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educationFeb 27, 202513:42pending

These contractions break the rules

Plain English

About this episode

Today's story: Most contractions in English are simple combinations of two words, like “you’re” for “you are.” But some contractions don’t follow the usual pattern. In this lesson, we explore three unusual contractions—“ma’am,” “o’clock,” and “ain’t”—their origins, meanings, and when (or if) you should use them.

Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/753

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These contractions break the rules

Plain English

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