Welcome to my first writing tutorial for the Writers Bloc. Hopefully everything will make sense to someone other than myself. As one of those rare and elusive “natural” writers, I have the ability to generally sit down and pound out a piece that for the most part makes sense. This does not make me infallible, however, as I have made many mistakes in the past as I function with little instruction from others. Since I was always more “polished” than most of my classmates in high school, I often ignored the lesson plans I already knew. That was how I came to realize that if something caught my attention, it had to be important. It truly is a less conceited concept than it sounds, but has definitely worked out in the long-run.
Thanks to William Jones, a high school English teacher who inspired the root of this rant.
Substitute Scribe Stint: Session One
Don't Contract Written English
Look at these two phrases and think for a moment. Which looks easier to understand:
You’re not ready to compete in the game Saturday, so Erik’s ready to start instead.
...or...
You are not ready to compete in the game Saturday, so Erik is ready to start instead.
It does not seem like a huge difference at first, but every letter counts in writing. The latter is more formal, omitting the contractions and fully finishing each word. When writing, it is always a good idea to flesh out every word you can in order to fully convey your ideas.
Uh, no-brainer... right? Well, you would be surprised at how cumbersome this rule of thumb can be.
The Head-Scratchers
Teachers in school emphasize writing as an essential skill for the future. A variety of elements set up the proper tone for certain styles of writing, contractions being one of them. A contraction, or a joining of two words into one, is common in everyday verbal speech. Nothing is wrong with contractions, as they often make speech more “conversational” in tone. Think about this:
Erik’s been moved up to the Varsity squad since Jay’s injured.
Sounds like you are just walking past some members of the school football team, right? Conversation happens when people talk, but should not happen too often when they write. How come? Clarity. They may seem understandable enough to a classmate walking by, but not necessarily to an outside party.
English contractions are strange in that they need to try to look like possessives. Other languages have contractions as well, but are able to confuse non-native speakers in other ways. No matter the language, using contractions usually means that the speaker has a somewhat-firm grip on what s/he is saying. Due to this informal and dialectal speech pattern, people learning English as a second language may struggle with ambiguous contractions. Context should provide clues, but may not be strong enough for someone unfamiliar with the language.
Erik is been moved up to the Varsity squad since Jay has injured.
Sounds ridiculous, right? Well, this is one way a sentence with contractions can be lengthened if context is not fully understood. The problems mainly arise when dealing with non-native English speakers, yet can also be a problem when writing formally. Depending on the sentence, two words can be inserted interchangeably. This causes confusion for some readers. Read the following sentence:
Emily’s test’s a grueling ordeal.
See what I mean? The contraction test’s can be lengthened to either “test was” if Emily was the one taking the test, or “test is” if Emily was the one giving the test. That can really make things interesting when dealing with someone unfamiliar with Emily’s position, whether they grew up speaking English or not.
The Simpler Stuff
There are other contractions in English as well, though less ambiguous than the ones mentioned above. They include, but are not limited to, the following:
She hasn’t studied a bit; that won’t stop me from hitting the books though.
(has not and will not)
Don’t tease Rudy because he couldn’t lift his goal weight in P.E..
(do not and could not)
I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconut macaroons, which I’ll gladly share if you’d stop harassing me.
(I have, I will and you would)
Okay, okay, we get it, right? Contractions are quick and are capable of either simplifying or complicating a sentence. Use them cautiously and communicating with writing is a snap.
Possessives
Emily’s test was a grueling ordeal.
Now how come I am not attacking the “Emily’s” in this sentence? Simple: this is just a possessive. You can write a possessive simply by adding an apostrophe and a “s” to the end of a noun (or even just an apostrophe) and translation should not be a major problem. It takes a real newbie to the English language to mix this one up.
“its” vs “it’s”
The contraction “it’s” can be a real problem for many writers. The most common mistake is to use “it’s” as a possessive, which is incorrect. The possessive version of the word “it” drops the conventional apostrophe, making it a completely separate word from the contraction. The English language pretty much stock-piles tons of exceptions like this, making all the little rules a hassle (but the attention spent on them can be most rewarding).
The Point of This Rant
Later on in life, the ability to write professionally will arise. These instances include things like school papers, inquiries to companies, writing seriously on the internet and maybe even getting a job.
There is nothing wrong with using contractions when you speak. Contractions in a personal blog or a fanfiction to create a more relaxed setting can be perfectly acceptable. (I am often a prime example.) Writing with a purpose other than having fun, however, has to have a high amount of clarity and precise language.
Professionally written pieces can be read by basically anyone. As the author, it is your job to make sure that your language is as definitive as possible. You can never predict who will pick up your term paper and start reading. By sounding as professional as possible, misrepresentations can be avoided on all levels.
As with everything in English, this anti-contraction business has exceptions. Journalists often use contractions when writing in order to keep their word count low. The first sentence of their stories often conform to the maximum word count allotted by their news organization. These counts can be as low as 25 words, so they need every trick they can scrounge up. Novel authors can also be guilty of this, but enjoy ornate wording and use contractions sparingly.
Try It!
If you are a writer who uses contractions, try stopping this habit (at least temporarily) and see how it affects your writing. Write a story or essay how you would normally, but then lengthen the contractions in anything outside of dialogue. It may end up changing the feel of your entire piece!
