Contractions
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Prints on one US Letter page; the answer key is a separate page. Print at 100% / "Actual size" on US Letter paper. Free for personal and classroom use.
Skill: Forming contractions and writing the two words they stand for
About this worksheet
A contraction is a short way to write two words as one. An apostrophe takes the place of the missing letters, so do not becomes don't and I am becomes I'm. Second graders see contractions in almost every book they read, and learning to write them correctly makes their own sentences sound natural. This second-grade worksheet has two parts. In Part A, children write the contraction for ten pairs of words. In Part B, they do the reverse and write the two words that make six contractions.
Working in both directions helps children understand what a contraction means instead of only memorizing spellings. The list includes common forms with not, am, are, is, will, have, and us, including tricky ones such as cannot and let us.
How to use it: review that the apostrophe shows where letters were left out. Write did not on a strip of paper, cut out the o, and tape the pieces together with an apostrophe in the gap. Read each finished contraction in a short spoken sentence. If the apostrophe lands in the wrong spot, compare the two words and the contraction letter by letter.
The answer key lists every contraction and every pair of words. This worksheet supports Common Core standard L.2.2.c (use an apostrophe to form contractions and frequently occurring possessives). It pairs well with our Synonyms and Antonyms and Nouns and Verbs worksheets for more second-grade language practice.
