest.  Persist in this and over time a bumper crop will surely manifest in speech and writing and —even better — in understanding. It doesn’t happen overnight. Vocabulary is a growth construct, developing  across the years, and hopefully never quite coming to an end.

As a little holiday bonus, check out this fun video. It’s bound to appeal! Compliments of Elle Cordova, The Grammarian. 

 

Cheers,

Susan

Announcement

Announcement! Hot off the press! The root CRED (to trust, to believe) and its morphological derivatives illustrate the cover of the newly published 3rd edition of Vocabulary Through Morphemes: Suffixes, Prefixes, and Roots for Intermediate and Secondary Grades, student book (Ebbers, 2025). This is published by Silvereye Learning Resources .

Established in 1992, Silvereye Learning Resources is the best place in Australia to find resources to help those with learning difficulties, special needs, and various emotional and developmental challenges. Check them out! Silvereye can ship orders overseas from their US and UK distribution centers so buyers in the USA, Canada, and Great Britain will only pay local freight. 

This curriculum is a boost for vocabulary as well as reading and spelling. It begins with an overview of the English language, followed by a quick lesson on compound word formation. The main body of the book explores suffixes, prefixes, and roots. Suffixes not only help us determine word class or grammatical function, they also shape the meaning of a word. For example, words ending with the suffix -ic are typically adjectives, often describing behavior or characteristics: angelic, heroic, manic, energetic, electric, etc. Likewise, words ending with the suffix -ary are often nouns, and these words often describe collections of similar things, as in statuary, library, dictionary, glossary, aviary, mortuary, etc.

The curriculum includes dozens of graphic organizers, word games, word-art, word building and sorting activities.  The modified Frayer chart is only one example.

The book has been in publication for almost 25 years. Happy.