[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/contraction.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / contraction

[← C](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/C/)

# contraction

«contraction» in Mova's school dictionary: **a short form made by joining two words with an…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 2 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a contraction, contractions)

### meaning for a pupil

1) In grammar, a contraction is a short form made by joining two words with an apostrophe, like «don't» (do not) or «I'm» (I am). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contraction/#m1)

2) In science, contraction means getting smaller or shorter, like a metal shrinking when it cools or a muscle tightening. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contraction/#m2)

3) Contractions are the tightenings of the womb when a baby is about to be born. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contraction/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In English lessons, the apostrophe in a contraction shows where letters are missing: can't = cannot, it's = it is. In science, metals expand when heated and contract when cooled. Muscles move bones by contraction. Contractions are not used in very formal writing.

### examples

- «Won't» is a contraction of «will not». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contraction/#x1)
- The apostrophe shows the missing letters in a contraction. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contraction/#x2)
- Cold weather causes contraction of the metal rails. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contraction/#x3)
- Muscle contraction makes your arm bend. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contraction/#x4)
- Mum's contractions started, so they went to the hospital. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contraction/#x5)
- Write the contraction for «they are». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contraction/#x6)

### note

Verb: contract. Trap: «it's» (it is) vs «its» (belonging to it); «you're» vs «your». Opposite of contraction (getting smaller) is expansion.

### In the corpora

- [Diaries often use informal language and contractions such as I'm, can't and didn't.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/24-persuasive-letters-newspaper-articles-and-diaries/25/)
- [A contraction squeezes two words into one with an apostrophe, like could've for could have.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/language/3-verbs-doing-words-and-being-words/13/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «contraction» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contraction/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.