Fix Youre Grammar!

It’s time for you to learn how to use that contraction. Its use is not difficult to understand if you THINK before you write or type. See? I just did it.

  It's – It's is a contraction of it is or it has.

“Do you think it's okay for you to talk to me that way?”

“I read your short story and it’s terrible.”

“It’s been great knowing you, but I’m done now.”

“It's been a long time since we…nevermind.”

  Its – Its is the possessive form of it.

“I think the first Godfather movie was better than its two sequels.”

“This stove has its own timer, so stop counting.”

“Nice baby. What is its name?”

“Return my ping pong paddle to its proper place, please.

Some may consider the following article about workplace grammar and illiteracy to be "lengthy." The irony alone should motivate you to read it.

This Embarrasses You and I*

I know, I know. The difference is really hard to remember. It might be a simple mistake, but take a second and think about what you wrote! As I always ask my second graders, "Does that make sense?" Here are some tips and tricks to help you get educated!

your

[yoor, yawr, yohr; unstressed yer]

"Your" is the possessive form of you. That means that whatever word comes after "your" is owned by you.

Your car is very clean. The bathroom is down the hall to your left. You have to water your plants to help them grow. 

you're

[yoor; unstressed yer] 

"You're" is a contraction. That means that the apostrophe is combining two words. If you can substitute "you are" in the sentence, then you should use the form of "you're" when you write it.