Recently, one of my readers sent me an article. I wanted to share it with all of you because it points out some of the more commonly used grammatical errors that drive Ignorantics to a furious pitch.
Here is the list:
1. You're / Your: The apostrophe means it's a contraction of two words; "you're" is the short version of "you are" (the "a" is dropped), so if your sentence makes sense if you say "you are," then you're good to use you're. "Your" means it belongs to you, it's yours.
· You're = if you mean "you are" then use the apostrophe
· Your = belonging to you
Example: You're going to love your new job!
2. It's/ Its: This one is confusing, because generally, in addition to being used in contractions, an apostrophe indicates ownership, as in "Dad's new car." But, "it's" is actually the short version of "it is" or "it has." "Its" with no apostrophe means belonging to it.
· Its = belonging to it
Example: It's important to remember to bring your telephone and its extra battery.
3. They're/ Their/ There: "They're" is a contraction of "they are." "Their" means belonging to them. "There" refers to a place (notice that the word "here" is part of it, which is also a place – so if it says here and there, it's a place). There = a place
- They're = they are
- Their = belonging to them
Example: They're going to miss their teachers when they leave there.
4. Loose/ Lose: These spellings really don't make much sense, so you just have to remember them. "Loose" is the opposite of tight, and rhymes with goose. "Lose" is the opposite of win, and rhymes with booze. (To show how unpredictable English is, compare another pair of words, "choose" and "chose," which are spelled the same except the initial sound, but pronounced differently. No wonder so many people get it wrong!)
- Loose = it's not tight, it's loosey goosey
- Lose= "don't lose the hose for the rose" is a way to remember the same spelling but a different pronunciation
Example: I never thought I could lose so much weight; now my pants are all loose!
5. Lead/ Led: Another common but glaring error. "Lead" means you're doing it in the present, and rhymes with deed. "Led" is the past tense of lead, and rhymes with sled. So you can "lead" your current organization, but you "led" the people in your previous job.
- Lead = present tense, rhymes with deed
- Led = past tense, rhymes with sled
Example: My goal is to lead this team to success, just as I led my past teams into winning award after award.
6. A lot / Alot/ Allot: First the bad news: there is no such word as "alot." "A lot" refers to quantity, and "allot" means to distribute or parcel out.
Example: There is a lot of confusion about this one, so I'm going to allot ten minutes to review these rules of grammar.
7. Between you and I:This one is widely misused, even by TV news anchors who should know better. In English, we use a different pronoun depending on whether it's the subject or the object of the sentence: I/me, she/her, he/him, they/them. This becomes second nature for us and we rarely make mistakes with the glaring exception of when we have to choose between "you and I" or "you and me." that "between you and I" is never correct, and although it is becoming more common, it's kind of like saying "him did a great job." It is glaringly incorrect. The easy rule of thumb is to replace the "you and I" or "you and me" with either "we" or "us" and you'll quickly see which form is right. If "us" works, then use "you and me" and if "we" works, then use "you and I."
One of the reasons that I write this Blog is to put a spotlight on incorrect English so that folks will be shamed into not repeating it. Ignorantics is rooted in repetition and the familiar. We say what we are used to saying or what we've heard over and over again even when we know it is wrong. The key to curtailing your ignorantics is to STOP, DROP, and ROLL just like you would in a fire. STOP using the incorrect words, DROP the excuses that it is the way everyone speaks, then ROLL with it. If you really want to break your ignorantic ways, click on the following links in your spare time and work on using words correctly. Gone are the days when college-educated people can blame bad grammar on typos. It just won't wash anymore. Learn to be a good proofreader and review before you hit "SEND" or "ENTER".
Again, most of the content in this post was taken from the following references [please use them as a guide]:
