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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Correct usage of " 'd "

I've been reading a book and found this expression:

"Then why'd you ask?"
"To see if you'd admit it"

My questions are: first 'd is form "did" and the second is from "would"?
I always thought that " 'd" is rather form "had" or from "would".
Are there any other uses for 'd?

Thank you
  

Top answer

Its all about politeness.

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  • Its all about politeness.
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6 Answers
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Its probably ....would,actually would is used here in reference of politeness.for instance you can say....would you like to have tea....would you admit it.Its all about politeness.
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Anonymous "Then why'd you ask?"
"To see if you'd admit it" Although the second line is obviously "would," I think the first one is "did," as you suspect.

In my experience, "Then why would you ask?" would not be contracted.

I seem to remember coming across other examples of " 'd," but I can't think of one at the moment. Of course, you often find i
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'd

= would when combined with the base form of a verb
= had when combined with the past participle of a verb
= did when attached to a question word

Of these, the last is used only in informal contexts.

CJ
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CalifJim'd
= would when combined with the base form of a verb
= had when combined with the past participle of a verb
= did when attached to a question word Hi, Jim.
Does this mean you reject "To see if you'd admit it" as a contraction for "To see if you would admit it?"

Best regards, - A.
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I started with "when followed by ...", but then I realized an adverb might intervene so I changed it to the more noncommittal "when combined with ...". Just being lazy today, I guess.
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It's perfectly clear, once you get the hang of it! Emotion: happy
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