Ambrose2007 wrote:Please don't hate me, but I've been noticing certain kinds of very basic grammatical errors cropping up again and again, and thought that since verbal communication is the mainstay here that it might be worthwhile to address some of these "miscommunications." I'm not going to get into any technical grammar issues or terms , but will instead attempt to explain in very basic everyday language how to avoid these mistakes.
Your and You're
Your is used to denote possession. Examples: Your eyes are beautiful, BEB. Your legs are exceptionally long, Uli. Your face could launch the a thousand Greek ships, Athens. Your body is slim, Dana. Your humor is contagious and possibly diaphragmatically dangerous, Claire. Your weather in CA makes me jealous, Heart-Lease. Etc.
You're = Your Are
You're is a contraction of the words "You are." You're a wonderful cook, Grammar Girl. You're a spunky and photogenic girl, Alison. You're incorrigible, JB. You're sweet and beguiling, Riya. You're spunkily brilliant, Rock. You're a wonderful adoptive daughter, Angel. Etc.It's and Its
It's is a contraction of "It is." CS - it's [it is] a wonderful place to meet new friends and make new conquests of unsuspecting women/men. It's really cold out here today. It's a beautiful day, isn't it. "It's," in other words, is the equivalent of "You're" above.
"Its" is the possessive form of "it." It's equivalent to "Your" above. We know its place in the universe. I love its delicate aroma. Note that if you wrote "it's" in these two examples, you'd be saying "We know it's [it is] place in the universe," or "I love it's [it is] delicate aroma," neither of which would make a lick of sense and might make your mouth pucker uncomfortably.To and Too
"Too" either means "also" or "excessive." Use it when you want to say also, for example: "I think you're hot, too, Arabella (or, alternatively, for the excessive meaning, "You're too hot, Arabella)." "I wish you could come with me, too,." Almost every mistake I've seen involves using "to" to mean "also."
"To" is a word that points to something (just as it did in this sentence). "I would love to see everyone on CS use to instead of too, such as in this sentence."
Apostrophes are not the plural form of a word
Placing an apostrophe after a word before an "s" as in "Cave's" renders the word into a possessive form (or, alternatively and less formally, adds an "is" to the word). "Cave's" does not mean numerous caves, but rather could mean: "The cave's deep in the mountain" or "The cave's depths are beyond measure."
When you want to make a word plural, don't add an apostrophe to its end - simply add an "s." (Sometimes the word requires an "es" or other variations, but generally you'll be okay with just an "s".)
Commas
A too-complex subject for this tiny meditation, but one simple change from certain practitioners of run-on sentences here would help clarify their writing: place a space after every comma! For example: "I gave Irishlass advice, words of wisdom, a smile, and congratulations on her sunglasses," as opposed to, "I gave Irishlass advice,words of wisdom,a smile,and congratulations...." The former is so much easier to read, isn't it? Commas without a space can easily be mistaken for occurring in the middle of a word.
A Lot versus ALot
A Lot = two separate words.
Anyhow, I've freshly applied sunscreen in defense of any flaming that may follow...
Jeff
Hey...