Unit 1: Go beyond intermediate with our new video course
Onward and upward
Select a unit
- 1 Go beyond intermediate with our new video course
- 2 Reported speech in 90 seconds!
- 3 If or whether?
- 4 5 ways to use 'would'
- 5 Let and allow
- 6 Passive voice
- 7 Unless
- 8 Mixed conditionals
- 9 The zero article - in 90 seconds
- 10 The indefinite article - in 90 seconds
- 11 The. That's right - the! Learn all about it in 90 seconds
- 12 The continuous passive
- 13 Future perfect
- 14 Need + verb-ing
- 15 Have something done
- 16 Wish
- 17 Word stress
- 18 Different ways of saying 'if'
- 19 Passive reporting structures
- 20 The subjunctive
- 21 When and if
- 22 Inversion
- 23 Phrasal verbs
- 24 The future
- 25 Modals in the past
- 26 Narrative tenses
- 27 Phrasal verb myths
- 28 Conditionals review
- 29 Used to - review
- 30 Linking words of contrast
Session 4
We learn how to sound more natural and fluent in English with this pronunciation tip. Join us for a new video series, Stop saying.
Activity 1
Stop saying...!
Double contractions
Welcome to Stop saying... This is our new series which helps you stop making English mistakes. Each week we hear a problem from a learner of English and our teacher helps them out.
Today we meet a Brazilian student called Mariely who's studying in London at Rose of York Language School. She's having problems with an aspect of pronunciation called double contractions.
But what are double contractions? Helen from BBC Learning English is here with tips for you!
Watch the video and then do some practice activities.
Watch the video and complete the activity
Summary
So a double contraction is when we make three words into something shorter in spoken English. I would have becomes I'd've and could not have becomes couldn't've. They're quite common in spoken English but not used very often in written English. They might be used for informal communication, but Helen recommends you don't use them for a job application!
Next
Now you've watched the video, it's time to test yourself with this a quiz!
Session Grammar
Double contractions
I would have -> I'd've
could not have -> couldn't've
might not have -> mightn't've
must not have -> mustn't've
cannot have -> can't've
you would have -> you'd've
he would have -> he'd've
she would have -> she'd've
we would have -> we'd've
they would have -> they'd've