Contractions: Is and Not

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

All of the words you saw above contain an apostrophe.

An apostrophe (') can be used to combine two words by shortening them. The apostrophe, a punctuation mark, can also be used to show possession over something else.

This lesson will focus on apostrophes that are used to create contractions. Through these Contractions series lessons, you will learn special tricks to help you remember what the different contractions are.

The first group of contractions you will look at combine one word with the word "is." The apostrophe following the letter "s" tells you that the contraction contains the word "is." When you add an apostrophe, you take away the letter "i" and keep the letter "s." Ask your parent or teacher to read the list of words below aloud to you:

• It's = It is
• She's = She is
• He's = He is
• What's = What is
• That's = That is
• How's = How is
• Where's = Where is
• Who's = Who is

Take a look at the examples below. Read each example aloud to your parent or teacher. The words that are italicized are the contractions. Look for where the apostrophe is placed in each word. Think about what letters are taken out when the apostrophe is added:

Where's the turtle?
Where is the turtle?

He's in the grass.
He is in the grass.

Who's your friend?
Who is your friend?

You looked at three examples of words that use apostrophes to make contractions with the word "is." Try the next example yourself. Read the sentence to your parent or teacher and tell him or her what the contraction is in the sentence, and what two words combined to make the contraction:

She's playing with a toy.

Did you find the contraction? Great job! The contraction is she's. The apostrophe followed by the s in the word "she's" can be broken into the words "she is."

There are many other words that are contractions. The next set of words are contractions that contain the word "not." The contractions are spelled with "n't." The apostrophe in these contractions takes away the letter "o" in the word "not." Ask your parent or teacher to read the list below aloud to you:

• Aren't = Are not
• Can't = Cannot
• Couldn't = Could not
• Didn't = Did not
• Doesn't = Does not
• Don't = Do not
• Hadn't = Had not
• Hasn't = Has not
• Haven't = Have not
• Wouldn't = Would not

Take a look at some of these contractions being used in sentences. Read each sentence aloud to your parent or teacher:

We can't go outside.
We cannot go outside.

The mail didn't come.
The mail did not come.

She doesn't like peppers.
She does not like peppers.

So far, you have looked at some examples of contractions that combine one word with the word "not." Try the next example on your own. Read the sentence to your parent or teacher and tell him or her what the contraction is in the sentence, and what two words are combined to make the contraction:

She didn't clean up.

The contraction in the word is "didn't." Didn't can be split into two words. The two words are "did not."

You learned how to make contractions with the words "is" and "not." Can you think of two examples of contractions that contain the word "is," and two contractions that contain the word "not"? Tell your parent or teacher your answer.

In the Got It? section, you will practice identifying contractions.