Contractions are a common part of the English language. This construct helps shorten phrases or thoughts while speaking or writing without changing the meaning of the words.
The average person uses one contraction per sentence. It’s not unusual to see two or three of them when an extended thought is necessary.
When talking or writing in first-person, which means using “I” statements, two common contractions are seen and heard. They are “I had” and “I would,” which both turn into “I’d” when shortened.
How can you tell which contraction to use?
Does I’d Mean “I Had” or “I Would”
The contraction “I’d” can mean either “I had” or “I would” when used in a sentence. It is up to the reader to determine which option applies based on the context given. When that information is not available, it is crucial to review the grammatical formats following the word to understand its “d.”
When using the contraction “I’d” in a sentence, it could mean “I would” or “I had,” depending on what the writer or speaker indicates.
Other personal subjects and pronouns follow the same process. Here are some of the other examples you can find in the English language with this structure.
- “You’d” can mean either “you had” or “you would.”
- “They’d” is a contraction for “they had” or “they would.”
- “We’d” works for “we had” or “we would.”
- “He’d” Is either “he had” or “he would” when used in context.
- “She’d” follows the same rules for “had” and “would.”
- “It’d” isn’t commonly used, but the term works for “it had” or “it would.”
The easiest way to determine the contraction’s definition is to look at the sentence context. That’s because “had” and “would” play different roles in the English language.
It’s an Infinitive vs. a Participle
Since the contraction “I’d” could mean “I had’ or “I would,” the easiest way to tell the difference is by looking for an infinitive or a participle application.
If the contraction is “I would,” it would be followed by a bare infinitive. Those words are “be,” “like,” “go,” and similar choices.
“I’d like some coffee before getting to work this morning.”
“I’d go to the game if I had some money for tickets.”
“I’d be grateful for any feedback you had on learning contractions.”
You can also tell that the contraction is “would” instead of “had” when a perfect infinitive follows it. That means “have been” or “have gone” would make sense in the sentence.
When you have a past participle following the contraction, you know that it is “had” instead of “would.”
“I’d gone home after the concert.”
“I’d been married to my wonderful spouse for a while year as of tomorrow.”
“I’d just spoken to him about the customer service situation.”
You can also tell that “I’d” refers to “had” based on the actions taken in the sentence.
“I’d better be careful when following this trail because there’s a cliff on the other side.”
The one exception to that stipulation is if you’re describing a choice between two specific items. Let’s say that you are given the option to work in Rome or London. Once you make the decision, you might tell your employer the following statement.
“I’d rather live in Rome than in London.”
The comparison doesn’t need to be in a specific place. As long as it goes between two subjects, you’re describing the mindset – and that is singular.
“I’d rather stay in tonight instead of going to the disco.”
What Is the Problem With Using “I’d” as a Contraction?
When using “I’d” as a contraction, you can inadvertently end up repeating the same word twice consecutively in the sentence. It doesn’t occur when using “would,” but it does happen a lot with “had.”
Here’s an example of using the double word in a sentence.
“I’d had a great time outside until the thunderstorm started coming over.”
When you read that sentence with the contraction, it seems fine. If you pull it apart to create two words, the statement generates a “double word.”
“I had had a great time outside until the thunderstorm started coming over.”
English is unique because double words come out a lot. Outside of “had had,” you can also hear yourself saying “is is” or “that that” a lot in everyday conversations.
When you write sentences with the double word, most automatic spelling and grammar checkers alert you to the situation to ensure that you can get more clarity.
Although double words aren’t the best choice, it is a grammatically correct option. When you have two past-tense occurrences to describe, you will use past perfect to express the initial action.
When the verb requires you to “have” something, the correct past perfect version is “had.” That means “I’d had” can work.
Some double words aren’t as structured, making them a bit more awkward to use in any given sentence. The worst offender is “it, it.”
“By the time I’d thought of it it was entirely too late to change my mind.”
In this sentence, the “it, it” is still grammatically correct. The pronouns refer to two separate subjects. We can improve the thought and avoid confusion by putting a comma between the two.
“By the time I’d thought of it, it was entirely too late to change my mind.”
Although it might still feel awkward, it’s a grammatically correct sentence. If the double word bothers you, it is usually possible to reorder the sentence to create the same thought without repetition.
“It was a great time outside until I’d discovered the thunderstorm approaching.”
“It was entirely too late to change my mind by the time I’d thought of it.”
A Final Thought on “I Had” and “I Would”
It isn’t always easy to determine what contraction makes the most sense when reading a sentence. That’s why turning it back into two words is helpful when you’re of the exact intention.
Read the sentence with “I had” and “I would.” Which one sounds the best?
When you approach contractions in this way, it’s much easier to discover the intended meaning of the speaker or writer.