Grammar Mistakes That Need to Stop
I am the first person to admit that English is hard to speak and it’s even harder to write. And, I say that as someone whose first language is Spanish.
But, there are certain grammar mistakes that need to stop happening once and for all.
1. Using there, their, and they’re interchangeably
While some people do not seem to care, there, their, and they’re are three very different words despite the fact that they are homophones (i.e words that sounds the same).
There is an adverb that means in or at that place, such as in the phrase, “My keys are over there!”
In this sense, there is essentially the opposite of here.
There is also used as a pronoun introducing a sentence or clause, as in “There is still hope.”
Their is the possessive case of the pronoun they, as in “They left their cell phones at home.”
Their is generally plural, but is increasingly accepted in place of the singular his or her after indefinite singular antecedent, such as someone: Someone left their purse on the hook.
They’re is a contraction; in other words, they’re has an apostrophe, which tells you that it’s the product of two words: they are. So, it would be used in a sentence like this:
They’re going swimming today. Or: They’re big fans of ’90s cartoons.
2. You’re vs. Your
Again, a pair of homophones that are by no means the same word.
You’re is a contraction. It is the shortened version of the ‘you are’. For example, it is used when describing someone, such as a friend.
One might say, “You’re the best!”
But, your is the possessive form of you. You might ask a friend: “Can I borrow your phone?” or “Can I borrow your pen?”
The phone or pen belongs to them; you wouldn’t ask: “Can I borrow you are phone?” (You are would be you’re without the apostrophe).
To put it simply:
•Your is a possessive adjective and modifies nouns.
•You’re is a contraction of the two words you are.
3. The butchering of “For all intents and purposes”
People keep changing this phrase into “for all intensive purposes” which is incorrect. The proper phrase is “for all intents and purposes.”
These phrases are mixed up due to the mishearing of the original phrase but the correct version is indeed “For all intents and purposes.”
Saying “for all intensive purposes” is incorrect.
4. Using too, to, and two interchangeably.
Here is yet another set of homophones. And unsurprisingly, they are NOT interchangeable much as people might try to use them that way.
Too is an adverb and can mean also, as well, or even excessively.
It can also be used while describing a period of time such as ”The product will ship in three to five business days.”
Please take this lesson in grammar seriously; go forward and prevent such silly grammar mistakes from being made in your future papers, comments on social media, and even text messages!