I am a Grammar Nazi. I fully admit it. This article is a PSA to all Grammar Criminals who carelessly break rules that are so easy to follow. You're about to learn the things that drive us crazy, and how you can avoid them.
1. You're vs. Your
Okay: if you take ONE THING out of this article, please let it be this one because this is by far the ABSOLUTE WORST. Please. I'm begging you.
If I am scrolling down my Facebook feed and I see ONE MORE COMMENT that says, "I like you're hair!" I will probably smash my head into a wall. I like you are hair? How can you like I am hair? It just doesn't make sense. YOU'RE is a contraction. Just like:
-Can't (can not)
-Won't (will not)
-Doesn't (does not)
-I'm (I am)
The list could go on and on. YOU'RE = YOU ARE.
YOUR = POSSESSION. It is yours.
Your hair. Your face. Your house. Your eyes. Your terrible grammar.
I'm begging you. Figure it out.
2. They're vs. Their vs. There
Okay. I'll calm down a little now. But this one still makes me mad.
Just like "you're," they're is a contraction. They're = they are.
Contractions, people. We learned them in second grade.
Anyways... their shows possession, just like your.
Their hair. Their faces. Their houses. Their eyes. Their terrible grammar.
There, on the other hand, indicates a place.
"Look over there! It's that grammar freak who always corrects everyone!"
3. To vs. Too vs. Two
"Me to" is not a thing. You to what? You to the store?
The proper way of fixing this monstrosity is "me too." Too = also, as well, very (as in too much), etc.
To is a preposition. I go to the store.
And if you are spelling two wrong, you're a lost hope.
Hint: it comes before three but after one
4. Then vs. Than
*Shudder* Okay. This one is pretty simple— than is used to make comparisons (I'm better than you) and then is used to show time (and then I went to bed).
5. Semicolons
When I was in middle school I thought semicolons were just a way of adding style to my sentence. My Facebook statuses would be like:
beddd; schoooool; homee. texxxt? <3 :]
But guys... I was in middle school. Middle schoolers are oblivious to life anyways. We can't be stuck in that semicolon-misusing stage of our lives forever.
So, in simple terms: semicolons should only be used when the two sides of the semicolon could stand alone as their own sentence. Don't use a semicolon instead of a comma. Commas don't appreciate being replaced. And Grammar Nazis don't appreciate this disaster either. Don't be like this guy. ↓
6. Me vs. I
If you wouldn't say "This is a photo of I," then don't say "This is a photo of my friend and I." You sound like you're trying to be sophisticated and grammatically correct but you're not. You can say "My friend and I took a photo" because "I" is the subject. I promise, it's not as complicated as you're making it out to be.
7. $
I don't even know if this is considered a grammatical error, but either way, it's annoying. THE DOLLAR SIGN GOES BEFORE THE NUMBER, PEOPLE. You don't have "100$." If you have $100 and you write it with the dollar sign after the number, you don't deserve that $100. Give it to someone who writes it correctly and deserves it. I don't know where you got that rule, but that has never been a thing. Ever.
8. It's vs Its
Confession: I used to make this error all the time, so I can't really judge people who mess this up. Just for future reference, it's = it is (contraction again!) and its = belonging to it.
You are now a sophisticated individual.
