EDITOR’S NOTE: Regular readers of OK WASSUP! have likely seen this posting before — and you’ll see it as many times as it takes for more of us to be educated on how much we misuse the English language.
OK folks! We’ve all been guilty of misspelling a word or two here or there. But some of us grown adults consistently don’t know how to properly use certain words within the English language. And with poor spelling habits and the shortening of words when sending a text, this is becoming pitiful. So, it’s time for the OK WASSUP! ENGLISH LESSON.
Just because some words sound alike, don’t mean you can freely use them in any capacity you want. For example, the words “Know” and “No” both sound alike, yet they each have VERY different meanings. So it would be totally improper to write “Tell me Yes or KNOW,” or “I don’t NO what you mean.” FAIL!
So for those of you who used your junior high English class as nap time, here’s a quick refresher course to right your wrongs:
YOU’RE: This is a contraction, used in place of saying “You are.”
Correct Example: “YOU’RE very clumsy.”
YOUR: This is a possessive adjective, used to denote belonging to.
Correct Example: “You dropped YOUR glove.”
Wrong Usage: “YOUR very clumsy, because you keep dropping YOU’RE glove.
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Right Usage: “YOU’RE (You are) very clumsy, because you keep dropping YOUR glove.”
THEY’RE: This is a contraction, used in place of saying “They are.”
Correct Example: “I think THEY’RE all going.”
THERE: This is an adverb, used to describe a place.
Correct Example: “Go over THERE.”
THEIR: This is a possessive adjective, used to denote belonging to.
Correct Example: “This is THEIR school.”
TWO: This is a number.
Correct Example: “I have TWO children.”
TOO: This is an adverb, used to describe something in abundance.
Correct Example: “The temperature is TOO cold outside.”
TO: Is traditionally used to describe direction.
Correct Example: “Let’s go TO the ice skating rink.”
Wrong Example: “My TOO children think it’s TO cold outside TWO go ice skating.”
HEAR: Relates to sound.
Correct Example: “I HEAR a burglar.”
HERE: This is an adverb, used to denote a place.
Correct Example: “Honey, come HERE.”
Wrong Example: “Honey, come HEAR. I think I HERE a burglar.”
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Right Example: “Honey, come HERE. I think I HEAR a burglar.”
Can you think of other examples of misuse of the English language?
Whoops. I think I'm guilty of this sometimes. But it's being lazy typing is all. I do use 'your' instead of 'you're' so you got me on that. Thanks for the tips.