The most common grammatical mistakes people make revealed - how many are YOU guilty of?
GRAMMAR mistakes are one of the fastest ways of revealing a poor grasp of the English language - but how many are you making?
Grammar mistakes are evverywhere - how many are you making?
There are eleven common errors that people make, with homophones - words that sounds alike but are spelled differently - particularly tricky.
So how many of these mistakes do you make on a regular basis? Take a look and see.
‘Your’ vs. ‘You’re’
"Your" is a possessive pronoun, while "you're" is a contraction of "you are”.
Example One: You’re intelligent
Example Two: I would like some of your cake
‘It’s’ vs. ‘Its’
Normally, an apostrophe symbolises possession, as in, "I took the dog's bone." But because apostrophes also replace omitted letters — as in "don't" — the "it's" vs. "its" decision is tricky.
Example One: The cat ate its dinner
Example Two: It’s sunny
'Then' vs. 'Than'
"Then" conveys time, while "than" is used for comparison.
Example One: We had a drink and then went to the theatre
Example Two: We would rather stay here than go to another venue
Many people haven't thought about correct grammar since their school days
'There' vs. 'They're' vs. 'Their'
"There" is a location. "Their" is a possessive pronoun. And "they're" is a contraction of "they are."
Example One: The house is just over there
Example Two: This is their problem
Example Three: They’re starting to have issues with the man next door
'We're' vs. 'Were'
“We're" is a contraction of "we are" and "were" is the past tense of "are”.
Example One: We’re going to the cinema tonight
Example Two: They were going to cancel, but they thought better of it
'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
"Affect" is a verb and "effect" is a noun. There are, however, rare exceptions. For example, someone can "effect change" and "affect" can be a psychological symptom.
Example One: How did that affect you?
Example Two: What effect did that have on you?
'Two' vs. 'Too' vs. 'To'
Obviously, “two” is a number. "To" is a preposition. It's used to express motion, although often not literally, toward a person, place, or thing. And "too" is a synonym for "also”.
Example One: He moved to Scotland
Example Two: I’ve been on holiday there too
'Into' vs. 'In To'
"Into" is a preposition that indicates movement or transformation, while "in to," as two separate words, does not.
Example One: We drove the car into the garage
Example Two: I handed my essay in to the teacher
Writing out lines in a school notebook may the last time you tested your grammar
'Alot'
"Alot" isn't a word. This phrase is always two separate words: a lot.
'Who' vs. 'Whom'
Use who to refer to the subject of a sentence and whom to refer to the object of the verb or preposition. Shortcut: Remember that who does it to whom.
Example One: Who went into my room?
Example Two: Whom should I ask?
'Whose' vs. 'Who's'
Use "whose" to assign ownership to someone and "who's" as the contraction of "who is”.
Example One: Whose purse is on the table?
Example Two: Who’s going to be at the club tonight?