Franky
New member
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2026
- Messages
- 15
I'm an international student from Brazil, and I'm struggling with what are contractions in writing in English. In Portuguese, we have contractions too, but they work differently. I understand basic ones like 'I'm' and 'don't,' but I get confused with the less common ones. When do you use 'she'd'?
Does it mean 'she had' or 'she would'? I've seen both. And I learned that 'cannot' becomes 'can't,' but why does 'will not' become 'won't'? That doesn't follow the pattern. Also, I have trouble with homophones—I still mix up 'you're' and 'your' sometimes, and 'they're' vs. 'their' vs. 'there' is a nightmare.
Are there good resources for ESL learners to master contractions? I want to sound natural in my writing, but I also don't want to make embarrassing mistakes.
Does it mean 'she had' or 'she would'? I've seen both. And I learned that 'cannot' becomes 'can't,' but why does 'will not' become 'won't'? That doesn't follow the pattern. Also, I have trouble with homophones—I still mix up 'you're' and 'your' sometimes, and 'they're' vs. 'their' vs. 'there' is a nightmare.
Are there good resources for ESL learners to master contractions? I want to sound natural in my writing, but I also don't want to make embarrassing mistakes.
