The Mother Tongue, Book I: Lessons in Speaking, Reading and Writing English · Secs. 80–82 · Part 1: Part First

27. The apostrophe in contractions

Goal: Your child writes contractions with the apostrophe in the right place and knows the full form of each.

⏱ About 25 minutes · 7 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗ 🖨 Copywork sheet

You'll need

  • The book, open to this lesson
  • Paper and pencil (a notebook kept just for this book works well)

What's in the book

Section 80 introduces the apostrophe with three sentences written two ways. Section 81 lists common contractions (don't, I'm, isn't, can't, won't ...) and asks for ten sentences. Section 82 gives selections with contractions and warns against "ain't".

The lesson, step by step

  1. Find the apostrophe (Section 80)

    Read the two sets of sentences on page 84.

    You can't lift that heavy book.

    Your child writes each word with an apostrophe and its meaning: I'll = I will.

  2. Make the rule

    Ask: What does the apostrophe stand for? Let your child say it: it shows where letters have been left out.

  3. Read the list (Section 81)

    Read the list of contractions together. Note: the book prints some with a space (does n't, is n't). That was the custom then; today we write doesn't and isn't. "Sha'n't" is written shan't today.

  4. Write sentences

    Your child writes 6 to 10 sentences using contractions. Then reads each aloud twice: once with the contraction, once with the full form.

  5. Watch your speech (Section 82)

    Read the end of Section 82. The book says to avoid "ain't", and not to say "he don't" when "he doesn't" is meant.

  6. Check it gently

    Your child checks each apostrophe: is it exactly where the missing letters were? (do not = don't, not do'nt.) Fix any that wandered.

  7. What a good result looks like

    Example (written for this guide, not from the book):

    We're going to the lake tomorrow. (We are going to the lake tomorrow.)

    I can't find my other shoe. (I cannot find my other shoe.)

    It's raining again. (It is raining again.)

Answers to the book's problems

Section 80: I'll = I will; can't = cannot; don't = do not. Section 82: I'm = I am; o' = of; man's = man is; Ne'er = never; E'en = even; there's = there is.

Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.

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