It’s amazing to me the number of basic grammar and spelling mistakes I see made on a daily basis by high school students, college students and graduates. After so many years in school, you’d think that these people would be able to differentiate between “your” and “you’re,” but apparently, that just isn’t the case.

Confusing “their” “there” and “they're” reeks of laziness, a lack of education (no matter how many years you spent in school), and unprofessionalism. Finding a job after college is going to be tough enough—the last thing you need is to be turning potential employers away because you didn’t pay attention in middle school English.

If you’ve made it past the sixth grade and still can’t figure out which too/to/two you should be using, you might want to read on (and take notes), because I’m going to break down a number of far-too-common mistakes people make. Figure out how to correct these mistakes and you’ll instantly become a more credible, bearable human being.

1. You’re vs. Your

Let’s take a moment to review the two main reasons apostrophes are used: to indicate that letters are missing in that spot or to show ownership.

Here, we’re dealing with the first reason (to indicate that letters are missing). “You’re” is basically just short for “you are.” Do you see that the apostrophe is placed right where the letter “a” is removed? Example: “You’re (you are) the best.” Note: “You’re” is also sometimes used to say “you were.”

“Your,” on the other hand, is used when you are talking about something that belongs to someone or is part of them, so to speak. For example: “Your shirt (something that belongs to someone) is cool.” Or, “your hair is getting so long!”

So when you’re trying to decide which one to use, just remember: if you are trying to say “you are”, you can use “you’re”. Otherwise, use “your.”

2. To vs. Too vs. Two

“To” = let’s go to the store. Take me to the park.

“Too” = also; “I want to go, too!”

“Two” = the number 2.

3. Their vs. There vs. They’re

“Their” = belongs to them. “That’s their car!”

“There” = referring to a place. “That’s their car over there.” “I left my textbook over there on the table.”

“They’re” = Here, the apostrophe is being used to indicate that letters are being omitted, so “they’re” really just means “they are” or “they were”. Example: “They said they’re leaving around six tonight.”

4. Its vs. It’s

“Its” = showing ownership. “Its fur was so soft.”

“It’s” = Once again, the apostrophe here is being used to show that a letter was cut. “It’s” means “it is” or “it was”. Example: “It’s way too cold in my bedroom.”

5. Definitely vs. Defiantly

I don’t really understand how people confuse these two words, but I’m assuming it comes down to simply not knowing how to spell “definitely.”

“Definitely” is synonymous with “undoubtedly” and “certainly” and “for sure” and “absolutely.”

“Defiantly” means to defy someone/something, rebel, or to act badly.

Please, people. Please learn to spell "definitely."

6. Lets vs. Let’s

“Lets” = he/she allows something to happen. “She lets her daughter ride her bike around the park.”

“Let’s” = hey, what do you know—here’s that apostrophe thing again, and once again, it’s here to indicate that a letter isn’t there. “Let’s” = “let us”. Example: “Let’s go for a run tomorrow morning.”

7. Scared vs. Scarred

“Scared” = afraid.

“Scarred” = a literal or emotional scar.

8. A lot

“A lot” is not one word. It is two words. Far too many people say “alot” when they’re referring to a large amount of something. Two words, people.

Note: allot is a word, and it roughly means to designate something, and in this case, it is one word with two ‘l’s.

9. Lose vs. Loose

“Lose” = to lose a game, to lose money, to lose your shoe, to lose your car in the parking lot.

“Loose” = not snug. “I lost fifteen pounds and now my pants are loose.” “My little sister has a loose tooth.”

10. Affect vs. Effect

Ah, everyone’s favorite (not) confusing pair of words.

The simplest way to differentiate between “affect” and “effect” is this: “affect” usually serves as a verb, while “effect” is usually a noun. There are exceptions, but I’m trying to keep it basic here.

“Affect” is usually is the action, and “effect” is usually the result of that action.

Examples:

“Low temperatures can affect the number of students who go to class.”

“The supply of an item has an effect on its price.”

Also: “effects” is the word to use when you’re talking about a person’s “personal effects” aka the things a person owns.

Look, if you can’t get the hang of the affect/effect thing, I’m not going to judge you. It’s a tough one.