På engelsk siger og skriver man ofte “I’m” istedet for “I am”. Det er nemlig almindeligt i tale og i f.eks. et brev til en god ven. Her er en liste fra WWW, med alle ‘contractions’ (sammentrækninger). Den starter med ‘negative sammentrækninger’, som er de mest almindelige:
Negative sammentrækninger
- aren’t — are not — Example: They aren’t coming next week.
- can’t — can not — Example: I can’t understand you.
- couldn’t — could not — Example: He couldn’t get his shoes on!
- didn’t — did not — Example: We didn’t visit Rome. We went straight to Florence.
- doesn’t — does not — Example: He doesn’t play golf.
- don’t — do not — Example: They don’t like cheese.
- hadn’t — had not — Example: I hadn’t thought of that!
- hasn’t — has not — Example: She hasn’t telephoned yet.
- isn’t — is not — Example: She isn’t listening to you.
- mustn’t — must not — Example: Children mustn’t play with fire.
- needn’t — need not — Example: You needn’t worry about that.
- shouldn’t — should not — Example: You shouldn’t smoke cigarettes.
- wasn’t — was not — Example: I wasn’t joking when I said that.
- weren’t — were not — Example: They weren’t invited to the party.
- won’t — will not — Example: I won’t be able to attend the conference.
- wouldn’t — would not — Example: She wouldn’t be surprised if he showed up.
Stedords sammentrækninger
- I’m — I am: Example: I’m waiting for my friend.
- I’ll — I will — Example: I’ll see you tomorrow.
- I’d — I had / — Example: I’d better leave now.
- I’ve — I have — Example: I’ve worked here for many years.
- You’re — You are — Example: You’re joking!
- You’ll — You will — Example: You’ll be sorry!
- You’d — You had — Example: You’d left before he arrived, hadn’t you?
- You’ve — You have — Example: You’ve been to London many times.
- He’s — He is / has — Example: He’s on the phone now.
- He’ll — He will — Example: He’ll be here tomorrow.
- He’d — He had — Example: He’d prefer to meet you later in the week.
- She’s — She is / has — Example: She’s watching TV at the moment.
- She’ll — She will — Example: She’ll be at the meeting.
- She’d — She had / would — Example: She’d been working for two hours when he telephoned.
- It’s — It is / has — Example: It’s been long time since we saw each other last.
- It’ll — It will — Example: It’ll be here soon.
- It’d — It would — Example: It’d be difficult to say no.
- We’re — We are — Example: We’re working hard on the Smith account this week.
- We’ll — We will — Example: We’ll begin when he arrives.
- We’d — We had / would — Example: We’d better hurry up if we want to catch the train.
- We’ve — We have — Example: We’ve been waiting for you!
- They’re — They are — Example: They’re studying German this afternoon.
- They’ll — They will — Example: They’ll finish soon if they concentrate.
- They’d — They had / would — Example: They’d eaten their lunch when she stopped by to say hello.
- They’ve — They have — Example: They’ve just purchased a new hole.
- There’s — There is / has — Example: There’s a hotel in the next town.
- There’ll — There will — Example: There’ll be a price to pay!
- There’d — There had — Example: There’d better be a good explanation for this.
- That’s — That is / has — Example: That’s been on my mind lately.
- That’ll — That will — Example: That’ll happen sooner than you think.
- That’d — That had / would — Example: That’d be the reason why.