There are many contractions in English, as shown in my previous list exploring the most common ones. The most commonly contracted words, such as is, not, will, are and had, are reasonably clear to identify, usually joined by either a personal pronoun, certain subject nouns or verbs. But contractions also regularly occur in spoken English, without formal written equivalents – for example with question words.

In spoken English we contract a lot more than we would write. With question words this is especially true with “am”. We would not, for instance, write “What’m I going to do?” But it would sound rather formal to pronounce the full phrase “what am I” as separate words. So how do you know when to contract your question words? Here’s a quick guide to some question word contractions that will help you sound more fluent. For the purposes of simplicity, I’ve written pronunciation in rather crude phonetics!

Pronouncing First Person Singular (“I”) Question Word Contractions

In written English, the first person singular of to be, am is rarely contracted except in the word “I’m”. In spoken English, however, it’s usually contracted alongside question words. With what, which and where “am” runs into the question word, connected by a schwa (unpronounced) sound.

• What’m – Wattum I doing here?
• Which’m – I like all these cheeses. Wichum I going to choose?
• Where’m – Wearum I going to get some new trousers?
• When’m – Wenum I going to see you again?

With who, why and how, this does not add a syllable, effectively just adding an m to the end of the word. As these examples show:

• Who’m –Whom I meeting next?
• Why’m – Whym I still trying to learn this?
• How’m – Howm I ever going to remember these examples?

Contractions with the second and third person forms of to be, are are more commonly written, such as what’re, how’re – these generally add a syllable.

 

Pronouncing Question Word and Auxiliary Verb Contractions

Contractions using to have and to do are often seen in more formal writing – what’d you do, how’d he know, why’ve we got this – with some less common than others. Almost any question word followed by did or had is generally contracted to ‘d in spoken English, when not deliberately pronounced for emphasis or clarity:

• Where did you go? – Where’d you go?
• Why had you gone?  -Why’d you gone?

Unlike to be, the ‘d contraction only adds a syllable to what and which:

• What’d – Wattud you do yesterday?
• Which’d – You had took of different hats, wichud you chosen?

The rest of the question words run simply add the d as an additional letter.

• Where’d – Weard he been?
• When’d – Wend she arrive?
• Who’d – Whod have thought it?
• Why’d – Whyd you ask me that?
• How’d – Howd I ever get into this mess?

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