Unit 72: Contractions and Abbreviations Review

Coursework: Grammar & Vocabulary Mastery Level: A2

? Can-Do Objective: I can correctly identify, form, and use contractions and abbreviations in my writing.

[IMAGE GENERATION PROMPT: A cozy, modern study room with an open laptop showing an English text layout, a notebook with hand-written words, a cup of coffee, and soft window light shining on the desk, creating an encouraging educational atmosphere.]

1. Core Vocabulary

Review the primary contractions and abbreviations for this unit. Pay close attention to spelling, punctuation, and contextual usage.

Word / Term Type Definition / Core Meaning Translation Contextual Example
we’re contraction short form of ‘we are’ chúng tôi là We’re ready to leave school now.
you’re contraction short form of ‘you are’ bạn là Raise your hand if you’re going on the bus today.
it’s contraction short form of ‘it is’ nó thì Although it was cold earlier, it’s sunny and warm now.
could’ve contraction short form of ‘could have’ có thể đã She could’ve had two cookies, but she only took one.
we’d contraction short form of ‘we would’ (or ‘we had’) chúng tôi sẽ Laura and I said that we’d go to the store.
Capt. noun short for ‘Captain’, a title for a leader thuyền trưởng/đại úy Capt. Miller led the team during the mission.
Sen. noun short for ‘Senator’, a title for a government member thượng nghị sĩ We asked Sen. Miller to give us some advice.
Blvd. noun short for ‘Boulevard’, a type of wide street đại lộ The new library is located on Linden Blvd.
Mr. noun short for ‘Mister’, a title for a man ông Mr. Wall has an appointment with the doctor today.
Hwy. noun short for ‘Highway’, a main road for travel đường cao tốc Hwy 57 has an on-ramp on the right side of the street.

2. Grammar Focus

Grammar Point 1: Contractions

Contractions are shortened forms of two words, such as a pronoun and a verb or a verb and ‘not’, where an apostrophe replaces the missing letters.

Structure: Word 1 + Word 2 (with letters replaced by ‘) = Contraction

Examples:

  • We’re going to the park this afternoon.
  • It’s a very beautiful day to go outside.
  • They’re not at home right now.
[IMAGE GENERATION PROMPT: A colorful, clear instructional graphic or whiteboard drawing explaining how words merge to make contractions. For instance, showing “we + are” moving together with an apostrophe knocking out the letter ‘a’ to form “we’re”.]

Grammar Point 2: Abbreviations

Abbreviations are shortened versions of words or phrases, commonly used for titles of people, types of streets, or addresses, and usually end with a period.

Structure: Shortened form of word + . (period)

Examples:

  • Mr. Gregorino opened his store in 1924.
  • Take a left turn onto Sixth Ave.
  • Dr. Sykes is a very famous dermatologist.

3. Practice Exercises

Exercise 1 Vocabulary Matching (Nối từ vựng)

Match the word or abbreviation on the left (1-6) with its corresponding meaning or definition on the right (A-F).

1. could’ve
2. Blvd.
3. we’re
4. Sen.
5. it’s
6. Hwy.
A. Short form of ‘it is’
B. Short for ‘Highway’, a main road for travel
C. Short form of ‘could have’
D. Short form of ‘we are’
E. Short for ‘Boulevard’, a wide street
F. Short for ‘Senator’, a government title
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1 – C: ‘could’ve’ is the contracted form of ‘could have’. (dạng viết tắt của ‘could have’)
2 – E: ‘Blvd.’ stands for Boulevard, a wide avenue. (viết tắt của đại lộ)
3 – D: ‘we’re’ is the contracted form of ‘we are’. (dạng viết tắt của ‘we are’)
4 – F: ‘Sen.’ stands for Senator, a political title. (viết tắt của thượng nghị sĩ)
5 – A: ‘it’s’ is the contracted form of ‘it is’. (dạng viết tắt của ‘it is’)
6 – B: ‘Hwy.’ stands for Highway. (viết tắt của đường cao tốc)
Exercise 2 Gap Fill (Điền vào chỗ trống)

Complete each sentence using one of the contractions or abbreviations from the box: we’re, you’re, it’s, we’d, Capt., Mr.

  1. Please tell me when ready to present your project.
  2. Our classroom is managed by Davis, who teaches history.
  3. They told us that receive our exam scores on Friday.
  4. raining outside, so do not forget your umbrella.
  5. moving to our new house tomorrow morning.
  6. The ship’s commander, Smith, gave clear orders to the crew.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. you’re: Needs a pronoun + verb contraction matching ‘ready’. (“khi bạn đã sẵn sàng”)
2. Mr.: Used as a respectful title before a man’s last name (Davis). (“Thầy Davis”)
3. we’d: ‘we’d receive’ means ‘we would receive’ in reported speech. (“chúng tôi sẽ nhận được”)
4. It’s: Fits as the subject and verb referring to weather condition. (“Trời đang mưa”)
5. We’re: Capitalized at the start of the sentence, meaning ‘we are’. (“Chúng tôi sẽ chuyển nhà”)
6. Capt.: Title for a ship’s commander (Captain). (“Thuyền trưởng Smith”)
Exercise 3 Multiple Choice (Trắc nghiệm)

Choose the correct formal abbreviation or contraction to complete the sentences.

  1. Our new shop is located right on Sunset _______.
    A. we’re
    B. Blvd.
    C. could’ve
    D. Sen.
  2. If you had asked earlier, I _______ helped you finish the task.
    A. could’ve
    B. Hwy.
    C. you’re
    D. Mr.
  3. _______ Jones is going to host the annual charity event.
    A. It’s
    B. we’d
    C. Mr.
    D. you’re
  4. Traffic is moving very slowly on _______ 101 this evening.
    A. Blvd.
    B. Hwy.
    C. Capt.
    D. we’re
  5. We believe _______ going to have a very successful school year.
    A. we’re
    B. could’ve
    C. Sen.
    D. Hwy.
  6. The local community voted to support _______ Jackson’s new education bill.
    A. it’s
    B. you’re
    C. Sen.
    D. we’d
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. B (Blvd.): ‘Sunset Blvd.’ is a proper name for a broad avenue. (“Đại lộ Sunset”)
2. A (could’ve): Follows the third conditional pattern ‘would/could have + V3’. (“tớ đã có thể giúp”)
3. C (Mr.): ‘Mr.’ is the appropriate masculine title before a surname. (“Ông Jones”)
4. B (Hwy.): Followed by a road number, indicating a main highway route. (“Đường cao tốc 101”)
5. A (we’re): Short form of ‘we are’ which functions as the subject and verb. (“chúng ta sẽ có”)
6. C (Sen.): Senator (Sen.) refers to a member of government creating a bill. (“Thượng nghị sĩ Jackson”)
[IMAGE GENERATION PROMPT: A simple schematic map or a stylized illustration of a city street showing a sign that says “Linden Blvd.” and an arrow pointing to a major roadway marked “Hwy 57” to clearly contextualize street abbreviations.]
Exercise 4 True or False (Đúng hay Sai)

Determine whether the abbreviations and contractions in the sentences below are used CORRECTLY (T) or INCORRECTLY (F).

  1. The sentence “I love my city because you’re always full of bright lights.” is grammatically correct. ( T / F )
  2. The title “Capt.” should always end with a period when abbreviated in a sentence. ( T / F )
  3. In the sentence “We thought we’d lost our keys,” we’d stands for “we had”. ( T / F )
  4. It is correct to write “He lives at 456 Oak blvd without any capital letters or a full stop.” ( T / F )
  5. The word “it’s” in “The puppy chased it’s tail” is used correctly. ( T / F )
  6. “Sen.” is a shortened form for the military title General. ( T / F )
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. F: It should use ‘it’s’ instead of ‘you’re’ because a city is an inanimate object. (“nó luôn tràn ngập ánh sáng”)
2. T: In American English, abbreviations for titles like ‘Capt.’ must end with a period. (Phải có dấu chấm)
3. T: Before a past participle (‘lost’), ‘we’d’ acts as the past perfect auxiliary ‘we had’. (viết tắt của ‘we had’)
4. F: ‘Blvd.’ must be capitalized and require a period at the end because it is a formal abbreviation. (Phải viết hoa và có dấu chấm)
5. F: It should be the possessive adjective ‘its’ without an apostrophe. ‘It’s’ means ‘it is’. (Cần tính từ sở hữu ‘its’)
6. F: ‘Sen.’ stands for Senator, not General. (Sen. là viết tắt của Thượng nghị sĩ)
Exercise 5 Sentence Reordering (Sắp xếp câu)

Rearrange the words to form grammatically correct sentences containing contractions or abbreviations.

  1. now / ready / school / leave / to / we’re / .
  2. Miller / mission / led / team / Capt. / the / .
  3. warm / sunny / now / it’s / and / outside / .
  4. to / store / we’d / go / the / said / we / .
  5. advice / Sen. / gave / useful / us / Miller / .
  6. if / bus / you’re / taking / raise / hand / your / .
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. We’re ready to leave school now. (Chúng tôi đã sẵn sàng rời trường bây giờ.)
2. Capt. Miller led the team during the mission. (Đại úy Miller đã dẫn dắt toàn đội trong nhiệm vụ.)
3. It’s sunny and warm outside now. (Bây giờ trời nắng và ấm áp ở bên ngoài.)
4. We said we’d go to the store. (Chúng tôi nói chúng tôi sẽ đến cửa hàng.)
5. Sen. Miller gave us useful advice. (Thượng nghị sĩ Miller đã cho chúng tôi lời khuyên hữu ích.)
6. Raise your hand if you’re taking the bus. (Hãy giơ tay nếu bạn đang đi xe buýt.)
Exercise 6 Grammar Selection (Chọn từ đúng cấu trúc)

Circle or choose the option that uses correct punctuation and contraction spelling rules.

  1. They told the teacher that ( were / we’re ) finishing our group report.
  2. The address printed on the package is 742 Evergreen ( Blvd / Blvd. ).
  3. If you hurry, ( you’re / your ) going to catch the early train.
  4. She ( could’ve / couldve ) bought the book, but she decided to borrow it.
  5. The highway sign shows an exit for ( hwy. / Hwy. ) 95 north.
  6. ( Its / It’s ) an absolute pleasure to meet you this morning.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. we’re: Short for ‘we are’. ‘were’ is the past tense verb, which changes the target meaning. (“chúng tôi đang hoàn thành”)
2. Blvd.: Standard abbreviations for streets require a period at the end in formal writing. (Cần dấu chấm cuối từ viết tắt)
3. you’re: Requires ‘you are’ to form the future continuous ‘you are going to’. ‘your’ is possessive. (“bạn sẽ kịp tàu”)
4. could’ve: An apostrophe is mandatory to show where the letters ‘ha’ were dropped. (Cần dấu nháy đơn thay cho chữ bị bỏ trống)
5. Hwy.: Proper street titles and high road names must be capitalized. (Phải viết hoa chữ cái đầu)
6. It’s: Means ‘It is a pleasure’. ‘Its’ without an apostrophe indicates possession. (“Thật là một niềm vinh hạnh”)
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