by Brian P.

Cleary
illustrated by Brian Gable

Youll find the answer inside

this bookits brimming with
contractions! Brian P. Clearys
playful rhymes and Brian Gables
humorous illustrations dont shy
away from creatively clarifying
the concept of contractions.
For easy identification, weve
printed the contractions in
color. You wont want to miss
the comical cats that reinforce
each idea.

Im and Wont, Theyre and

Dont: Whats a Contraction?
turns traditional grammar lesson
on end. Read this book aloud
and share in the delight of the
senseand nonsenseof words.
Ages 7-11

Reinforced binding

, and Shannon
B.P.C.

Clare
To Tresa, Kelly,


n:
Contractio
Two (or
ee)
r
h
t
s
e
m
i
t
some
nto
i
d
e
n
i
b
m
o
words c
using
one word, he
p
an apostro

by Brian P. Cleary
illustrations by Brian Gable
J Millbrook Press / Minneapolis

Contractions

take a couple words

or sometimes even three

a nd sh rink th e m
into only one ,

.
a
e
t
g
as in , Sh e s d rinkin

s
s

t
e
he c
h
S

and
6

ontr

a ctio n,

it sh o rte ns u p sh e is .

e s two
k
a
t
wo r
It
and ma d s
ke s
th e m o ne ,

as in , Th at

s m in

e a nd h i s .

As punctuation goes,

contractions always
feature these:

take
y
e
h
T
th e

s
,
r
e
t
t
e
l
p l a c e of
es .
h
t
h
p
d
o
e
r
n
y
a
r e c all e d a p o st

Take a phrase like does not.

A contraction makes it
doesnt.

10


.
t
o
n
Try a noth e r : Wa s
.
t

n
s
a
w

o
Yo u c a n sh o rte n it t

11

i
n
l
k th e
p
l
e
h
s
e
w
h
p
o
o
rd s
r
t
s
Apo e pl ac e at l e a st one l ette
r
r
.
d
n
a

12


n
,
i
I
m v
s
A
e ry p r
o ud
th at
I ve
h el p e d make
th i s
l ove ly e ate r.
sw

13

Ofte ntime s contra ctio

ns

j oin a noth e r word to n

o t .

14

Like
Sh o ul d n t it b e cold e r now?

and Can t I take y

our s

p ot?
15

I dont think this shoe is mine.

?
d
r
u
s
b
a
t
t i

sI n

16

Al l th e se tu r n a
two -wo rd ph ra se
into o ne singl e wo rd .

17

Oth e r tim e s , contra

c
t
i
o
ns
n
e
t

r
a
o
r
e or
sh
i s o
r a
m .

18

As in,
Im sure youre hungry,
and Hes cooking up
some ham.

19

d
t
h
n
e
a
n , c on
w
o
N
trac
tion
sh orten not j u s
t tw
s
o..
.

20

but

Id

th r e e

ve t h o

wo rd s , for e x ampl e ,

!
o
o
z
u gh t th is wa s th e

21

Would when its contracted

is reduced to just a d

22

ord s lik
w
n
i
e I
d and sh ed

s youd
a
l
l
e
w
s
a
e j u st t
m
a
n
o
t
hre

e.
23

h
n
i
a
ndy
e
m
o
c
n
a
c

l
e
t
n
e
s
e
r
l
u
i
t
u
f
W
a
s
a
traction.

oc n

24

Shrink she will

right down to shell
its smaller by a fraction.

25

d
n
i
f
l
l

u
e s yo

m
i
d
t
a

e
h
d
Som ave a n en abb r eviate d .
e
b
h
e
h av

26

Like h er e : Ive got a p u p p

y,
and Id b ette r get h im
c rate d
.

27

A r ent contra ct

ions

u seful wo

r d s?
In sp e e c h and wr
iting , d
o

nt

have any fear

in using them.

(Im gu e ssin
g
th at y o u won

t!)
29

So whats a

contraction?

30

Do you know?

31

About the Author & Illustrator

BRIAN P. CLEARY is the author of the best-selling Words Are Categorical series as
well as the Math Is Categorical, Food Is CATegorical, Adventures in Memory, and
Sounds Like Reading series. He has also written The Punctuation Station, The Laugh
Stand: Adventures in Humor, and several other books. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio.
BRIAN GABLE is the illustrator of many Words Are CATegorical books and the Math
Is CATegorical series. Mr. Gable also works as a political cartoonist for the Globe and
Mail newspaper in Toronto, Canada.

Text copyright 2010 by Brian P. Cleary

Illustrations copyright 2010 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of
briefquotations in an acknowledged review.
Millbrook Press
A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.
Website address: www.lernerbooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cleary, Brian P., 1959
 Im and wont, theyre and dont : whats a contraction? / by Brian P. Cleary ; illustrated by Brian Gable.
p. cm. (Words are CATegorical)
ISBN: 9780822591559 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
 1. English languageContractionJuvenile literature. 2. ContractionJuvenile literature. 3. Language arts
(Primary) I. Gable, Brian, 1949 ill. II. Title.
PE1161.C54 2010
421'.54dc22
2009049201
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 DP 7/15/10

eISBN: 978-0-7613-6350-7

Brian P. Cleary is the author of the

best-selling Words Are CATegorical

series as well as the Math Is
CATegorical, Food Is CATegorical,
Adventures in Memory, and Sounds Like
Reading series. He has also written
The Punctuation Station, The Laugh
Stand: Adventures in Humor, and several
other books. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Brian Gable is the illustrator of many

Words Are CATegorical books and the

Math Is CATegorical series. Mr. Gable
also works as a political cartoonist
for the Globe and Mail newspaper in
Toronto, Canada.

Jacket illustrations by Brian Gable

j Millbrook Press
division of

Lerner Publishing Group

241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401

www.lernerbooks.com
Printed and bound in U.S.A.

W ords

Are Categorical books

But and For, Yet and Nor: What Is a Conjunction?

Dearly, Nearly, Insincerely: What Is an Adverb?
Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective?
How Much Can a Bare Bear Bear?: What Are Homonyms and Homophones?
I and You and Dont Forget Who: What Is a Pronoun?
Im and Wont, Theyre and Dont: Whats a Contraction?
Lazily, Crazily, Just a Bit Nasally: More about Adverbs
A Lime, a Mime, a Pool of Slime: More about Nouns
A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What Is a Noun?
Pitch and Throw, Grasp and Know: What Is a Synonym?
Quirky, Jerky, Extra Perky: More about Adjectives
Skin Like Milk, Hair of Silk: What Are Similes and Metaphors?
Slide and Slurp, Scratch and Burp: More about Verbs
Stop and Go, Yes and No: What Is an Antonym?
Straight and Curvy, Meek and Nervy: More about Antonyms
Stroll and Walk, Babble and Talk: More about Synonyms
To Root, to Toot, to Parachute: What Is a Verb?
Under, Over, By the Clover: What Is a Preposition?