I'm and Won't, They're and Don't: What's a Contraction? (Words Are Categorical)

by Brian P. Cleary illustrated by Brian Gable

You’ll find the answer inside this book—it’s brimming with contractions! Brian P. Cleary’s playful rhymes and Brian Gable’s humorous illustrations don’t shy away from creatively clarifying the concept of contractions. For easy identification, we’ve printed the contractions in color. You won’t want to miss the comical cats that reinforce each idea.

I’m and Won’t, They’re and Don’t: What’s a Contraction? turns traditional grammar lesson on end. Read this book aloud and share in the delight of the sense—and nonsense—of words. Ages 7-11

Reinforced binding

, and Shannon —B.P.C.

Clare To Tresa, Kelly, 

n: Contractio Two (or ee) r h t s e m i t some nto i d e n i b m o words c using one word, he p an apostro

by Brian P. Cleary illustrations by Brian Gable J Millbrook Press / Minneapolis

Contractions

take a couple words or sometimes even three

4

a nd sh rink th e m into only one , ” . a e t g as in , “Sh e ’ s d rinkin

5

i ” s s ’ t e he c h “S

and 6

ontr

a ctio n,

it sh o rte ns u p “ sh e is .”

e s two k a t wo r It and ma d s ke s th e m o ne ,

as in , “Th at

’ s m in

e a nd h i s .”

7

As punctuation goes,

contractions always feature these:

8

take y e h T th e

s , r e t t e l p l a c e of es . h t h p d o e r n y a ’ r e c all e d a p o st

9

Take a phrase like “does not.”

A contraction makes it “ doesn’t.”

10

” . t o n Try a noth e r : “Wa s .” t ’ n s a w “ o Yo u c a n sh o rte n it t

11

i n l k th e p l e h s e w h p o o rd s r t s Apo e pl ac e at l e a st one l ette r r . d n a

12

“ n , i I ’m v s A e ry p r o ud th at I’ ve h el p e d make th i s l ove ly e ate r.” sw

13

Ofte ntime s contra ctio

ns

j oin a noth e r word to “ n o t .”

14

Like “ Sh o ul d n’ t it b e cold e r now?”

and “Can’ t I take y

our s

p ot?” 15

“I don’t think this shoe is mine.”

” ? d r u s b a t ’t i

“

sI n

16

Al l th e se tu r n a two -wo rd ph ra se into o ne singl e wo rd .

17

Oth e r tim e s , contra c t i o ns n e t “ r a o r e ” or “ sh i s” o r “a m .”

18

As in, “I’m sure you’re hungry,” and “ He’s cooking up some ham.”

19

d t h n e a n , c on w o N trac tion sh orten not j u s t tw s o.. .

20

but

“I’d

th r e e

’ ve t h o

wo rd s , for e x ampl e ,

” ! o o z u gh t th is wa s th e

21

“Would” when it’s contracted is reduced to just a “d”

22

ord s lik w n i e “I’ d” and “ sh e’d”

s “you’d” a l l e w s a e j u st t m a n o t hre

e. 23

h n i a ndy e m o c n a c ” l e t n e s e r l u i t u f “W a s a traction.

oc n

24

Shrink “she will” right down to “ she’ll”— it’s smaller by a fraction.

25

d n i f l l ’ u e s yo

m i d” t a “ e h d Som ave” a n en abb r eviate d . e b “h e h av

26

Like h er e : “I’ve got a p u p p y,” and “I’d b ette r get h im c rate d .”

27

A r en’t contra ct

ions

u seful wo

r d s? In sp e e c h and wr iting , d o

n’t

have any fear in using them.

(I’m gu e ssin g th at y o u won

’t!) 29

So what’s a

contraction?

30

Do you know?

31

About the Author & Illustrator BRIAN P. CLEARY is the author of the best-selling Words Are Categorical® series as well as the Math Is Categorical®, Food Is CATegorical™, Adventures in Memory™, and Sounds Like Reading® series. He has also written The Punctuation Station, The Laugh Stand: Adventures in Humor, and several other books. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio. BRIAN GABLE is the illustrator of many Words Are CATegorical® books and the Math Is CATegorical® series. Mr. Gable also works as a political cartoonist for the Globe and Mail newspaper in Toronto, Canada.

Text copyright © 2010 by Brian P. Cleary Illustrations copyright © 2010 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief€quotations in an acknowledged review. Millbrook Press A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A. Website address: www.lernerbooks.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cleary, Brian P., 1959–  I’m and won’t, they’re and don’t : what’s a contraction? / by Brian P. Cleary ; illustrated by Brian Gable. p. cm. — (Words are CATegorical) ISBN: 978–0–8225–9155–9 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)  1. English language—Contraction—Juvenile literature. 2. Contraction—Juvenile literature. 3. Language arts (Primary) I. Gable, Brian, 1949– ill. II. Title. PE1161.C54 2010 421'.54—dc22 2009049201 Manufactured in the United States of America 1 – DP – 7/15/10

eISBN: 978-0-7613-6350-7

Brian P. Cleary is the author of the

best-selling Words Are CATegorical® series as well as the Math Is CATegorical®, Food Is CATegorical™, Adventures in Memory™, and Sounds Like Reading® series. He has also written The Punctuation Station, The Laugh Stand: Adventures in Humor, and several other books. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Brian Gable is the illustrator of many

Words Are CATegorical® books and the Math Is CATegorical® series. Mr. Gable also works as a political cartoonist for the Globe and Mail newspaper in Toronto, Canada.

Jacket illustrations by Brian Gable

A

j Millbrook Press division of

Lerner Publishing Group

241 First Avenue North • Minneapolis, MN 55401 www.lernerbooks.com Printed and bound in U.S.A.Â�

W ords

Are Categorical books ®

But and For, Yet and Nor: What Is a Conjunction? Dearly, Nearly, Insincerely: What Is an Adverb? Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective? How Much Can a Bare Bear Bear?: What Are Homonyms and Homophones? I and You and Don’t Forget Who: What Is a Pronoun? I’m and Won’t, They’re and Don’t: What’s a Contraction? Lazily, Crazily, Just a Bit Nasally: More about Adverbs A Lime, a Mime, a Pool of Slime: More about Nouns A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What Is a Noun? Pitch and Throw, Grasp and Know: What Is a Synonym? Quirky, Jerky, Extra Perky: More about Adjectives Skin Like Milk, Hair of Silk: What Are Similes and Metaphors? Slide and Slurp, Scratch and Burp: More about Verbs Stop and Go, Yes and No: What Is an Antonym? Straight and Curvy, Meek and Nervy: More about Antonyms Stroll and Walk, Babble and Talk: More about Synonyms To Root, to Toot, to Parachute: What Is a Verb? Under, Over, By the Clover: What Is a Preposition?