In this age of social media, everyone has a voice. Unfortunately, I don’t listen to everyone’s voice because their poor use of basic grammar makes me scroll past their posts. I know that as a journalism major, I’m probably a bit more sensitive to grammatical mistakes – but seriously, most of the mistakes I see are things we learned in fourth grade. Here’s a refresher for those who need it, or for those who want to use this article as a passive aggressive reminder for your social media friends.
1. To - Too - Two
I have no idea why this concept is hard to grasp but, for some reason, people seem to think these words are interchangeable. They’re (they are) not. To is typically a preposition (used before a noun) or as an infinitive (before a verb). If English class wasn’t your thing, that’s okay. You really don’t need to fully understand prepositions and infinitives to use “to” correctly.
I am going to the game. I went to class. These are examples of “to” used as a preposition. Here is an example of it as an infinitive: I want to play tennis.
If you’re (you are) confused, let me explain the other two – that might help you to understand.
Two. It’s a number, so that should be self-explanatory. Use this when you are referring to more than one, but less than three, of something. Also, a little side note: if you are typing about two of something (two people, two doughnuts, etc.), you actually need to type out the word “two”. Any number less than ten should always be spelled out. Example: I had 12 doughnuts. I ate nine of them; therefore I have three left.
Too. This can EITHER mean “also” or it can be used to emphasize excess.
I like your dress, and I really like your shoes, too! (also)
It was too cold to go swimming today. (excessively cold)
2. Your - You're
The same rules apply for “your” and “you’re”. "Your" is possessive; "you’re" is a contraction. It’s a short version of “you are”. Put on your jacket or else you’re going to freeze to death.
3. Lose – Loose
I’m going to be brief here simply because this shouldn’t even be a grammatical issue.
You lose your keys. Or you might lose your mind. Lose is a verb. But loose is an adjective. It describes something – like a kid’s tooth. Here’s the difference:
Her loose tooth fell out when she bit the apple.
She is going to lose her tooth if she bites the apple.
Oh, and another side note: When someone loses a family member, you don’t say, “I’m sorry for your lost.” It’s “loss”. You’re sorry for their loss.
4. There - Their - They're
Look over there. Their house is on fire. They’re going to have to buy a new house. Remember this: “They’re” is “they are”. If you are trying to communicate that they are doing something, you use “they’re”. This is called a contraction. If you want to communicate that something belongs to “them” or “those people”, you use “their”. Their car is fast. Their kids are loud. If it belongs to them, it’s theirs. If what you’re trying to express doesn’t fit into either of these categories, then “there” is likely the correct choice to use. So there is a brief explanation of these words.
So, there is your brief, basic grammar lesson for this week. I don’t want to overwhelm anyone with too much information, so I’ll save “accept” and “except” for another article – along with punctuation rules. In the meantime, just know that if you’re using these words incorrectly too frequently, you’re probably making your friends lose their minds.
