I really wish there was a Grammar Police. I would join the force without hesitation. Although, I admit that I often respond to the trivial ”how are ya?” with ” i’m good”. Tisk Tisk. That’s actually horrible grammar. The correct response would be ” i’m well “. But i’ll spare myself the ticket because there are other people out there that should not only be fined, but JAILED for their abuse of grammar. I thought college was an institution of higher learning? Friends, colleagues, associates- they seem to be proving that theory wrong.
So please, if you’re (notice how I spelled that - YOU ‘ RE) one of those who just doesn’t remember 5th grade English, that’s ok! But at least DO something about it:
THEN vs. THAN
I thought I’d start you off easy. Here’s a breakdown of each: THEN is a description or reference to TIME, or a SEQUENCE. Examples:
- Come over later, we’ll talk then. (at that time)
- I will write this paper then i’ll drink (immediately following)
- If you want to cook, then i’ll have to eat something else (in that case)
THAN, however, is a COMPARISON. Example:
- She has longer hair than I thought. (comparing unequal things)
THERE vs. THEIR vs. THEY’RE
Ok. Take a breath. Since we pronounce each of these in a similar way, confusion does arise.
THERE refers to a place or concrete location. Examples:
- The beer is over there on the table.
- There is a new bar on 6th street.
THEY’RE is a contraction of the words THEY and ARE. Remember that when you see the apostrophe! It is never a modifier, only a SUBJECT or VERB. Examples:
- They’re coming over at 9 tonight. AKA- They are coming over at 9 tonight.
- I’m glad they’re my friends. (Don’t let MY confuse you- this isn’t a possessive indicator)
THEIR indicates POSSESSION or ownership, signifying that a certain noun belongs to THEM. Example:
- Their bikes were stolen while they were in class.
And finally, my biggest pet peeve:
YOUR vs. YOU’RE
YOUR is second person possessive. What does that mean? Well, it describes something that belongs to someone. Example:
- What is your favorite restaurant?
- He wants to borrow your book.
YOU’RE tries to trick you again with that damn apostrophe. Just look at it as an ‘A’. The contraction YOU’RE, like its distant cousin THEY’RE, is YOU ARE. You should be able to replace it in a sentence with ‘you are’ and it still be grammatically correct. Examples:
- You’re going to fail that test if you don’t study. AKA- You are going to fail that test if you don’t study.
- When you’re about to leave, let me know. AKA- When you are about to leave, let me know.
Get it? Please say yes. I’m not sure how much more I can handle before I start handcuffing people.
Test your skills here, here, and here.
photo thanks to: ndfootballwellcometothesubway.blogspot.com
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