4 Common Grammatical Errors to Avoid

To have your work look as professional as possible, here are some things to watch out for when writing:

1. It's vs. Its

This is a common error that is very easy to avoid, as long as you think about what you want

to say. "It's" is a contraction of "it is" or "it has." "Its" is a possessive pronoun. There's an

easy way to remember the difference. Say the sentence out loud using "it is" instead of

"it's/its." If it makes sense, "it's" is the correct choice.

2. Your vs. You're

If you think about what you are trying to say, you will have no problem deciding which one to

use. "Your" is a possessive pronoun, and "you're" is a contraction for "you are." Again, try

reading your sentence with "you are." If it makes sense, that is the correct choice.

3. There vs. Their vs. They're

"There" is often used as a reference to a place, or occasionally as a pronoun. "Their" is a plural

possessive pronoun. "They're" is a contraction for "They are." For example: Let's go there.

There is no hope. Their bags are on the floor. They're going on a trip.

4. Affect vs. Effect

This is one that causes problems for many people. I even have to stop and think about it at

times. "Affect" is a verb, as in "The rain affected the farmer's ability to plant corn." "Effect" is

a noun, as in "The special effects in the movie were outstanding." An easy way to remember

this is that Affect = Action.