5 exercises on common spoken contractions and reductions.
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
How is "going to" commonly reduced in casual tech speech, e.g. "I am going to refactor this"?
"Going to" (when expressing future intention) is commonly reduced to "gonna" /ˈɡʌnə/ in casual speech: "I'm gonna refactor this," "we're gonna deploy on Friday." This reduction happens only with the future-intention meaning, not the movement meaning ("I'm going to the office" stays full). "Gonna" is fine in conversation and standups but should be written out as "going to" in documentation and formal writing.
2 / 5
How is "want to" commonly reduced, e.g. "do you want to merge it?"?
"Want to" is commonly reduced to "wanna" /ˈwɒnə/ in casual speech: "Do you wanna merge it?", "I wanna check the logs first." The /t/ disappears and the words blend. As with "gonna," this is normal in spoken English (standups, pairing, calls) but should be written as "want to" in any formal or written context. Recognizing "wanna" also aids listening comprehension on team calls.
3 / 5
In "it is" / "it has," how is the contraction "it's" pronounced?
The contraction "it's" (from "it is" or "it has") is pronounced "its" /ɪts/ — one syllable, with the /t/ and /s/ blending into a /ts/ sound at the end, identical in sound to the possessive "its." So "it's failing" is one quick "its-failing." Do not stretch it back into "it iz." In speech the apostrophe-s contraction is seamless. (In writing, remember "it's" = "it is/has" while "its" = possessive.)
4 / 5
How is "let us" contracted to "let's" pronounced, e.g. "let's deploy"?
The contraction "let's" (from "let us") is pronounced "lets" /lɛts/ — one syllable, the /t/ and /s/ merging into a /ts/ ending, identical to the verb "lets." So "let's deploy" is "lets deploy," "let's pair on this" is "lets pair on this." Do not expand it back to "let us" in casual speech. It is the standard way to make a suggestion to a group.
5 / 5
How is "I will" contracted to "I'll" pronounced, e.g. "I'll fix the bug"?
The contraction "I'll" (from "I will") is pronounced "ile" /aɪl/ — one syllable, with the long "i" /aɪ/, rhyming with "aisle," "isle," and "I'll" sounds like the word "aisle." So "I'll fix the bug" starts with "ile-fix." Be careful not to shorten it to "ill" /ɪl/ (which means sick) — the vowel stays long. Similarly "you'll" is /juːl/ and "we'll" is /wiːl/ (like "wheel").