For example, can we change
The car is blue, but the truck next to it is red.
into
The car is blue, but the truck next to it’s red.
Asked
Active
Viewed 42 times
1
-
1Not always. Contractions are not used in sentences where the word that would be shortened is significant, for example "I think it is." In your example, both occurrences of is would probably be contracted. "The car's blue..." – Kate Bunting Apr 28 '21 at 07:58
-
This would be quite acceptable in informal 'BrE'. But not all prepositional usages are. /??'The equipment aboard it's cutting-edge.' And certainly not terminal usages such as 'I wonder what it's?' – Edwin Ashworth Apr 28 '21 at 11:45
-
The verb be usually takes a complement. If that complement is missing or doesn’t appear directly after the verb be, then that form of be cannot contract with the subject. Here, however the complement of am is the following adjective red, and so a contraction is fully grammatical. – Araucaria - Him Apr 28 '21 at 12:08
-
In "the truck next to it is red", it refers to the car and not the truck. So it makes no sense to contract "it is" into "it's" in this example. – KillingTime Apr 28 '21 at 12:11
-
@KillingTime It makes perfect sense to contract is with “the truck next to it”, because that is the subject of the verb be here. – Araucaria - Him Apr 28 '21 at 12:23
-
@KillingTime It doesn't hafta make sense; this is syntax. The only case where you wouldn't contract it is to it's is when is is stressed, as it is in this clause. Normally, though, is is reduced and is eminently deletable or contractable, and almost never stressed. – John Lawler Apr 28 '21 at 22:46