# Compound Conjunctions, e.g.: Shouldn't've

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compound-conjunctions-e-g-shouldntve/335078
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 10, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compound-conjunctions-e-g-shouldntve/335078 "2005-12-10T23:54:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Nobody\_Special](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@Nobody\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody_Special)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compound-conjunctions-e-g-shouldntve/335078/1 "2005-12-10T23:54:48Z")

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Is there such a thing as a compound conjunction like shouldn’t’ve or I’d’ve?

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### Author: ![snailboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2005, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compound-conjunctions-e-g-shouldntve/335078/2 "2005-12-11T01:14:03Z")

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Not according to formal grammar, although people do it in spoken informal English all the time (at least around here).

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### Author: ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2005, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compound-conjunctions-e-g-shouldntve/335078/3 "2005-12-11T01:26:07Z")

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I think you mean compound contraction.

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### Author: ![Nobody\_Special](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@Nobody\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody_Special)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compound-conjunctions-e-g-shouldntve/335078/4 "2005-12-11T02:01:42Z")

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> [@Colibri](#):
>
> I think you mean compound contraction.

:smack:

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### Author: ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compound-conjunctions-e-g-shouldntve/335078/5 "2005-12-11T02:49:19Z")

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I do it in informal writing, too, but mostly for the novelty. I’ve probably used them in posts on here, for example.

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### Author: ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2005, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compound-conjunctions-e-g-shouldntve/335078/6 "2005-12-11T09:02:24Z")

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> [@Speaker for the Dead](#):
>
> I do it in informal writing, too, but mostly for the novelty. I’ve probably used them in posts on here, for example.

I’d say they are a reasonable approximation of casual speech, and I’m liable to pronounce that /shUd n@v/ (“should-nuv”, more or less), two syllables. So I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t use them in informal writing (and I do it from time to time myself), if you’re looking to give it a conversational feel. Obviously they’re right out in formal writing, since even the well-worn single contractions aren’t permitted there.