Well, as some of the internet connoisseurs may know, I'm talking of the Grammar Nazi. That authoritarian alter ego whose eyes burn at the most basic (yet atrocious) spelling and grammar mistakes.
- You're and Your - This one annoys the hell out of me because the rule is so simple to remember! If internet users stopped for one or two precious seconds and thought about it, the world would be happier. To clarify:
- You're - You are. For example, "You're making a fool of yourself by confusing "you're" and "your"."
- Your - 2nd person possessive pronoun. For example, "Your grip of the English language is appalling".
- It's and Its - Again, another one with an easy to remember rule. I know sometimes laziness in looking for that precious apostrophe, especially in text messaging, can account for mistakes here. To clarify:
- It's - It is. For example, "It's really easy to find the apostrophe!"
- Its - 3rd person singular possessive pronoun for neither he or she. For example, "The keyboard loved its apostrophe key".
- There and Their - Some people argue that this can be classed as a typo. But if you look at the keyboard, it can be seen that the keys are quite far apart; thus proving it's more likely to be the result of carelessness. To clarify:
- There - Some place not close to here. For example, "In that blog they talk about spelling and grammar; I want to go there."
- Their - 3rd person plural possessive pronoun. For example, "They are English teachers; their grammar is fantasic."
The Polyopinonist
