You have been sending in your grammar/punctuation/word usage pet peeves, which is always good fodder for posts! Please keep them coming. Along with the pet peeves, I have received several requests for posts on some of the issues. Today, I have chosen some words that mess people up. But these are the easy ones, so I hope I don’t bore you (or is it boar you?) with your/you’re, to/too/two, and there/their/they’re.
Your/You’re: I see your instead of you’re all the time, and I cannot believe that it isn’t just a typo or laziness. It is a lot easier to type your rather than you’re. However, whichever way you look at it, it’s you’re welcome, not your welcome. but it is Yours truly.
- Your – Possessive (yours also). No apostrophe in any of the possessive pronouns, right? (ours, yours, his, theirs): Here is your jacket.
- You’re – Contraction meaning you are. All contractions have an apostrophe in place of missing letters: You’re going to love this post!
To/Too/Two : I think most people have two straight. However, I sometimes see to instead of too.
- To – This one is a preposition: I am going to the store.
- Too – This one is an adverb and has two meanings: (1) also and (2) to a large extent: I, too, ate too much. By the way, when too (meaning also) falls at the end of the sentence, you do not need a comma before it: I would like to go too.
- Two – The number after one: I have two sisters.
There/Their/They’re: I do see there and their mixed up sometimes. And maybe they’re and their, since those both refer to people.
- There – An adverb referring to a place: There is nothing there.
- Their – Another possessive pronoun like your (so theirs has no apostrophe): That is their house.
- They’re – And this one is the contraction meaning they are. All contractions have an apostrophe in place of missing letters: Do you know whether or not they’re coming with us?
Please share this post so everyone knows the differences among these words! Next week: More pet peeves?Maybe . . .
Just another little comment on misuse of “their” frequently heard (Eastend London):
“How do you react when you see a child hurt theirself?”
As far as I know, theirself is not a word! Half of it is plural and the other half singular. But then hisself isn’t a word either. I guess themselves would be appropriate there if one is using the singular they.
My little input to add to the bottom of your post:
They’ve left their documents there but I’m not sure if they’re theirs. Is there any reason they’re not theirs?
Good example! Thank you!
Arlene dear you are doing good work.I do appreciate it.I had one good openfriend by your name many years ago in SChenectady NY and a small girl kid named Melody as my little penpal too.I pray they are alive and happy!
Dr Sadasivan,India.
Thank you for the nice words!
New usage of they and their for gender neutral folks. That is how to refer to them. Not he or she. Just learned this recently.
I refuse to use the singular they. I have not come up upon a gender neutral person to use it with, as far as I know. I am waiting for the powers that be to come up wth a gender neutral singular.
I often hear people say “oftentimes.” I think that is redundant. It should be “often.”
Often means many times. To say oftentimes is like saying “many times times.”
Do you agree?
Yes, I do agree. Often is quite enough.
I wonder how you feel about Trump’s use of grammar? I think he is an embarrassment to this country, along with all the other things he’s not doing!!
Go to my website and search for Trump. You will find some blog posts I did: August 19, 2016, Nov. 11, 2016, and February 17, 2017 — and you will know the answer to your question!(I agree with you!)
You’ll have to pardon his speech. He just likes to talk BIGLY.
Not sure if I can pardon it. . .