Apostrophes for Contractions
An apostrophe for contraction is used to show that letters have been left out when two words are joined together to make one shorter word, such as 'do not' becoming 'don't'. Year 2 pupils practise spotting where letters are missing and placing the apostrophe exactly in that spot, rather than using it to show ownership.
Method
- Find the two words being joined together, such as 'is not' or 'I am'.
- Work out which letters will be missed out when the words are joined, for example the 'o' in 'not'.
- Join the words into one and put an apostrophe exactly where the missing letters used to be.
- Check the apostrophe is not placed anywhere else in the word.
- Read the contraction back and make sure it still makes sense in the sentence.
Worked example
Write 'she is' as a contraction.
- Identify the two words: 'she' and 'is'.
- Join them together, dropping the 'i' from 'is': 'shes'.
- Put the apostrophe in the gap left by the missing letter, between 'she' and 's'.
- Final answer: 'she's'.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a English exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Rewrite the sentence using a contraction: 'I have not seen my shoes.'
Write three sentences of your own, each using a different contraction (for example from 'is not', 'we will' or 'you are').
A pupil wrote: 'Its raining so we can,t go outside.' Find both punctuation mistakes, explain what is wrong with each, and rewrite the sentence correctly.
Free printable worksheet
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