Monday, February 27, 2012

Contracted Does and Did

In written English, the verb “do” is normally contracted only with “not”—in “don’t,” “didn’t,” and “doesn’t.” It’s not usually contracted with a pronoun (like “what”).

However, “does” can be reduced to an apostrophe and “s” in informal speech: What’s he say? The same goes about “did,” which can be reduced to an apostrophe and “d,” as in “What’d they say?”

This use does not belong in good writing, unless you’re deliberately trying to sound colloquial. But it's not an error, and it's fairly common in casual conversation.

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