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Many of the most common grammatical errors are thoughtless mistakes. Because the words are homophones, you may not realize you’ve made the error. In proofreading, it is easy to miss the mistakes because the words you used wrongly sound similar to the correct word choice. Unfortunately, these slip-ups can erode your credibility. When common grammatical mistakes make their way into work documents, like cover letters or memos, you represent yourself as careless or, even, uneducated.
To avoid damaging your professional reputation, take the time to learn commonly confused words. Here are the most common:
Their vs. They’re vs. There
- “Their” is a possessive adjective; it designates third-person plural possession.
- “They’re” is a contraction of “they” and “are.” Thus, it is a noun and a verb.
- “There” is an adverb, which indicates a position, placement, or existence.
Here is an example sentence that uses the three words:
They’re going on vacation to their house in the mountains over there in North Carolina.
In the example, “they’re” signifies two of more people that are performing the action of the sentence. “Their” signifies those same people’s ownership of the vacation home in the mountains. “There” describes the location of the mountain home.
Its vs. It’s vs. Its’
- “Its” is a possessive adjective; it designates a previously mentioned thing’s ownership.
- “It’s” is a contraction of “it” and “is.” Thus, it is a noun and a verb.
- “Its’” is NOT a word, but is frequently used.
Here is an example sentence that uses the two words:
The gardener realized it’s too cold to garden because the frozen ground caused the metal of his spade to break off its handle.
In the example, “it’s” signifies that the weather (the subject easily identified by “it”) is what is “too cold.” “Its” lets the reader know that the handle belongs to the previously mentioned spade.
You’re vs. Your
- “You’re” is a contraction of “you” and “are.” Thus, it is a noun and a verb.
- “Your” is possessive adjective; it designates second-person ownership.
Here is an example sentence that uses the two words:
You’re going to need to clean your house before your family arrives for Christmas.
In the example, “you’re” is the subject and verb of the sentence and signifies that the statement is directed to an unknown “you.” “Your” signifies that this “you” owns the house that needs to be cleaned.
