Contractions — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. What two words does 'won't' stand for?
A) will not
B) would not
C) want not
D) was not
Won't is the special contraction for will not, even though the letters do not match perfectly.
2. What two words does 'could've' stand for?
A) could of
B) could have
C) could be
D) could had
Could've is short for could have, with the apostrophe replacing 'ha' from have.
3. What two words does 'shan't' stand for?
A) shall not
B) should not
C) shan not
D) shine not
Shan't stands for shall not, with the apostrophe replacing 'l' and 'o' letters.
4. What two words does 'should've' stand for?
A) should of
B) should be
C) should have
D) should has
Should've is short for should have, with the apostrophe replacing 'ha' from have.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. The contraction 'won't' really stands for 'will not'.
Won't is short for will not, even though the w and o letters look strange.
2. The contraction 'could've' really stands for 'could have'.
Could've stands for could have, so writing 'could of' is a common mistake to avoid.
3. The contraction 'shan't' really stands for 'shall not'.
Shan't is an old-fashioned short form of shall not, used mostly in stories.
4. The contraction 'would've' really stands for 'would have'.
Would've stands for would have, with the apostrophe replacing 'ha' from have.
5. The contraction 'might've' really stands for 'might have'.
Might've is short for might have, with the apostrophe replacing the 'ha' in have.