English Modal Verbs - Contractions and Reduced Pronunciation

Contractions and Reduced Pronunciation

As already mentioned, most of the modals in combination with not form commonly used contractions: can't, won't, etc. Some of the modals also have contracted forms themselves:

• The verb will is often contracted to 'll; the same contraction may also represent shall.
• The verb would (or should, when used as a first-person equivalent of would) is often contracted to 'd.
• The had of had better is also often contracted to 'd. (The same contraction is also used for other cases of had as an auxiliary.)

Certain of the modals generally have a weak pronunciation when they are not stressed or otherwise prominent; for example, can is usually pronounced /kǝn/. The same applies to certain words following modals, particularly auxiliary have: a combination like should have is normally reduced to /ʃʊd(h)ǝv/ or just /ʃʊdǝ/ "shoulda". Also ought to can become /ɔːtǝ/ "oughta". See Weak and strong forms in English.