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double contraction

created by glindsey

(idea) by glindsey (1.4 d) (print)   ?   (I like it!) Fri Dec 07 2001 at 17:41:41

Also known as doubly-apostrophic contractions, double apostrophe contractions may seem awkward, but there is at least one that appears quite often: the most common contraction to be combined with others is "'ve", due to the common contracted phrase "would have" ("'d've"). Other phrases such as "not have" ("n't've") and "will have" ("'ll've") also appear, but aren't contracted nearly as often; when these phrases are used, "have" is typically left uncontracted ("I'll have" instead of "I will've"). In colloquial speech, "'d've" is often pronounced simply as "'da": "I'd've" is prounced "I'da" (or, more accurately, a schwa substituting for the "a").

Some contractions do not appear in the language; for example, "am not" does not contract to "'mn't", probably due to the awkwardness of having a voiced "m" adjacent to a voiced "n".

Triple apostrophe contractions do not normally appear in English; it's almost guaranteed that you won't see "I would not have" written as "I'dn't've", and we can all thank heaven for that.


printable version
chaos

I'dn't've schwa couldn't've there'd've
that'd've I'd've shouldn't've wouldn't've
grammar you'd've can't've ain't
apostrophe birth Dem Bones RumourQuest 2006
Apostolic Apostrophic Bell's Theorem have
English contraction
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