Tiny Trick: Your vs. You’re

Tiny Tricks Series — Your vs. You’re

The difference between your and you’re can be challenging. So challenging that even my phone gets it wrong sometimes. But the trick to getting this figured out is so very simple. . . Just slow down.

If you slow down and think it through, I think you will find that this is simple and eventually easy. And over time you will become quicker and more adept and the thinking part will become more natural. 

---

---

Your vs You’re

There are so many rules in the English language that it is intimidating — even for a native speaker. This is true in any language but English is such a vast mixture of different languages that we have an absurd number of irregularities and rules. So your versus you’re might seem to be complex and confusing. 

But if you try to break each sentence down, you will see that sometimes your can’t be broken down. 

Your welcoming smile made my day. 

You’re welcome to come in for a cup of tea. 

Your ideas inspire me. 

You’re full of inspiring stories. 

Break it down: “you are welcoming smile made my day?” This just doesn’t say what it means. But “you are welcome to come in for a cup of tea,” now that makes sense. 

---

Its vs It’s

The trick for its vs. it’s is exactly the same. Just slow down and think the word through. 

My computer is a beautiful beast, its motherboard and processor are stout and it will soon get an eternal hard drive. 

It’s almost time for that new hard drive. 

It’s a beautiful day. 

The day, its beauty fills me with joy. 

If you slow this down you can see that “it is a beautiful day“ says exactly what it means but you would not say “the day, it is beauty fills me with joy” because it doesn’t mean what it says. 

---

So just slow down and think it through and let me know if my tiny trick helps. 

If this still doesn’t gel in your mind – do not worry, just come back and review this later. 

{Now I only wish there were such an easy trick to learning how to spell. 🙂 I am fifty (plus one) years old and a native English speaker and I still don’t quite know how to spell.}

---

Are their other English-language oddities that could be illuminated? Just let me know.

---