3. Homophones
________________
English can be tricky. It’s full of homophones—words that are pronounced the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. This section is dedicated to the most commonly mistaken homophones, including:
– there / their / they’re
– your / you’re
– to / too / two
– its / it’s
________________________________________________
There, Their, and They’re
For those of you who struggle with differentiating between there, their, and they’re, let me break it down as simply as possible:
1. There
“There” is an adverb that refers to a position. You should use this when mentioning a location or place.
Example: “I’m going over there.”
Example: “There they are!”
___
2. Their
“Their” is the possessive form of “they.” It almost always comes before a noun.
Example: “Their lizard escaped last night.”
Example: “Their house is huge.”
Note: A lot of people insist that you should not use “their” as a replacement for “his or her” if you’re unsure of the gender you’re referring to. Usually I agree with this rule, although this usage of “their” has become very common in informal speech.
___
3. They’re
“They’re” is simply a contraction of “they are”; the apostrophe substitutes the ‘a.’
Example: “They’re going to the movies.”
Example: “They’re eating cookies.”
___
So, to summarise: “They’re going over there to catch their lizard.”
________________________________________________
Your and You’re
When it comes to your and you’re, most errors can be attributed to carelessness, but if you’re confused between these two words, maybe this will help:
1. Your
“Your” is also a possessive adjective, which means that this word always comes before something that belongs to you.
Example: "Your hair is on fire!"
Example: "Is that your car?"
___
2. You’re
“You’re” is a contraction of “you are,” which means that you will be able to expand it to “you are” in your sentence, and it will still make sense.
Example: "You’re awesome."
Example: "I don’t know where you’re going."
___
Summary: “You’re not leaving the table until you eat your peas and carrots.”
________________________________________________
To, Too, and Two
While “two” isn’t confused very often, the others are interchanged frequently. If you’re unsure of which word to use, this might help:
1. To
“To” is either used as part of an infinitive, or to show direction.
Example: "She wants to be an actress." (The infinitive is “to be.”)
Example: "He is going to the store."
___
2. Too
“Too” can mean “in excess,” but it can also be synonymous with “also.”
Example: "I drank too much last night."
Example: "Are you coming, too?"
___
3. Two
“Two” is the number 2. When using numbers in your writing, you should usually write out the word as opposed to leaving it as a number, particularly if it comes at the beginning of the sentence.
Example: "I have two cats."
Example: "Two people were in an accident last night."
___
Summary: “I need to buy two shirts from the store, too.”
________________________________________________
Its and It’s
Out of all of the other homophones, mistakes with its and it’s probably occur the most often. Let’s keep this simple:
1. Its
Like their and your, “its” is possessive. It is the neutral version of “his” or “her.”
Example: "The dog chased its tail."
Example: "The lion stalked its prey."
___
2. It’s
“It’s” is a contraction of either “it is” or “it has.”
Example: "It’s storming outside."
Example: "It’s been months since I’ve gone skiing."
___
Summary: “It’s going to attack its prey any moment now.”
________________________________________________
I hope this chapter has been helpful if you’ve been struggling with homophones. If there are any others that you think I should include, feel free to mention them in the comments. And as always, feel free to point out any errors – thanks!
YOU ARE READING
Writing & Editing: A Self-Editor's Handbook
Non-FictionThis is a collection of commonly misused grammar, punctuation, spelling and syntax rules with simple explanations, as well as various tips to help you improve the overall quality of your writing. ...
