Do you suffer from “spelling amnesia?” We all learned spelling and grammar rules way back when, but with the casualness, speed and frequency of writing on websites, blogs and for ezines, more and more of us are missing more and more spelling and grammar mistakes.
Mistakes we could never allow ourselves to make in print media, which seem so much more permanent.
And the thing is... there are still enough folks around who do know the right spellings and it can make us look less credible if we don’t appear to be familiar with the language in which we’re writing.
So... if proofreading isn’t your thing, this 8-part tutorial offers a quick reference guide for those times when a word doesn’t look right, or you’re not sure you remember the rule.
(1) Their, There or They’re
For most of us, it has probably been a few years since we had all those grammar and spelling lessons drummed into our heads.
I before E
Except after C.
Believe, perceive, relief, receipt – we remember this spelling rule because of the catchy jingle that comes with it.
In English, of course, there are many exceptions to the rules. And sometimes, there’s more to the rule! I don’t remember hearing the “or when sounded as A” part when I was learning this in elementary school:
I before E
Except after C
Or when sounded as A
As in neighbor and weigh…
(and “their” as it turns out).
A few other exceptions are: foreign, height, leisure, weird, neither. See page 137 of “The Elements of Grammar” for more exceptions to this rule.
“Their” is a possessive, third person, plural adjective relating to “something belonging to them” – as in: their house, their political party, their stupid rules of grammar – and the entities involved have been named earlier, so it’s implied that you know who or what they are. What is being pointed out now is the house, party or rules “owned” by “them.” You can just as easily be talking about daffodils, with “their” flowers shimmering in the sun.
“There” has a few meanings. It can mean a physical place: over there, go there – or it can mean a virtual place: stop right there before you say something you’ll regret.
Sometimes “there” is used to express satisfaction, sympathy or even defiance:
There, it’s finished!
There, there, you’ll soon feel better.
There! You do it!
And “there” is frequently used to introduce a sentence or clause: “There comes a time…”
“Hi there” and “you, there” are sometimes used when we don’t remember someone’s name right away.
To confuse the issue even more, there’s a third usage that sounds the same but is spelled differently – “they’re.” Here the apostrophe indicates a missing letter. “They’re” is an abbreviation for “they are” – as in “they’re coming” or “they’re not so big.”
***Watch for 7 more spelling and grammar tips.***