Common English Speaking Mistakes

Have you been to that restaurant? Yes I’ve. Pardon? Yes I’ve. You have what? Yes I’ve. You have what? I’ve!

Did you know that it’s wrong to say ‘Yes I’ve’? Let’s talk about why.

This English lesson about common English speaking mistakes might be a bit surprising for you because a lot of students like to use phrases like ‘Yes I’ve’ and whenever I tell them it’s wrong, they can’t believe it. They don’t understand why.

Well the general rule is that you cannot end a sentence with a contraction if that sentence is a positive sentence.

A contraction is when we make a word or a group of words shorter. For example ‘I am’ becomes ‘I’m’. ‘I’m’ is the contraction for ‘I am’. Contractions allow us to speak faster and more naturally. What is a positive sentence? Well a positive sentence is normally a sentence which doesn’t have the words ‘no’ or ‘not’.

A positive sentence normally says something that the speaker thinks is true. For example, ‘I am a teacher.’ This is something that I think is true. It’s something that I think is a fact. Now normally when we have a positive sentence, we cannot end that sentence with a contraction. Let’s look at some common examples right now.

Example #1

Number one. Are you learning English? Yes I’m. No this is not correct. We cannot answer a question by saying ‘Yes I’m’. If you say ‘Yes I’m’ to a native speaker, he will think ‘Yes you are what?’ He won’t know what you’re talking about. To correct this, you need to say ‘Yes I am.’ Not ‘I’m’. But if you want to say ‘I’m’, you need to say what you’re doing. For example ‘Yes I’m learning English.’ Yes I’m hungry. Yes I’m a doctor. But we cannot answer a question by saying ‘Yes I’m’.

Example #2

Number two. Have you been to China? Yes I’ve. No. Again, this is not correct. We cannot answer a question by saying ‘Yes I’ve’. And again, if you say ‘Yes I’ve’, a native speaker will think ‘You have what?’ He won’t know what you’re talking about. To correct this, you need to say ‘Yes I have’. Not ‘I’ve’. But if you want to use the word ‘I’ve’ in your answer, you need to say what you have done or what you have. For example, ‘Yes I’ve been to China.’ Yes I’ve got a mobile phone. Yes I’ve forgotten how to speak English.

Example #3

Number three. Is it a good movie? Yes it’s. No. Not correct. We cannot answer a question by saying ‘Yes it’s’. To correct this, you need to say ‘Yes it is.’ Not ‘it’s’. But if you want to use ‘it’s’ in your answer, you have to say what you’re talking about. For example, ‘Yes it’s a good movie.’ Yes it’s a good pizza. Yes it’s a good place to go.

Example #4

Number four. Will you get a drink? Yes I’ll. No. Not correct. You cannot answer a question by saying ‘Yes I’ll’. To correct this, you need to say ‘Yes I will.’ Not ‘I’ll’. But if you want to use the word ‘I’ll’ in your answer, you need to say what you will do. For example, ‘Yes I’ll go to the party.’ Yes I’ll get a new a phone. Yes I’ll get a drink.

Example #5

Number five. Would you like to go to the beach? Yes I’d. No. Again, this is not correct. You cannot answer a question by saying ‘Yes I’d’. To correct this, you need to say ‘Yes I would.’ If you want to use the word ‘I’d’ in your answer, you need to say what you would do. For example, ‘Yes I’d like to go.’ Yes I’d enjoy that movie. Yes I’d eat that food.

Negative sentences

Please note that it is okay and it is correct to end a negative sentence with a contraction. A negative sentence is normally a sentence which has the words ‘no’ or ‘not’ in it. For example, ‘Are you learning English?’ No I’m not. This is correct. Have you been to China? No I haven’t. This is correct. Is it a good movie? No it isn’t. This answer is correct. Will you get a drink? No I won’t. This is correct. Would you like to go to the beach? No I wouldn’t. This is correct.