Contractions in English: Adj + Noun

  • Thread starter fxdung
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In summary: The dialect he is speaking is not standard English in the same way that American English or Australian English is.It's more of a regional dialect.Yes, it is.
  • #1
fxdung
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Can we make a contraction between two any words next to each other in English? Eg Can we make contraction between adjective and noun stand next to each other in English?
 
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  • #2
What do you mean by contraction? Give an example. Normally it'd mean one of the few dozen set arrangements involving, almost exclusively, auxiliary verbs or negation, like: it would->it'd; I am->I'm; is not->isn't; etc.
 
  • #3
I mean contraction being shorten two words adjacent into one word.Eg can we contraction "this" and "class".?I hear "this class" as "thass" when he speak very fast.
 
  • #4
No. Don't do that.
 
  • #5
May I guess that you aim to write some dialect-ish text?

Unless you yourself is really familiar with the aimed dialect then just don't do it - you'll just make a fool of yourself.

Those dialect-ish things are a difficult beast and can easily tackle even linguists.

I think the best you can do is to get some 'official' transcripts and do a meticulous 'translation'.
 
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  • #6
Is that my ear hearing wrongly because he is physics professor?It is MIT open lecture. May it be that he speak as that?Can be he makes a elision when he saying:"....final time that I will be teaching this class. So I am pretty excited about it"
 
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  • #7
If he does indeed make a contraction like that, and it's not you mishearing it, then it's a slurred speech. You should not be trying to emulate it.
 
  • #8
Please say if my ear is wrong. It is"....final time that I will be teaching this class"I hear "this class" as "fass"
Here is audio file
Time is about 3:60
 
  • #9
He does say /ðɪs klas/. All the sounds are there.
Time is 0:30, btw.
 
  • #10
Then what is he said in the whole sentence,because it seems that the transcript and the audio not coincide with each other?
 
  • #11
'This is the, uh, fourth and, uh, presumably final time I'll be teaching this class.'
 
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  • #12
I agree. I hear "this class". This reminds me of when I was learning French. I had one of the Harry Potter books on audio book, and I had the text copy as well. I would listen to the audio and say to myself, "They are just not saying all of those words!" Then I listened to it over and over, and eventually I could hear all of the words. It's a matter of training the neural network.
 
  • #13
fxdung said:
Please say if my ear is wrong. It is"....final time that I will be teaching this class"I hear "this class" as "fass"
Here is audio file
Time is about 3:60

I hear "this class" also.

One thing I do notice is his intonation,

"Hi everyone (down)

Welcome to 804 spring 2013 (up)

This is the 4th and presumably the final time that I will be teaching this class…" – Fast and all pretty much on the same note
Taking quickly, there is less space between words and if all spoken using the same note, your ear will not be able to pick them out as well.
 
  • #14
fxdung said:
Please say if my ear is wrong. It is"....final time that I will be teaching this class"I hear "this class" as "fass"
Here is audio file
Time is about 3:60

As an aside.
Some dialects do use spoken word combinations in England but unless you want to go and live in certain parts of Yorkshire, I would not worry about it.

Most people in England would get lost pretty quickly in those conversations and much of Yorkshire that is not in that specific place would struggle too.

Very colloquial.

The lecturer in the sound clip is Queens English by comparison.
 

What are contractions in English?

Contractions in English are shortened versions of two words that are combined to form a single word. They are commonly used in spoken and informal written English to make sentences shorter and more natural sounding.

What is the structure of a contraction?

A contraction is made up of two words, an adjective and a noun, that are combined with an apostrophe. For example, "it is" becomes "it's" and "they are" becomes "they're".

How do contractions differ from possessive forms?

Contractions and possessive forms may look similar, but they have different meanings. Contractions combine two words into one, while possessive forms show ownership. For example, "it's" is a contraction for "it is", while "its" is a possessive form of "it".

What is the purpose of using contractions in English?

The purpose of using contractions is to make sentences more natural and conversational. They are commonly used in spoken English and informal writing, but should be avoided in formal writing such as academic essays or business correspondence.

Are contractions considered grammatically correct?

Contractions are considered grammatically correct in spoken and informal written English. However, they should be used sparingly in formal writing, as some style guides may consider them too informal.

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