As a professional, I have come across a lot of interesting grammatical questions, including the topic of whether contractions can go away and come back. It’s an intriguing topic that has been debated by many, so let’s dive in and take a closer look.
Contractions are formed by merging two words together. For example, “I am” becomes “I’m,” “do not” becomes “don’t,” and “will not” becomes “won’t.” When writing, using contractions can make your text sound more conversational and natural. However, in formal writing such as academic papers, business reports, and legal documents, contractions are usually avoided.
Now, can contractions go away and come back? Well, the short answer is no. Once you’ve used a contraction in a piece of writing, it cannot simply “disappear” or “reappear” later on. A contraction is a permanent part of the text and cannot be changed without editing the original content.
However, there is a case to be made for the perception of contractions going away and coming back. Consider the following example:
Original: “I can’t believe he did that!”
Edited: “I cannot believe he did that.”
In this case, the original text contains a contraction while the edited version does not. If a reader were to read only the edited version, it could seem like the contraction “can’t” had disappeared. But in reality, it was just edited out. Similarly, if the original text were to be revised and the contraction added back in, it would not be the same as it being “reintroduced.”
So while contractions technically cannot “go away and come back”, the perception of their presence or absence can change based on the particular version of the text that is being read.
In conclusion, contractions are a permanent part of a piece of writing. However, the perception of their presence or absence can change based on the version of the text that is being read. As a professional, I recommend using contractions in your writing where appropriate, but being mindful of your target audience and the tone of the content.
