Whether you are browsing Internet forums, reading a novel or simply walking through a shopping mall, you are surrounded by grammar and spelling. Yet despite our exposure to grammar on a daily basis, there are some common grammatical errors which most people still end
Whether you are browsing Internet forums, reading a novel or simply walking through a shopping mall, you are surrounded by grammar and spelling. Yet despite our exposure to grammar on a daily basis, there are some common grammatical errors which most people still end up making. From mixing up your and you’re, or using the incorrect ‘there’, grammar is a constant battle for some people.
Here are the top 10 grammatical errors which almost everyone makes!
1. Does grammar affect your life, or effect it?
The difference between affect and effect is something which a lot of adults still do not understand. It has to be noted that they are not simply interchangeable, and the meaning of the sentence could well change depending on which word you use. The verb is affect – the process of affecting something. The verb will then have an effect on something – the noun. Therefore, your ability to use correct grammar may affect your chances of getting a job, which in in turn have an effect on your ability to pay rent.
2. So, how many errors are there in your sentence? Or is that they’re? Their?
Although this is quite a simple rule to understand, people are constantly getting the difference between there, their and they’re wrong. Quite simply, their is used for possession: “The couple watched their children playing”. They’re, on the other hand, is a contraction of “they” and “are” – “They’re watching their children play.” There is commonly used to describe a place, so “They’re watching their children play over there.”
3. Does your grammar need fixing?
This is quite possibly the most common error used on the Internet. “Your” is used for possession: “Can I eat your apple?” You’re, however, is once again a contraction (hence the apostrophe!) – “you” and “are” make up you’re. Although it may be quite common, it really isn’t very hard to fix if you take your time to re-read your sentence!
4. It’s a little harder
There are certain rules of grammar which need to be ignored in certain circumstances, and it’s/its is one of these times. The rule is that when you are denoting possession, you use an apostrophe – “the dog’s bone was taken away” for example. But you would not use “it’s bone was taken away”, as you may think. It’s is one used to contract it is or it has. “It’s been snowing again!” would be correct, as the sentence would be “It has been snowing again!” without the contraction.
5. You don’t want to lose!
Lose or loose? All you have to do is think about what the word sounds like – you lose a game, whereas your pants may be a little loose. The