New Year, same struggles

Happy New Year and shit.

 

Yes I’m aware that I’m about 2 weeks late, but my view is, as long as people are still struggling with writing “2013” when writing the date, then the year is still “new.” Beyond that, I can do what I want, so happy New Year dammit.

Writing is actually the subject of this post. @VeePharmD tweeted “The You're ... Your ... Struggle Is Alive!” and you know what?  She’s absolutely right.  With this being a new year, and with 35% of the world with access to the internet you would think that we are getting smarter.  However I would venture to say that the opposite is actually happening.  Since that statement can be debated and discussed for years, I’m not going to delve into that with this post.  What I do want to discuss is the fact that many internet users in this country lack a basic command of the English language. 

I am well aware that American English is, indeed, a bastardized language, with a whole heap of loose rules that are difficult to understand and hard to follow.  However, some of us have managed to get a handle on this daunting task with relative ease.  Maybe it’s because I had amazing English teachers in high school.  Maybe it’s because my best friend is someone that I refer to as “The Grammar Nazi.”  Maybe it’s because I’m some kind of genius.  Maybe it’s because I’m just plain awesome.  Whatever the case, I plan to share my knowledge with you all.  So, here we go:

Your vs. You’re

Your: This word shows possession.  Example: This is your computer.  See how YOU own the computer?

You’re: This is a contraction, and the shortened form of the phrase “you are.”  Example: You’re an idiot.  Get it?

Now that we’ve gotten that straight, let’s move on to a few more grammatical gaffs that chap my hide…

There vs. Their vs. They’re

There: In, at, or to a specific position or place. Example: The idiots are over there. OR The idiots stayed there for years.

Their: Another possession word folks.  Example: I saw the idiots using their computer. Who does the computer belong to?  That’s right, the idiots!  You’re catching on now. (See what I did there?)

They’re: Again, this is a contraction. It’s short for the phrase “they are.” Example: They’re all a bunch of idiots.

Whose vs. Who’s

Whose: Belonging to which person (possession). Example: Whose idiot is this? OR I saw an idiot yesterday, and wondered whose it was.

Who’s: Yet another contraction. Short for the phrase “who is.” Example: Who’s this idiot?

There’s a whole heap of others that really annoy me (hole vs. whole, hear vs. here, etc.), but honestly, I’m tired of typing.  So, I hope this post educates at least one person, although I’m sure it won’t.  So in reality I hope it at least managed to entertain those of you out there that are just as annoyed by these things as I am.  Here's to the New Year folks!

-Lost1