Contractions — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Which is the correct Grade 3 contraction for 'should have' in this sentence: 'I ___ studied harder for the test'?
A) should of
B) should've
C) shoulda
D) shouldve
In Grade 3, 'should've' is the correct contraction for 'should have'; 'should of' sounds similar but is wrong.
2. Pick the right Grade 3 contraction: 'My cat likes her toy. ___ very playful today.'
A) Its
B) It's
C) Its'
D) Itss
The Grade 3 contraction 'It's' means 'It is'; 'Its' without an apostrophe shows possession and is different.
3. Which Grade 3 contraction correctly fills the blank: 'I ___ going to the store with my mom today'?
A) am'nt
B) aint
C) 'm
D) am
In Grade 3, 'I'm' is the standard contraction for 'I am'; other forms are either incorrect or nonstandard English.
4. Choose the correct Grade 3 contraction: 'They ___ finished their homework yet.' (haven't done it)
A) haven't
B) havent
C) have'nt
D) hav'nt
The Grade 3 contraction 'haven't' places the apostrophe between 'n' and 't' to replace the missing 'o' from not.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. The Grade 3 contraction for 'could have' is could've, not 'could of', which is a common mistake.
In Grade 3 writing, 'could've' correctly contracts 'could have'; 'could of' sounds the same but is always wrong.
2. The Grade 3 contraction for 'would have' is would've, with an apostrophe and the letters 've'.
Grade 3 students write 'would've' for 'would have'; writing 'would of' is a very common error to avoid.
3. The Grade 3 contraction for 'might have' is spelled might've, using an apostrophe and 've'.
In Grade 3, 'might've' is the correct contraction for 'might have'; 'might of' sounds right but is incorrect.
4. The Grade 3 contraction for 'must have' is written must've, with 've' after the apostrophe.
Grade 3 writers use 'must've' for 'must have'; the word 'of' is never used in a contraction, only 've'.
5. The Grade 3 contraction for 'they will' is they'll, with two l's after the apostrophe.
In Grade 3, 'they'll' contracts 'they will' and keeps both l's from 'will' after the apostrophe replaces 'wi'.