Your vs. You're
Your and you're are often used incorrectly in the English language. In fact, if you keep a close watch, you will probably see them used incorrectly in advertisements quite frequently. These two words are easily understood and distinguished, so when you see them used incorrectly, know that the person has never learned the difference, or is just too lazy to think carefully about which to use. You're not lazy, and your grammatical knowledge can be improved by reading this short explanation of the difference between these two words.
Your is a possessive pronoun that refers to something belonging to you. It shows ownership.
1. Is that your jacket?
2. Your shoes are untied, Sarah.
3. Terrence, I was very impressed with your book report on the book you read about dinosaurs.
4. I really like your little sister, but does she have to play with us all of the time?
You're is a contraction made from the phrase "you are." You would use this contraction any time you mean "you are."
1. You're my best friend, and I really hope we are going to be in the same class again next year.
2. I hate to tell you this, but you're really hurting my feelings every time you laugh at my glasses.
3. Ben, you're really good at baseball, so could you help me learn to bat a little better?
4. I think you're very sleepy-it's been a long day!
See-these two words are very easy to tell apart! Their meanings are very different, and they are used in very different ways. The trouble comes because they are homophones-words that sound alike but mean different things. All it takes is a little effort to think about which one you need to complete your thoughts. You're up for the challenge!
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