There's an Elizabethan contraction I argue we should bring back: "with’t," as in “with it.” If you wanted to be really with it—or should we say “with’t”—you should know when and how you can use your contractions. Yep “with’t,” that’s "W-I-T-H" apostrophe "T." Was that Shakespearean slang? Let’s be clear. It wasn’t. But maybe we can bring it back with a new twist? Okay, maybe that's going too far.

The rules of contractions aren't quite so black and white, and history lends so much more to this discussion.

Find out the latest in writing and communications news and more in Episode #36 of The "Words You Should Know" podcast.