OK, so I’ve never actually seen “yore” used inappropriately. But I’ve rarely seen it used appropriately, either. If the word was just a smidge more common, I’m sure it would be right there in the mixup pile.
For the record, yore is an Old English term meaning a long time ago. Now we’ll move on to our real lesson.
Today’s lesson: when to use your and when to use you’re.
Confusing these two words is so common as to be of epic, national tragedy proportions. Fortunately, it’s one of the simplest grammar blunders to correct.
Your means belonging to the person being spoken to.
You’re is a contraction of you are.
When you need to use either your or you’re and aren’t sure which to use, replace the uncertain term with the words “you are.” If the resulting sentence makes sense, go with “you’re.” If not, use “your.”
If you don’t hurry, [you are] going to be late.
If you don’t hurry, you’re going to be late.
[Not, “If you don’t hurry, your going to be late.”]
Did you forget [you are] coat?
Did you forget your coat?
[Not, “Did you forget you’re coat.”]
Simple, right? Now go back to blogging and don’t let me see that mistake again!
I see this mistake all the time. But I just think they are morons.
I make this mistake all the time, even though I actually do know the difference. I even sometimes mix up “know” and “no” when I write. 🙁
You and me, both. Or is it “you and I, both”? 😉
Well, there’s always that!
Their you go. Some people really just can’t get there grammar straight.
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LOL, my next entry, coming up! 🙂 Thanks for dropping by papalogic!
This is hilarious!!!
You should post more about grammar but to tell you the truth those who write like this don’t write for humans but for the machines!!! :O)
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Oh, if only that were true, John!!!
Last night my husband and I were on a drive, singing at the tops of our lungs (yes, we do that on occasion) and there were the lyrics:
Choke me! And, for the record, I bet it was written “their.” :0
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This one gets me all of the time, Alison. I’m pretty good about catching these before I publish a post, but they slip through in my comments.
I think part of the reason is that I’m paying less attention to grammar when I comment, and I tend to write with more of a stream of consciousness style when leaving a comment.
Another reason is that some comment boxes are so small it’s hard to go back and look for grammatical errors. Once I hit submit, and am able to see the whole comment, the mistake usually jumps out at me.
I wonder why our brains mix these two up so often? I feel sorry for those who’s primary language isn’t English.
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True, but I find that most people who learn English as as second language are really better at English grammar than most native speakers. At least those who are fluent. Thanks for your input.
Hey Alison I totally mess this one up STILL! LOL But continue to “try” to get better. Thanks for clarifying in this article.
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Darren, we all do sometimes. Knowing the rules can help, though. Thanks for your comment. 🙂
Have you seen the Oatmeal poster on this topic? I laughed out loud! I swear, if his language wasn’t that foul I would place that poster right into my kid’s room.
You’re 🙂 right! I hate those common mistakes. Are we getting more and more illiterate?
I see this error quite often. A common mistake for writers. I’ve seen bloggers who commit this mistake. I don’t think that it’s an issue with grammar though but on carelessness more likely. That’s why it pays to proofread.
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