grammaticality - Can I use the "ll" contraction with proper names?


Can I contract "will" as "ll" when preceded by a proper name? For example:



John will visit you tomorrow


John'll visit you tomorrow



I am inclined to think this is not acceptable in standard English. It's also not pretty when spoken. In which case, is this construction valid in any dialect?


Why am I asking this? (some people seem to care): I'm translating a game I originally wrote in Japanese, into English. I have a native English speaker taking care of the dialogue, and a construction similar to the one I wrote above appeared on the text he sent me to check.


I'm not a native English speaker, so even though I have probably heard that contraction a handful of times in my life, I would like to know if it is correct English.


It also happens that my native English speaker is from Texas, so it occurred to me that this is probably common in the Texan dialect of English. I have never been to Texas, so I have no idea if this is right.



Answer



Short answer: yes. It'll be understood, and if it's seen as a mistake, it'd be one of register rather than of grammar.


Longer answer: contractions are informal by nature, so if you're asking about formal written English, then any contraction is frowned upon, whether it's "it's", "you're", or "John'll".


So we're clearly talking about less-than-formal English, where the rules (such as they are) get fuzzy.




  • In spoken English, contractions are totally fair game. In fact, you really have to pay attention to even notice whether someone said "I am" or "I'm". The difference between "John will" and "John'll" is a bit more audible, but it's still perfectly fine to say the latter rather than the former.




  • In written English, the contractions you choose to use, or not use, determine the level of informality. In this sense, "John'll" is a bit more informal than "you're", but there are very few contexts where the latter would be acceptable while the former wouldn't be.




Bottom line is, in an informal context such as a video game, usage such as "John'll" simply adds to the colloquial, informal nature of the dialogue/narration. It is not, in and of itself, a mistake.


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