I don't mean to sound preachy, but I have noticed that a lot of people nowadays rely heavily on a spell checker. While useful, it doesn't provide syntaxical help resulting in quite a few common errors in writing. The following is a list of common grammar mistakes and how to fix them.
Its vs It's
Okay, first off is one of the more frequent errors I encounter: "it's" and "its".
Its is a possessive pronoun meaning "of it" or "belonging to it". (Its fur is soft.)
It's is a contraction for "it is" or "it has". (It's a cat.)
Still don't get it? It's quite simple. So you know you want to use one of the two, but you're not quite sure which one. Try replacing the "it's" with "it is" or "it has". Does the sentence make sense? If it does, you've got the right "it's". If not, you need to use "its".
There, Their and They're
Here's a bit of a doozy. "There", "their" and "they're" are homophones (words that sound the same but mean different things) that tend to trip up people who are new to English, whether it is foreigners or youngsters. In fact, some people who profess to be fluent still make mistakes regarding them. Here's what you need to know:
There denotes a place and means in, at, or to that place. (Let's go there!)
Their is a possessive pronoun meaning "belonging to them". (It's their party.)
They're is a contraction of the words "they are". (They're going to a party.)
If your sentence makes sense with "they are", then you should use "they're". Talking about a belonging or quality of a noun? Use "their". Otherwise, use "there" and you should be fine.
Your vs You're
"Your" and "you're" are also homonyms.
Your is a possessive pronoun meaning "belonging to you". (Your smile is nice.)
You're is a contraction of the words "you are". (You're smiling.)
Do you notice the pattern yet? If your sentence makes sense with the words "you are" filling in, then you need to use "you're". If you're talking about something about the person you are addressing, "your" is what you want.
Affect vs Effect
Affect and effect are two commonly confused words.
Affect is a verb meaning "to influence". (That doesn't affect me.)
Effect is usually a noun meaning "result". (It had an effect on me.)
Here's where it gets tricky...
Affect can be used as a noun meaning "display of emotion". (He showed no affect when confronted.)
Effect is sometimes used as a verb meaning "to bring about". (He effected his escape with knotted bedsheets.)
Now, how are you going to know what to use?
First, determine if you need a verb or a noun. If you need a verb, most of the time it'll be "affect", meaning "to alter". The only time you use "effect" as a verb is when the specific meaning "to cause or bring about" is needed.
If you need a noun, the word is usually "effect", meaning "result". "Affect" as a noun is very rarely used outside of psychological jargon.
Basically, if you need a verb "affect" is usually what you want.
If you need a noun, use "effect".
I hope this helps. I also hope that there are no grammar mistakes in this post. That would be ironic.
EDIT: Oh, and if there is anything else you want me to clear up, I'd be happy to give it my best shot.
Its vs It's
Okay, first off is one of the more frequent errors I encounter: "it's" and "its".
Its is a possessive pronoun meaning "of it" or "belonging to it". (Its fur is soft.)
It's is a contraction for "it is" or "it has". (It's a cat.)
Still don't get it? It's quite simple. So you know you want to use one of the two, but you're not quite sure which one. Try replacing the "it's" with "it is" or "it has". Does the sentence make sense? If it does, you've got the right "it's". If not, you need to use "its".
There, Their and They're
Here's a bit of a doozy. "There", "their" and "they're" are homophones (words that sound the same but mean different things) that tend to trip up people who are new to English, whether it is foreigners or youngsters. In fact, some people who profess to be fluent still make mistakes regarding them. Here's what you need to know:
There denotes a place and means in, at, or to that place. (Let's go there!)
Their is a possessive pronoun meaning "belonging to them". (It's their party.)
They're is a contraction of the words "they are". (They're going to a party.)
If your sentence makes sense with "they are", then you should use "they're". Talking about a belonging or quality of a noun? Use "their". Otherwise, use "there" and you should be fine.
Your vs You're
"Your" and "you're" are also homonyms.
Your is a possessive pronoun meaning "belonging to you". (Your smile is nice.)
You're is a contraction of the words "you are". (You're smiling.)
Do you notice the pattern yet? If your sentence makes sense with the words "you are" filling in, then you need to use "you're". If you're talking about something about the person you are addressing, "your" is what you want.
Affect vs Effect
Affect and effect are two commonly confused words.
Affect is a verb meaning "to influence". (That doesn't affect me.)
Effect is usually a noun meaning "result". (It had an effect on me.)
Here's where it gets tricky...
Affect can be used as a noun meaning "display of emotion". (He showed no affect when confronted.)
Effect is sometimes used as a verb meaning "to bring about". (He effected his escape with knotted bedsheets.)
Now, how are you going to know what to use?
First, determine if you need a verb or a noun. If you need a verb, most of the time it'll be "affect", meaning "to alter". The only time you use "effect" as a verb is when the specific meaning "to cause or bring about" is needed.
If you need a noun, the word is usually "effect", meaning "result". "Affect" as a noun is very rarely used outside of psychological jargon.
Basically, if you need a verb "affect" is usually what you want.
If you need a noun, use "effect".
I hope this helps. I also hope that there are no grammar mistakes in this post. That would be ironic.
EDIT: Oh, and if there is anything else you want me to clear up, I'd be happy to give it my best shot.
) obvious when you see the content people write nowadays.
![[Image: siggy3small.jpg]](https://img824.imageshack.us/img824/9283/siggy3small.jpg)
![[Image: beybase-signature-is-beyblade-a-sport-Article.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/VLksgt2k/beybase-signature-is-beyblade-a-sport-Article.jpg)
![[Image: pakistandonationcopy.jpg]](https://a.imageshack.us/img841/8365/pakistandonationcopy.jpg)
![[Image: bradday2seal.png]](https://img6.imageshack.us/img6/9708/bradday2seal.png)
![[Image: pegasis105rfsignature.jpg]](https://img836.imageshack.us/img836/6682/pegasis105rfsignature.jpg)