|
GRAMMAR

"I
never made a mistake in grammar but once in my life and as soon as
I done it I seen it."~Carl Sandburg |
| Plurals/Possessives
An "s"
on the end of a word can do two things: make a noun plural or
possessive. A plural indicates there is more than one thing
(apple/apples). A possessive indicates ownership, that something
belongs to someone (Jane's dog). The apostrophe (') makes it a
possessive, not a plural. This may seem basic, but people get their
plurals and possessives confused all the time.
|
It's
Super Confusing!!!
It's and its
drives everyone crazy because it's seems to be the exception to the
possessive rule. If Mary's dress means the dress belongs to Mary and
John's car means the car belongs to John, then shouldn't it's toy
mean the toy belongs to it? Well, it doesn't. It's stands for the
contraction it is.
It's (with an apostrophe) means IT IS.
Its (with no apostrophe) means BELONGS TO.
Tip: Every
time you see the apostrophe, say it is out loud to yourself and you
will always get this right.
Here's another
helpful way to think about this problem: his, hers, theirs and its
are all possessives with no apostrophe. In that way its doesn't
really break the possessive rule, it follows it.
|
| Apostrophes
(')
Apostrophes can be
confusing because they do more than one thing. They indicate
possession (see above) but they also indicate contractions, like
isn't, you'll, wouldn't. In contractions, the apostrophe stands for
the missing letters (you will becomes you'll, leaving out the w and
the i).
|
So
There!
There are three theirs, and they're:
There: Place: Put it there.
Their: Possession: Their house.
They're: A contraction that means they are.
|
| Your/You're
Your means
something belongs to you: your glasses.
You're means you are.
People always
confuse these two. They write, Your the best!
But that's not correct. To mean you are, you're must have the
apostrophe.
|
The
Terrible Twos
Two is a number
Too means also
To is the preposition that indicates transfer or direction as in
"give it to Jim", or "I'm going to the store."
|
| |
|
Back to Miss
DeFilippo's Homepage
|