It’s 2018 friends, we’re in college and some of you still don’t know how grammar works. I’m sick of it! You’re wrecking my good time on Twitter and making me unmatch with cute boys on Tinder because they’re either illiterate or don’t care enough to use proper wording.
It is time to stop the madness! Here, I have compiled a list of what to use when and some nifty tricks to help you use your best English.
Your vs You’re
Your IS POSSESSIVE! It means something belongs to or is associated with whoever the speaker is addressing.
Example: Your third grade teacher should not have let you go to fourth grade if you didn’t know the difference between ‘your’ and ‘you’re.’
See how you have possession of the third grade teacher?
You’re is the contraction of ‘you are.’ If you are confused on when to use ‘you’re’ go ahead and substitute “you are” in its place to see if it still makes sense.
Example: You’re the worst because you are a legal adult and still mix up ‘you’re’ and ‘your,’ even though they have completely different meanings.
See how the first word could have been replaced with “you are” and it still would’ve meant the same thing?
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
Their, There, and They’re
Their IS POSSESSIVE! It means something belonging to or associated with people or things that were have been mentioned or could be easily identified.
Example: Their wrong use of ‘their’ made me unmatch with them on Tinder. They clearly don’t care how they are perceived in writing, why would they care about me?
See how they possess bad grammar, which led to being unmatchable on Tinder?
There means in, at, to that place or position. It can also be used to introduce a sentence where the verb comes before the subject or has no complement
Example: Go to the library, there you can find books on grammar, then you will be successful in professional and academic settings.
See how the library is a place and you can go there?
Example 2: There’s a serious issue if you cannot distinguish the differences between ‘there,’ ‘their,’ and ‘they’re.’
See how the subject came after the verb?
They’re is the contraction of ‘they are.’ If you are worried you’ll use ‘they’re’ at the wrong time, substitute “they are” to see if it still makes sense.
Example: They’re annoying me by using the wrong ‘they’re’ all the time.
See how ‘they’re’ could’ve been changed to ‘they are’ and it still would’ve meant the exact same thing?
It’s vs Its
It’s is a contraction of ‘it is’ or ‘it has.’ If you are truly concerned about using the wrong one replace ‘it’s’ with “it is,” if it still make sense you’re on the right track!
Example: It’s really silly that we’re still on this. Are you annoyed yet?
See how it would’ve been the exact same statement if you replace it with the handy “it is” trick?
Its IS POSSESSIVE! Meaning something belongs to or is associated with something that was previously mentioned or is easily identified.
Example: My psyche, its been hurt by everyone’s inability to use grammar.
See how my psyche possesses hurt?
These are just a few of the glaring mistakes that are made on Twitter, Facebook, Tinder, Bumble, etc. Some are completely unbothered by the misuse of grammar and words, but I for one, will not take it anymore. It takes 2 seconds to change a grammatical error and it will make your self presentation improve dramatically. Seriously, using improper grammar shows a lack of respect for others and yourself. Think about how others perceive you, in your academic papers and on social media. You want to present your best self; take the time to double check your spelling and grammar, people will appreciate it.
Now that you have been educated there is no excuse for not using the right forms of these words, especially because they have completely different meanings from each other. Go forth and conquer your academic papers and wow everyone on your social media with correct grammar!
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