INFORMAL CONTRACTIONS

Contractions are words that are created by combining words in order to shorten them from
their original form. Contractions are used when speaking and when writing but only in very
informal situations, for example when you write an email to a close friend.

These informal words should never be used in academic or formal writing. The only time
you might write them would be in a text or email message to a friend or in a fiction piece
when you are trying to convey informality in your character’s dialogue.
Some of the most common INFORMAL CONTRACTIONS are:

SHOULDA SHOULD HAVE YA YOU

WOULDA WOULD HAVE DON’T CHA / YA DON’T YOU
COULDA COULD HAVE WON’T CHA / YA WON’T YOU
OUGHTA OUGHT TO CAN’T CHA / YA CAN’T YOU
MUSTA MUST HAVE BETCHA BET YOU
MIGHTA MIGHT HAVE COZ, CUZ, COS BECAUSE
GONNA GOING TO AINT ISN’T, AREN’T, ANNOT
GOTTA HAVE GOT A GIMME GIVE ME
WANNA WANT TO WHATCHA WHAT ARE YOU…?
DUNNO DON’T KNOW LEMME LET ME
LOTTA LOT OF OTTA OUT OF
KINDA KIND OF SORTA SORT OF
CYA SEE YOU C’MON COME ON

EXERCISE:

Your friend has just texted you to ask you if you want to have a drink with him. Say you
can’t because you have to do something. Then ask him if he wants to do something with
you at the weekend, and tell him about your plans, what you are going to do. Use:

 An informal greeting
 Gonna wanna, gotta, dunno, etc.
 An informal farewell
 Any other informal language you’d like to use

Wanna go 4 a drink l8r?

I’m gonna go 2 the pub,

dunno what time yet
Text me son, cos I aint
gonna have much battery.
cya
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WRITE YOUR ANSWER HERE (50 – 75 words):
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