Year 3 English: Apostrophes for contraction
Part of the Year 3 English punctuation chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Apostrophes for contraction
A contraction is a short form of two words. An apostrophe (') shows where letters have been left out.
The apostrophe takes the place of the missing letter. Do not becomes don't, because the o in not is left out.
| Two words | Short form | Letter left out |
|---|---|---|
| do not | don't | o |
| cannot | can't | no |
| will not | won't | special spelling |
| I am | I'm | a |
| it is | it's | i |
| let us | let's | u |
Key ideas
- An apostrophe shows where letters are left out.
- Don't is short for do not, and I'm is short for I am.
- Won't is the short form of will not. Its spelling is special, so learn it.
- It's means it is. Its, with no apostrophe, shows that something belongs to it, as in its tail.
Method. Join the two words, leave out the missing letters, and put an apostrophe in their place.
- Find the two words. The two words can be joined into one short form.do not
- Find the letter that is left out. The letter o is left out, so the apostrophe takes its place.o
- Write the short form with an apostrophe. The apostrophe shows where the letters were.don't
- Write the answer. don't
Check. Say it aloud: don't. ✓
Watch out. The apostrophe goes where the letter was, not at the end of the word.
Method. Join the two words, leave out the missing letters, and put an apostrophe in their place.
- Find the two words. The two words can be joined into one short form.let us
- Find the letter that is left out. The letter u is left out, so the apostrophe takes its place.u
- Write the short form with an apostrophe. The apostrophe shows where the letters were.let's
- Write the answer. let's
Check. Say it aloud: let's. ✓
Watch out. The apostrophe goes where the letter was, not at the end of the word.
Method. Join the two words, leave out the missing letters, and put an apostrophe in their place.
- Find the two words. The two words can be joined into one short form.I am
- Find the letter that is left out. The letter a is left out, so the apostrophe takes its place.a
- Write the short form with an apostrophe. The apostrophe shows where the letters were.I'm
- Write the answer. I'm
Check. Say it aloud: I'm. ✓
Watch out. The apostrophe goes where the letter was, not at the end of the word.
Watch out
Watch out: it's means it is. Its with no apostrophe shows that something belongs to it, as in The dog wagged its tail. Use an apostrophe only for the short form.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Say both words, then the short form: "do not, don't". Ask your child which letter has gone, and where the apostrophe sits.
Exercise 5E Practice: apostrophes for contraction
Method. Join the two words, leave out the missing letters, and put an apostrophe in their place.
- Find the two words. The two words can be joined into one short form.we are
- Find the letter that is left out. The letter a is left out, so the apostrophe takes its place.a
- Write the short form with an apostrophe. The apostrophe shows where the letters were.we're
- Write the answer. we're
Check. Say it aloud: we're. ✓
Watch out. The apostrophe goes where the letter was, not at the end of the word.
Method. Join the two words, leave out the missing letters, and put an apostrophe in their place.
- Find the two words. The two words can be joined into one short form.they are
- Find the letter that is left out. The letter a is left out, so the apostrophe takes its place.a
- Write the short form with an apostrophe. The apostrophe shows where the letters were.they're
- Write the answer. they're
Check. Say it aloud: they're. ✓
Watch out. The apostrophe goes where the letter was, not at the end of the word.
Method. Join the two words, leave out the missing letters, and put an apostrophe in their place.
- Find the two words. The two words can be joined into one short form.is not
- Find the letter that is left out. The letter o is left out, so the apostrophe takes its place.o
- Write the short form with an apostrophe. The apostrophe shows where the letters were.isn't
- Write the answer. isn't
Check. Say it aloud: isn't. ✓
Watch out. The apostrophe goes where the letter was, not at the end of the word.
Method. Join the two words, leave out the missing letters, and put an apostrophe in their place.
- Find the two words. The two words can be joined into one short form.did not
- Find the letter that is left out. The letter o is left out, so the apostrophe takes its place.o
- Write the short form with an apostrophe. The apostrophe shows where the letters were.didn't
- Write the answer. didn't
Check. Say it aloud: didn't. ✓
Watch out. The apostrophe goes where the letter was, not at the end of the word.
Method. Join the two words, leave out the missing letters, and put an apostrophe in their place.
- Find the two words. The two words can be joined into one short form.you are
- Find the letter that is left out. The letter a is left out, so the apostrophe takes its place.a
- Write the short form with an apostrophe. The apostrophe shows where the letters were.you're
- Write the answer. you're
Check. Say it aloud: you're. ✓
Watch out. The apostrophe goes where the letter was, not at the end of the word.
Method. Join the two words, leave out the missing letters, and put an apostrophe in their place.
- Find the two words. The two words can be joined into one short form.it is
- Find the letter that is left out. The letter i is left out, so the apostrophe takes its place.i
- Write the short form with an apostrophe. The apostrophe shows where the letters were.it's
- Write the answer. it's
Check. Say it aloud: it's. ✓
Watch out. The apostrophe goes where the letter was, not at the end of the word.
Method. Join the two words, leave out the missing letters, and put an apostrophe in their place.
- Find the two words. The two words can be joined into one short form.will not
- Find the letter that is left out. This one is irregular: will not becomes won't. The spelling changes, so it has to be learned.won't
- Write the short form with an apostrophe. The apostrophe shows where the letters were.won't
- Write the answer. won't
Check. Say it aloud: won't. ✓
Watch out. The apostrophe goes where the letter was, not at the end of the word.
Method. Read the gap. It means it is.
- Read the gap. The gap means it is raining.it is raining
- Choose the short form. It's is short for it is, so it needs the apostrophe.It's raining
- Write the answer. It's
Check. It's raining, so take a coat. ✓
Watch out. Its with no apostrophe does not mean it is.
Method. Lets is short for let us, so it needs an apostrophe.
- Look at Lets. Let us is shortened to let's. The u is left out.Lets = let's
- Write the sentence. Keep the capital letter and the full stop.Let's go to the park.
- Write the answer. Let's go to the park.
Check. Read it aloud: Let's go to the park. ✓
Watch out. Put the apostrophe where the u was.
Method. Look at what the word means here.
- Look at Its. Its with no apostrophe shows ownership, but here the sentence means it is.Its = it is
- Write the correct form. It's is the short form of it is.It's raining, so take a coat.
- Write the answer. No. It is means the same as it's, so write: It's raining, so take a coat.
Check. Read it aloud: It's raining. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: No, it should be It's with an apostrophe.