Essay contraction finder

Could've is a contraction of could and have. Incorrect: I could of taken the bus, but I decided to walk instead. When writing a research paper or any other formal paper, make sure there are no contractions in the essay. I'd also recommend not using contractions in resumes, cover letters, or school application personal statements.

Alphabetical List of Contractions 1 aren’t – are not 2 can’t – cannot 3 couldn’t – could not 4 didn’t – did not 5 doesn’t – does not 6 don’t – do not 7 hadn’t – had not 8 hasn’t – has not 9 haven’t – have not 10 he’d – he had; he would More items...

That said, they can be also acceptable in day-to-day correspondence with superiors or writing articles, fiction, or instructions. Contraction use is strongly discouraged for formal (i.e. academic) writing unless used in representing speech patterns of another person, i.e. quoting a source in a news article or academic paper.

A contraction is a simplified version of one or two words by omission of one or more letters and the use of an apostrophe. The most noted example of confusion when it comes to using a contraction can be found in the following two words: your, and you're.