Will not and won't

Question

difference between will not & won't . when to use what?

Trellis · Accepted Answer

Hi Sonia,

Won't is the contraction of will not.
It is the two words put together.
Won't and will not have the same meaning.

Won't is a more casual or relaxed way of saying will not,
but won't is not rude to use when speaking to someone in a formal way.

Won't has a more casual sound but is never offensive.

You might say "Hey" to a friend but you would say "Hello" to the University President.

but

You could say will not or won't to the President.
Either are fine.

A few more contractions:

can not -> can't
are not -> aren't
would not -> wouldn't
could not -> couldn't
should not -> shouldn't
I am - > I'm
I have -> I've
you are -> you're
you will -> you'll
it is -> it's

It's, as opposed to the possesive word, its.

If you are ever unsure if you should use it's or its, ask yourself:
would it is also sound correct in this sentence?

The dog loves to chew on its bone because it's (it is) a juicy one.

Luck!

-m

Sonia10 · Answer

WOnderful explanation. It really made sense to me.Thanks Trellis.<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/2.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/2.gif' alt='Emotion: big smile'/>

Magic79 · Answer

0How about WILL NOT?02br
02br
00I know we can say:02br
02br
00- 01font00She won't02font00 do it.02br
02br
00but can we say:02br
02br
00- 01font00She'll not02font00 do it.02br
02br
01font00Will there be any differences in terms of shades of meaning?02font0-

Clive · Answer

0Hi,02br
02br
01font00can we say: -01b00 She'll not02b00 do it.02font00 Yes, you can.02br
02br
01font00Will there be any differences in terms of shades of meaning?02font00 It's hard to speak about such subtleties without looking at a specific context. However, very generally speaking, I would suggest that using the uncontracted form of 'not' in a place where it is unexpected serves to emphasize the word, the negative, more.02br
02br
00Bets wishes, Clive0-

Magic79 · Answer

0Thanks Clive!!!02br
02br
00I needed your answer because in Basic English Grammar by Betty Azar it looked as if there were only one possible way of contracting 01i00she02i00 01i00will not. 02i00Betty did not explain that it could also be written as 01i00She'll not02i00!02br
02br
01i00Thanks!!02i0-

Clive · Answer

0Hi again,02br
02br
00I gues it's not in the book because Ms. Azar is dealing with 01i00basic02i00 grammar.02br
02br
00Please remember that the contraction 01i00she won't02i00 is much, much more common than 01i00she'll not.02i02br
02br
00Best wishes, Clive0-

Will not and won't

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