College Composition / Unit 8 CMP 0183 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Apostrophes in Contractions
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The idea
In a contraction, the apostrophe marks where letters were left out.
In practice
Can't stands for cannot, it's stands for it is, and they're stands for they are; the apostrophe sits exactly where the missing letters were.
Where people slip
Contractions are common in speech and informal writing; many instructors prefer the full forms in formal academic papers.
Your place on the trail
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