Spelling Contracted Forms · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Writing contractions with apostrophes

English · Spelling & Word Study · ages 6-7
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which is the correct short form of "cannot"?

    • ca'nt
    • can't
    • can'not

  2. Which is the correct short form of "did not"?

    • didn't
    • did'nt
    • didnt'

  3. "Its" and "it's" are spelled the same way.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. These letters spell a contraction. What two words does "can't" stand for?

    can't
    • can and not
    • can and no
    • cans and not

  5. Which sentence is correct?

    • The cat licked it's paw.
    • The cat licked its paw.
    • Both are correct

  6. In "did not" becoming "didn't," how many letters are missing? (Don't count the apostrophe.)

    Answer: ______________

  7. Which sentence uses "its" correctly?

    • The bird flew back to it is nest.
    • The bird flew back to it's nest.
    • The bird flew back to its nest.

  8. Mia wrote "Wer'e going to the park" for "We are going to the park." What is wrong?

    • The apostrophe is in the wrong spot; it should be we're
    • There should be no apostrophe at all
    • The word should stay as two words
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Writing contractions with apostrophes W1-mt_IntmJBg4VQ-s1

  1. can't · The apostrophe goes where the missing letters were, right before the t: can't.
  2. didn't · The apostrophe replaces the missing o, right before the t: didn't.
  3. False · "It's" has an apostrophe and means "it is." "Its" has no apostrophe and shows something belongs to it.
  4. can and not · "Can't" joins can and not. The apostrophe shows where the n and o were dropped.
  5. The cat licked its paw. · The paw belongs to the cat, so we use its with no apostrophe. "It's paw" would mean "it is paw," which makes no sense.
  6. 1 · Only the o from "not" is dropped. The apostrophe takes its place.
  7. The bird flew back to its nest. · The nest belongs to the bird, so no apostrophe is needed. "It's nest" would mean "it is nest," which doesn't make sense.
  8. The apostrophe is in the wrong spot; it should be we're · "Are" loses its a, so the apostrophe belongs right after we, not in the middle of re: we're.
Worksheet · LightMySky