Year 7 English: Contractions with ‘Not’

In English, a contraction is a shorter way of saying two words by combining them into one word. This is often done by removing some letters and adding an apostrophe (‘) in their place. One of the most common types of contractions is when we combine a verb with ‘not’ to make the word shorter and quicker to say or write.

For example:

• do not becomes don’t
• is not becomes isn’t

Learning how to use these contractions properly will make your writing sound more natural and less formal.

What are Contractions with “Not”?

When we use the word not to make a negative sentence, we can often shorten the phrase by combining not with a verb using an apostrophe. This type of contraction is commonly used in spoken and informal written English.

Example:

• I do not like football. (formal)
• I don’t like football. (informal)

Both sentences mean the same thing, but the second one is less formal and more commonly used in everyday conversation.

Common Contractions with “Not”

Here are some of the most common contractions with not:

Key Rules for Using Contractions

1. Apostrophe: Always use an apostrophe (‘) to show where the letters have been left out. For example, in “don’t,” the apostrophe replaces the “o” in “not.”
2. Negative meaning: Remember that contractions with not always mean something negative. For example, “don’t” means do not.
3. Informal usage: Contractions are often used in informal writing or conversation, but they are less common in formal writing, like essays or reports.
4. Irregular contraction for “will not”: The contraction for will not is won’t, which is a bit different from other contractions because it doesn’t follow the same pattern (it doesn’t use “willn’t”).

Tips and Tricks

• Listen carefully: When people speak, they often use contractions without thinking. Listening to how others speak can help you get used to using contractions naturally.
• Don’t forget the apostrophe: A contraction without an apostrophe is a spelling mistake. Always check that you’ve added the apostrophe where letters have been left out.
• Practise with common phrases: Try using contractions in sentences you use every day. For example, instead of saying “I do not know,” you can say “I don’t know.”

Examples in Sentences

1. Full Form: He is not coming to the party.
   Contraction: He isn’t coming to the party.
2. Full Form: We have not seen that movie.
   Contraction: We haven’t seen that movie.
3. Full Form: They cannot be late.
   Contraction: They can’t be late.

Questions

Easy Difficulty

1. What is the contraction for “do not”?
2. What is the contraction for “does not”?
3. What is the contraction for “is not”?
4. Complete the sentence: “They __ (are not) going to the park.”
5. What is the contraction for “cannot”?
6. Complete the sentence: “I __ (have not) finished my homework.”
7. What is the contraction for “was not”?
8. Complete the sentence: “We __ (will not) be late.”
9. What is the contraction for “could not”?
10. What is the contraction for “were not”?
11. Complete the sentence: “She __ (would not) help me.”
12. What is the contraction for “must not”?
13. What is the contraction for “had not”?
14. What is the contraction for “should not”?
15. Complete the sentence: “He __ (has not) called me yet.”
16. What is the contraction for “might not”?
17. What is the contraction for “has not”?
18. Complete the sentence: “We __ (are not) going to win.”
19. What is the contraction for “will not”?
20. Complete the sentence: “They __ (do not) like ice cream.”

Medium Difficulty

1. What is the contraction for “she is not”?
2. Complete the sentence: “They __ (could not) come to the meeting.”
3. What is the contraction for “they are not”?
4. Complete the sentence: “We __ (had not) heard the news.”
5. What is the contraction for “he has not”?
6. Complete the sentence: “The teacher __ (was not) happy with the class.”
7. What is the contraction for “should not”?
8. Complete the sentence: “You __ (must not) forget your homework.”
9. What is the contraction for “we are not”?
10. Complete the sentence: “I __ (might not) go to the party.”
11. What is the contraction for “you are not”?
12. Complete the sentence: “They __ (will not) come if it rains.”
13. What is the contraction for “he would not”?
14. Complete the sentence: “She __ (has not) seen the movie yet.”
15. What is the contraction for “we have not”?
16. Complete the sentence: “I __ (cannot) find my keys.”
17. What is the contraction for “they do not”?
18. Complete the sentence: “She __ (does not) know the answer.”
19. What is the contraction for “you have not”?
20. Complete the sentence: “We __ (were not) sure what to do.”

High Difficulty

1. What is the contraction for “he is not”?
2. Complete the sentence: “You __ (should not) go outside without a coat.”
3. What is the contraction for “it cannot”?
4. Complete the sentence: “I __ (would not) do that if I were you.”
5. What is the contraction for “we are not”?
6. Complete the sentence: “They __ (do not) understand the question.”
7. What is the contraction for “he might not”?
8. Complete the sentence: “I __ (have not) been to that restaurant before.”
9. What is the contraction for “he will not”?
10. Complete the sentence: “She __ (cannot) swim very well.”
11. What is the contraction for “they should not”?
12. Complete the sentence: “We __ (was not) expecting so many people.”
13. What is the contraction for “they would not”?
14. Complete the sentence: “He __ (had not) thought about it before.”
15. What is the contraction for “you have not”?
16. Complete the sentence: “They __ (has not) arrived yet.”
17. What is the contraction for “we cannot”?
18. Complete the sentence: “You __ (are not) paying attention.”
19. What is the contraction for “she will not”?
20. Complete the sentence: “I __ (was not) at school yesterday.”

Answers

Easy Difficulty

1. Don’t
2. Doesn’t
3. Isn’t
4. Aren’t
5. Can’t
6. Haven’t
7. Wasn’t
8. Won’t
9. Couldn’t
10. Weren’t
11. Wouldn’t
12. Mustn’t
13. Hadn’t
14. Shouldn’t
15. Hasn’t
16. Mightn’t
17. Hasn’t
18. Aren’t
19. Won’t
20. Don’t

Medium Difficulty

1. She isn’t
2. Couldn’t
3. They aren’t
4. Hadn’t
5. He hasn’t
6. Wasn’t
7. Shouldn’t
8. Mustn’t
9. We aren’t
10. Mightn’t
11. You aren’t
12. Won’t
13. He wouldn’t
14. Hasn’t
15. We haven’t
16. Can’t
17. They don’t
18. Doesn’t
19. You haven’t
20. Weren’t

High Difficulty

1. He isn’t
2. Shouldn’t
3. It can’t
4. Wouldn’t
5. We aren’t
6. Don’t
7. Mightn’t
8. Haven’t
9. He won’t
10. Can’t
11. Shouldn’t
12. Weren’t
13. They wouldn’t
14. Hadn’t
15. You haven’t
    16. Hasn’t
16. We can’t
17. Aren’t
18. She won’t
19. Wasn’t