Avoid positive contractions. Positive contractions are formed by combining a noun or a pronoun with an auxiliary, or linking, verb. For example, the contraction for "I am" is "I'm," for "she would," "she'd" and for "they have," "they've." Watch for these kinds of positive contractions, and say or spell out the whole phrase instead.
Omit negative contractions. Negative contractions are formed by combining an auxiliary verb with the word "not." For example, the contraction for "are not" is "aren't," for "must not," "mustn't" and for "does not," "doesn't." Make sure to say or spell out any negative contractions.
Watch for slang contractions. Slang contractions are commonly formed in certain regions and do not follow typical rules for forming a contraction. Examples include "ain't" and "y'all." In any occurrence of these slang contractions, use the correct, spelled-out form instead; in this case, use "are not" and "you all," respectively.
Beware of "it's." In its contracted form, the phrase "it is" becomes "it's." Due to the similarities, the possessive pronoun "its" is often confused with the contraction "it's." Remember that the contracted form of "it is" always has an apostrophe, and the possessive pronoun "its" never uses an apostrophe. The phrase, "It's best to avoid contractions," uses the contracted form of the phrase "it is," while the phrase, "A formal essay is best when its writer avoids contractions," uses the possessive pronoun "its."