Mumsnet Talk

Children don't necessarily need know what eg, etc mean in Latin, but they do need to understand that you can abbreviate by using initials, some of the letters in a world, or using an apostrophe to replace some letters.

Do you mean how words are abbreviated in general, or how specific words have been abbreviated? I have no idea how will not became won't. I don't know why there is an abbreviation for missus and mister but not master. And when it comes to the Latin abbreviations many people get by simply knowing what they stand for or represent without knowing what they actually mean, eg, etc, ibid, op cit. ie. people don't understand any Latin. So I don't think it's necessary to teach children how words are abbreviated. But I'm sure that if one knows how a word or phrase has been shortened then teaching the children how this happened is a useful thing to do.

Children also need to understand their meaning, and how words are abbreviated. Just memorising the sounds isn't sufficient to understand text.

I'm not sure that explaining that the apostrophe replaces missing letters helps. It's knowing what the missing letters would have been and knowing where the gap would be that's the problem. You have to know quite a bit about the language to read words that are faithfully represented. You have to know even more about the language to read words which are deliberate misrepresentations:

mr
mrs
22nd
won't

On the whole I think you just need to know what they say. You need to memorise them. They're abbreviations.

The word I'll especially seems to be a problem for the children I read with. At least the others sound like they look.

But don't children have to learn these words in order to be able to read?

Just explain that the apostrophe replaces part of one of the words and what the two words are/would be.

Just tell him those if it's annoying you and him- or stop to sound them out if you must, but I would take the easy option if that's a stumbling block at the moment. As you say a bit annoying if it's in the earlier stages of reading, but it's part of the language and am sure he'll pick it up (and then there'll be something else to cope with like longer sentences etc!)

Yes I agree it is annoying but I guess at that stage they should be getting used to those words being shortened as they are in everyday life. My dd is on purple book band and we are just hitting this with the books she is bringing home now.

What level books are these? (from memory) I don't think apostrophe words are introduced that early on? And all the examples you give are phonetically regular and it's something he's going to have to read some time.

The thing that annoys me is when a word is split over a line or (worse) over a page.

My DS is just getting to grips with reading fluently, but when he is reading to me I get so frustrated with the use of the apostrophe to merge two words into one. He's currently reading about 'Sonic Sid' and 'Detective Tilak', but I can't remember what band of books they belong to.

Anyhow, my pet hates are...

can't instead of cannot
I'll instead of I will
It'll instead of it will
they'd instead of they would
won't instead of will not

I find that he struggles to pronounce these words. Why can't publishers use the full words instead so that kids can understand what they are reading more easily?

I realise that when it's in dialogue, very few people actually say "I will not do it", they are more likely to say 'won't', but can't we leave that until kids are able to read confidently.

Sorry, it's been bugging me for ages and I just feel better for venting and writing it down!!!

As you were....