In my many years as a journalist and editor for several sites, I have noticed the same mistakes made time and time again. If you don’t think these mistakes don’t have an effect on your credibility as a writer, stop reading this and find another profession.
Okay, NOW we can talk about something that turns me off as soon as I see it – improper use of contractions, possessive pronouns, adverbs and misspellings. And as I don’t want to write a friggin NOVEL, I’m gonna try to hash this out as concisely as possible…because I love you and want you to succeed in your chosen craft without boring you to death.
Let’s begin.
There, they’re, their:
They’re is a contraction of “they are”
“Just talked to Rudy and Casey; they’re gonna hit Pinkberry and want us to meet up with them!”
Their (derived from the word “they”) is a possessive pronoun (meaning it always describes a noun)
“Nick and Chris said their dog won’t stop farting”
There is an adverb that describes location
ex: Just put that scale model of the TARDIS over there, please”
You’re, your, your:
The three that bear the most confusion has to be “you’re, your, your” but I’ll try my best to explain it!
You’re – contraction of “you are”
“Hey, I hear you’re going on a date with Nathan Fillion!” OR “You’re a bit shy today, what’s going on?”
Your can be used to describe something that belongs to you…
“Is this yours?”
…or in relation to you
“With your being in a position of power, what’s your next move?” OR “With your having high blood pressure, will your dad coming to visit kill you?” OR “With your history with Nathan Fillion, would you say he’s a good kisser?”
To, too, two:
Ah, the other bane of existence is not knowing the difference between these three!
To can be used two different ways – as either a preposition to a noun…
“I’m going to hell, I just know it”
…or indicate an infinitive preceding a verb
“I want to eat my weight in gummi bears.”
Too also has two uses – a synonym for the word “also”…
“You wanna eat your weight in gummi bears?! ME TOO!”
…or meaning “excessive” when preceding an adjective or adverb
“Oof, I ate too many gummi bears.”
Two means the number two.
“I swear that kid just ate two pounds of gummi bears in the span of five minutes.”
And finally, It’s vs its
Another slippery slope comes courtesy of it’s and its, even I have trouble on this one at times!
It’s is short for “it is” or “it has”
“Man, it’s really cold out today!”
Its is the possessive form of “it”
“Having run its course, Meg’s fever finally broke and she was able to go back to school.”
USED TOGETHER
“To empty its stomach contents, a frog throws up its stomach first, so the stomach is dangling out of its mouth. Then the frog uses its forearms to dig out all of the stomach’s contents and then swallows the stomach back down again. It’s gross and fascinating to watch”
OKAY! I hope I’ve cleared a few things up for you and for the record, I have made these mistakes as well but too many of these mistakes can be detrimental to your career…so always be diligent and don’t be afraid to consult your spellcheck!
Good luck, darlings!
NOTE: I would’ve covered “affect vs effect” but admittedly still have trouble with that one – if you’re in the know, feel free to leave it in the comments below!