what are contractions in writing
San JosÃ© State University Writing Center http://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/ Written by Andrew Tucker The list of contractions in this handout was adapted from http://grammar.about.com/od/words/a/EnglishContractions.htm Contractions By definition, a contraction is a shortened form of a group of words. Contractions are used in both written and oral communication. When a contraction is written in English, the omitted letters are replaced by an apostrophe. Here are some common contractions and the groups of words that they represent. aren't are not can't cannot