October 10, 2022

English can be a difficult language to master, especially for those who didn’t grow up speaking it. One area that can be particularly confusing is the use of contractions.

Contractions are shortened forms of words or phrases. For example, the contraction for “do not” is “don’t.” Other common contractions in English include:

-I’m (I am)

-You’re (You are)

-He’s (He is)

-She’s (She is)

-It’s (It is)

-We’re (We are)

-They’re (They are)

Contractions are very common in spoken English, but should they be used when writing in a professional capacity? There can be some debate about this.

Let’s explore.

Technically, you can use contractions anywhere that you would use the full version of the word or phrase. This includes both informal writing (such as emails and social media posts) and more formal types of writing (including essays and research papers).

However, contractions are generally considered too informal for formal writing; therefore, you should avoid using them whenever possible when writing in this context. This includes business letters, reports, proposals, and other types of formal documents. If you absolutely must use a contraction in formal writing, make sure that it is essential to conveying your meaning. An exception to this is when quoting someone who used a contraction.

However, there’s some nuance to this that I’d like to point out. In this day and age, a lot of business communication has taken on a more relaxed, casual tone. This can be seen on many website homepages, email newsletters, and social media posts from companies. Since this is the vibe that the company is purposely trying to give off, contractions are perfectly acceptable here, in my opinion.

When deciding how formal your writing will be, it’s often helpful to consider what industries you’re writing for. Some industries have some unspoken rules about how formally to present themselves. That being said, I’ve even begun seeing relaxed tones from businesses such as law offices, accountants, and physician practices.

When deciding whether or not to use a contraction in your business writing, ask yourself if the tone of your message would be better conveyed with a more formal or informal tone. If you want to come across as approachable and friendly, then using a contraction might be appropriate. However, if you want to maintain a more professional distance, then it’s best to avoid contractions altogether.

To sum up, whether or not you should use contractions in business writing comes down to tone. If you want to maintain a formal tone, it’s best to avoid contractions altogether. However, if you want to come across as approachable and friendly, then using a contraction might be appropriate.

Just be sure that you understand what constitutes a contraction before using one in your correspondence—incorrect usage can make you look unprofessional.