| VI. 9 | VI. 10 | VI. 12 |
| VII. 6 | VII. 7 | VII. 9 |
| VIII. 3 | VIII. 4 | VIII. 6 |
USE OF THE CONTRACTION
One of the first things to learn in writing letters is that the form and style of the letter must be suited to the message which the letter contains, and to the relationship which exists between the person who sends the letter and the one who is to receive it. The style of business letters must be clear, direct, and dignified. With certain exceptions, as in sales letters, such letters are usually made very impersonal. On the other hand, personal letters are quite properly regarded by many as a sort of conversation in writing. In writing to friends or to relatives one usually desires to be informal. One of the ways of achieving this informality is through the use of colloquial English and contractions. In the past, many teachers of English have cautioned students against the use of contractions in letters; but an examination of the correspondence of writers whose letters are regarded as models shows that most of these authors use contractions very freely. If you will read the letters of Henry Adams, Stevenson, Gray, Henry James, Lamb, Carroll, Walpole, Keats, Emily Dickinson, Thackeray, Dickens, and others, you will see that in writing to friends and members of their families they wrote much as they would have chatted with those to whom the letters were addressed.
In general, then, contractions are to be used only in informal or friendly correspondence. In letters to strangers and in most business correspondence they should be avoided. Perhaps the best guide to the proper use of contractions is to be found in the models of writers who are famous for their personal letters.
can't "You can't be too careful." (Lamb)
don't "... for, O, I don't know how long." (Stevenson)
doesn't "He doesn't agree with them all ..." (Stevenson)