# What is this English grammar/syntax rule regarding contractions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 16, 2021, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140 "2021-12-16T08:51:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/1 "2021-12-16T08:51:51Z")
Something I have noticed that ESL speakers sometimes do is to misuse contractions - specifically, word contractions that would be valid in some positions in a sentence, but are not valid in other positions (typically, where they trail the sentence). Take for example the statement by Gloria Gaynor (or Popeye): “I am what I am” It’s valid to change this to "I’m what I am’, but not “I am what **I’m** ” (or “I’m what **I’m** ”) “You are so beautiful to me” goes to “You’re so beautiful to me” "“How beautiful you are” does not go to “How beautiful **you’re** ” “It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas” is already actually “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” “What a wonder it is” would never be changed to “What a wonder **it’s** ” And this seems to be a fairly solid and unexcepted rule in English, which is a rarity; the contraction only works when it has something following that it works upon - but what is this rule? What’s actually happening here? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/2 "2021-12-16T10:22:01Z")
The rule seems to be not to end a sentence with a contraction. But I can think of exceptions, like “Either it is or it isn’t.” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/3 "2021-12-16T10:47:49Z")
Very good question. I’m a certified EFL\* teacher, and we often tell students “English has few rules but many tendencies.” I don’t believe there is a hard-and-fast rule governing the examples you cite, other than “That’s just the way we say them.” If there is such a rule, I’ve never encountered it. Maybe someone else has? \*English as a Foreign Language. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/4 "2021-12-16T10:48:43Z")
I don’t have an answer, but sometimes I utter the phrase “it’s what it’s”. mmm ---
**Author:** ![its\_the\_daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@its\_the\_daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/its_the_daddy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/5 "2021-12-16T10:58:07Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > (or Popeye): > “I am what I am” I may be wrong, but I have the impression he said “I yam what I yam” ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/6 "2021-12-16T11:12:25Z")
I think it’s to do with the rhythm of our sentences. In all of your examples, there is some stress on the last word, not fully stressed necessarily, but more stress than you get with a contraction. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/7 "2021-12-16T11:25:52Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I can think of exceptions, like "Either it is or it isn’t.” I would if I could, but I can’t so I won’t. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/8 "2021-12-16T11:51:02Z")
[This appears to be the answer.](https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/500/is-there-some-rule-against-ending-a-sentence-with-the-contraction-its) > [@](#): > > The form _’s_ , representing either _has_ or _is_ , along with _’m_ ( _am_ ), _’re_ ( _are_ ), _’ve_ ( _have_ ), _’ll_ ( _will_ ), and _’d_ ( _had_ or _would_ ) are called **clitics** , and they are a variant of what are known as **weak forms** of words, which are pronunciations of words like _a_ , _have_ , _from_ , _you_ , etc. (about fifty in total) with a reduced vowel, such as [schwa](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwa). > > In the discussion of weak and strong forms, CGEL points out that there are certain grammatical contexts that require strong forms, and one of those contexts is something called _stranding_ , where the object of a phrase is _preposed_ (moved before the phrase). These are examples they give of stranding requiring strong forms: > > > a. _Who did you give it_ [_to \_\__] _?_ > > b. _We’ll help you if we_ [_can \_\__]. > > c. _They want me to resign, but I don’t intend_ [_to \_\__]. > > In each of these cases, the word in the brackets has a weak form, but it cannot be used in this context because its object has been _stranded_ . Of course, in written English, there is no difference between weak and strong forms—it’s only a spoken difference—but clitics _are_ distinguished in written English, and the restriction on weak forms also extends to clitics. (There are additional restrictions on clitics, but they are not relevant to this discussion). > > So, thus we can say that the second _is_ in the sentence _It is what it_ [_is \_\__] cannot be reduced to either a weak form or to a clitic because of the restriction to strong forms in cases of syntactic stranding. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/9 "2021-12-16T11:56:45Z")
“Shall we?” “Yes, let’s!” ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/10 "2021-12-16T11:58:20Z")
“Let’s” is a contraction of “let us.” The object of the phrase is “us.” The only examples I can think of where a contraction successfully ends a sentence is where the _contracted_ word is not a verb. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/11 "2021-12-16T12:12:42Z")
In the glory days of Hong Kong film nerdery in the 90s, I watched hundreds of hilariously-subtitled Cantonese laserdiscs and this wasn’t unheard of. I think it was the first A Better Tomorrow that had the classic exchange: “You must look after our father!” “I’ll!” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/12 "2021-12-16T13:11:02Z")
> [@veryfrank](#): > > “You must look after our father!” “I would’ve!” ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/13 "2021-12-16T14:13:33Z")
Isn’t this an artifact of ending a sentence in a preposition? It’s defined as ending a sentence with a word governing a noun or pronoun (or in this case two words that can result in a contraction). For example from the OP, “What a wonder it is” could be rearranged to be, say, “it is such a wonder”. In that case the contraction works fine. I know that ending a sentence with a preposition is not really a hard-and-fast grammar non-no, or as Winston Churchill said “This is the type of errant pedantry up with which I will not put.” But doing it can result in the type of English language oddity you get here. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/14 "2021-12-16T14:20:00Z")
Since this has mostly been answered by **LHoD** , I think it’s OK to post a comedy video on the topic of contractions: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dLECCmKnrys/maxresdefault.jpg "Gary Gulman On How The States Got Their Abbreviations | CONAN on TBS") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLECCmKnrys) **TOWP** has come up with a couple of exceptions, but languages always have those. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/15 "2021-12-16T14:32:46Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > > [@veryfrank](#): > > > > “You must look after our father!” > > “I would’ve!” But I couldn’t ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/16 "2021-12-16T14:43:56Z")
I agree with a and b, but I find “They asked me to resign, but I didn’t want tuh” perfectly acceptable. The question is very interesting and I don’t think any of the proposed answers is really convincing, I don’t. And I certainly don’t think it has anything to do with ending sentences with prepositions, which is a made-up rule not obeyed in any dialect of English I am familiar with. When I try to think of an explanation, I can’t. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/17 "2021-12-16T16:18:04Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > **TOWP** has come up with a couple of exceptions, but languages always have those. _“I’m Mary Poppins, y’all!”_ …that one might be pushing it. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/18 "2021-12-16T16:59:18Z")
Its what its. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/19 "2021-12-16T17:18:20Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > [This appears to be the answer.](https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/500/is-there-some-rule-against-ending-a-sentence-with-the-contraction-its) I think what @Left_Hand_of_Dorkness linked to is the correct explanation - **syntactic stranding**. > [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > I think it’s to do with the rhythm of our sentences. In all of your examples, there is some stress on the last word, not fully stressed necessarily, but more stress than you get with a contraction. I think this is true too, and this stress is a consequence of the syntactic stranding. In the case of the negative form of verbs, it seems to me that some contraction is allowed because there is never “complete” contraction - enough always remains that the either the verb or the negation is a stressed syllable. > I thought he was clever, and sure enough he **is**. > \*\* I thought he was clever, and sure enough he’s. > I thought he was clever but it turns out he **isn’t**. > I thought he was clever but it turns out he’s **not**. The verb is “stranded” at the end of the sentence as the crux of the statement, and thus needs emphasis. It’s impossible to stress the verb when is contracted into “he’s” in the second sentence, so that is not allowed. But the contractions “he isn’t” or “he’s not” are okay, because enough remains that you can still place stress on the crux of the sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140/20 "2021-12-16T18:02:09Z")
More examples demonstrating that the rule is to allow a final contraction only when enough remains that it is still possible to place emphasis on the stranded verb (or negation), which is the semantic crux of the sentence. > She forgot to take her pill when she **should’ve.** > She texted her ex today, but I think she really **shouldn’t’ve**. The first one is not a negation, and the second one is a double contraction. But they are both allowed, because enough remains that the appropriate stress may be placed on that syllable at the end of the sentence, the semantic crux. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-english-grammar-syntax-rule-regarding-contractions/956140.md?page=2)