Contractions

I don't like style guides. Frankly, I hate them. Style guides stunt language. They freeze writing in a particular manner and never let go. They also tend to be very stiff and unnatural. That said, I want to focus specifically on contractions and my own use of them.

Most style guides will tell you to simply not use them. According to my own schooling, contractions are too colloquial, so you would never use them outside of informal writing. I disagree with that. I think that contractions should be used to make the nicest-sounding sentence. No surprise, the simplest test is to read a sentence out loud and feel which one is easier to say (it is rare, if ever, that they are equal). Reading silently will feel the same way.

If you want to take a more technical view, a major importance is emphasis. Consider the sentences "I don't want an apple" and "I do not want an apple." In the first sentence, the emphasis is on 'want', or 'want an apple'. Without context, it suggests that the speaker wants something, but not an apple in particular. The second sentence has emphasis on 'not', making it seem like the speaker is rejecting an offer of an apple. The difference is subtle, but any native English speaker will always feel which one is right, especially in context.

Another major importance is rhythm. The first sentence has 6 syllables, the second has 7. Depending on the sentences surrounding it, one of them may roll off the tongue more easily than the other. For example, "The fruit basket stares at me, but I do not want an apple" and "I see the fruit basket, but I don't want an apple." After I wrote those sentences, I noticed that the first sentence has a 7-syllable phrase to go with a 7-syllable phrase and the second sentences was 6 and 6. I think that shows how syllabic balance can determine whether or not to use a contraction.

The last question to ask is what the tone is. Although I truly disagree with the idea that contractions are inappropriate in formal work, I must admit that they do affect tone. A piece written without any contractions will sound formal (and stiff) and a piece with contractions will sound conversational. Both the standard model and I agree on this point. Where we separate is that I think writing should always sound conversational (except in certain very specific circumstances). It is easier to approach, understand, and digest.

Unfortunately, if you are working for one of the few remaining large corporations, you may still be required to write in standard written English, in which case you should ignore everything I said and follow whatever style guide you need.