This lesson explains how to make contractions with the verb HAVE and a subject pronoun or the negative adverb not. Before you continue, review these lessons: Contractions | Verb HAVE.
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The simple present of the verb HAVE (have | has) is frequently contracted with a subject. Join the conjugated verb to the subject and replace the first two letters of the verb with an apostrophe.
not contracted | words joined |
delete first two letters |
contracted | |||
I have | Ihave | I |
I’ve | |||
They have | Theyhave | They |
They’ve |
In American English, has is not usually contracted with a subject when it is the main verb in a sentence.
uncontracted (common) | contracted (not common) | |
I have a blue car. | I’ve a blue car. | |
We have good news. | We’ve good news. |
Instead, Americans prefer using the present perfect with got (past participle of the verb GET).
uncontracted | contracted | American English | ||
I have a blue car. | I’ve a blue car. | I’ve got a blue car. | ||
We have good news. | We’ve good news. | We’ve got good news. |
Has can never be contracted with its subject (he, she, or it) when it is the main verb in the sentence and is in the present tense.
uncontracted | ≠ | incorrect |
He has chocolate. | ||
She has a car. |
These false contractions look the same as contractions made with BE and change the meaning:
He+is | = | He’s |
She+is | She’s | |
It+is | It’s |
However, these contractions are possible when HAVE is the auxiliary verb in the sentence.
uncontracted | = | contracted |
He has left. | He’s left. | |
It has rained. | It’s rained. |
We know these contractions are formed with has because they are followed by past participles (left | rained).
In negative statements, the auxiliary verb HAVE is often contracted with the negative adverb not. Join not to the conjugation and replace the o with an apostrophe.
uncontracted | words joined |
delete the o |
contracted | |||
have not | havenot | haven |
haven’t | |||
has not | hasnot | hasn |
hasn’t |
Here are examples of both forms of contraction: (subject + HAVE) and (HAVE + not).
uncontracted | less common | more common | ||
I have not finished. | I’ve not finished. | I haven’t finished. | ||
You have not eaten. | You’ve not eaten. | You haven’t eaten. | ||
He has not started. | He’s not started. | He hasn’t started. | ||
It has not rained. | It’s not rained. | It hasn’t rained. | ||
We have not seen it. | We’ve not seen it. | We haven’t seen it. | ||
They have not met. | They’ve not met. | They haven’t met. |
There is no difference in meaning between these two forms of contraction, but the contractions with not are more common.
Related lessons:
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