Contractions
Whatever may be said against employing contractions in dignified
discourse, their use in colloquial speech is too firmly established to
justify our censure. But, in their use, as, indeed, in the use of all
words, proper discrimination must be shown.
Just why _haven’t, hasn’t, doesn’t, isn’t, wasn’t,_ are regarded as
being in good repute, and _ain’t, weren’t, mightn’t, oughtn’t,_ are
regarded with less favor, and why _shalln’t, willn’t_ are absolutely
excluded, it would be difficult to explain.
_Use determines the law of language,_ whether for single words,
grammatical forms, or grammatical constructions. Wherever a people, by
common consent, employ a particular word to mean a certain thing, that
word becomes an inherent part of the language of that people, whether
it has any basis in etymology or not. We must not wrest this law to our
own convenience, however, by assuming that such words and phrases as
are introduced and employed by the illiterate, or even by the educated,
within a circumscribed territory, are, therefore, to be regarded as
reputable words. The sanction of all classes, the educated as well as
the uneducated, throughout the entire country in which the language is
spoken, is necessary and preliminary to the proper introduction of a
new word into the language.
Ain’t
This word is a contraction of _am_ _not_ or _are not, _and can,
therefore, be used only with the singular pronouns _I_ and _you_, and
with the plural pronouns _we, you,_ and _they,_ and with nouns in the
plural.
I _am not_ pleased. I _ain’t_ pleased.
You _are not_ kind. You _ain’t_ kind.
They _are not_ gentlemen. They _ain’t_ gentlemen.
These sentences will serve to illustrate the proper use of _ain’t,_ if
it is ever proper to use such an inelegant word as that. “James _ain’t_
a good student,” “Mary _ain’t_ a skillful musician,” or “This orange
_ain’t_ sweet,” are expressions frequently heard, yet those who use
them would be shocked to hear the same expressions with the proper
equivalent _am not_ or _are not_ substituted for the misleading
_ain’t._
The expression _ain’t_ is compounded of the verb _am_ or _are_ and the
adverb _not,_ and by the contraction the three vocal impulses
_I-am-not,_ or _you-are-not,_ or _they-are-not,_ are reduced to two. By
compounding the pronoun with the verb and preserving the full adverb,
as in “_I’m not,” “You’re not,”_ “_They’re not,”_ we also reduce the
three vocal impulses to two, thus securing as short a contraction in
sound and one that is as fully adapted to colloquial speech, and that
is, at the same time, in much better taste.
The old form for _ain’t_ was _an’t,_ but this has now become obsolete.
It will be a blessing to the English-speaking people when the
descendant shall sleep with his father.
_Are not_ is sometimes contracted into _aren’t,_ but this form has not
found much favor.
Can’t and Couldn’t
As _cannot_ and _could not_ may be used with pronouns of the first,
second, or third person, in either number, and with nouns in both
numbers, no error is likely to follow the use of their contracted
forms.
Why _cannot_ is properly written as one word, and _could not _requires
two, is not founded upon any principle of philosophy. The concurrent
sanction of all classes in all parts of the English-speaking world
establishes it as law.
Observe that the _a_ in the verb _can’t_ is broader in sound than the
_short a_ in the noun _cant._
Don’t and Didn’t
_Don’t_ is a contraction of _do not._ It is in very general use and in
good repute. It may be employed
wherever the expanded expression _do not_ could be applied, and only
there.
“One swallow _don’t_ make a spring” is equivalent to saying, “One
swallow _do not_ make a spring.” We may say “_I don’t,” “You don’t,”
“We don’t,” “They don’t,” “The men_ (or _birds,_ or _trees) don’t,”_
but we must use _doesn’t_ with _he,_ or _she,_ or _it,_ or _the man,
the grove, the cloud,_ etc.
Unlike the verb _do_, its past tense form _did_ undergoes no change in
conjugation, hence the contraction _didn’t_ is also uniform.
Haven’t, Hasn’t, and Hadn’t
The verb _have,_ like the verb _do,_ has a distinct form for the third
person singular. The same change affects the contraction. I _haven’t,_
you _haven’t,_ he _hasn’t._ The construction _hadn’t_ undergoes no
change.
Haint, Taint
_Haint_ is used indiscriminately for _haven’t_ and _hasn’t. Taint_ is
used for _tisn’t._ Their use is indicative of an entire lack of
culture.
Isn’t
No one need hesitate to use this word. It is smooth in utterance and
contributes much to the freedom and ease of social intercourse. Its
equivalent is too stately for colloquial forms of speech, and is often
suggestive of pedantry. Compare _“Isn’t_ he an eloquent speaker?”
“_Isn’t_ this a beautiful flower?” with _“Is not_ he an eloquent
speaker?” “_Is_ this _not_ a beautiful flower?”
Wasn’t
Although not so elegant as the present tense form _isn’t,_ yet the
contraction _wasn’t_ is in excellent repute. It is properly used only
in the first and third persons singular. No one who makes any
pretension to culture would be guilty of saying” You _was_ my neighbor,
but you _wasn’t_ my friend,” “We _was_ engaged in trade, and they
_wasn’t _of any use to us.” Say we _were_ or _were not,_ but never
_wasn’t_ or _wa’nt._
Weren’t
The forms _aren’t,_ and _weren’t_ do not have the sanction of the best
speakers and writers, and should be used sparingly, if at all.
Shouldn’t and Wouldn’t
These are frequently used in speech, but are not so common in writing.
Mustn’t, Mayn’t, Mightn’t, and Oughtn’t
_Mustn’t_ may be used in light conversation, but not in writing. The
others should be avoided in speech and writing.
I’m, You’re, He’s, She’s, It’s, We’re, They’re
The contractions formed by compounding the pronoun with the verb are
very common, and tend to preserve conversation from becoming stiff and
formal. Nouns in the singular are sometimes compounded in like manner;
as, “John’s going by the early train,” “Mary’s caught a bird.” Not many
verbs beside _is_ and _has_ are thus compounded, and the practice
should be discouraged.
Mayst, Mightst
Although _mayst, canst, mightst, couldst, wouldst,_ and _shouldst_ are
contracted forms, the apostrophe is not employed to indicate the
contraction.
Daren’t, Dursent
_Dare not_ is sometimes contracted to _daren’t_ and _durst not_ to_
dursent,_ but the practice should not be encouraged.
Let’s
While verbs are often contracted when compounded with pronouns, as
_it’s, he’s, I’m, you’re,_ etc., the pronoun must not be contracted to
form a combination with the verb. It may be a poor rule, but it will
not work both ways. _Let’s_ should therefore be _let us._