Your/You're:
Your - possesive - used to show ownership - ex: Your dog is peeing on my leg. Your grammar sucks.
You're - contraction - used to say "you are" while sounding cool and street like - ex: You're never going to get with that chick. You're terrible at grammar.
Their/There/They're
Their - possessive - used to show ownership for a group of people/animals/objects - ex: You see those people, their dog likes to hump your leg.
There - place - used to describe a location - I left my towel over there. The post office has stamps; you can buy them there.
They're - contraction - used to say "they are" also via slang - ex: They're going to the club without you. They're going to have more fun than you.
Its/It's
Its - possessive - used to show ownership for an individual/object - ex: Its tail keeps hitting me in the face. Its grammar sucks.
It's - contraction - used to say "it is" in a gangster way - ex: It's gonna blow! I just passed gas so it's gonna smell in here.
Breathe/Breath
Breathe - verb - the act of inhaling and exhaling. 99% of this is done with air.
Breath - noun - a single inhale.
**To breathe is to take and release several breaths**
Examples from Gbruin (5/15/20):
Breathe - verb, to inhale and exhale (breethe) "Breathe the free air again, my friend." Gandlaf to Theoden
Breath - noun, the air taken into and out of the lungs (breth) "It's the deep breath before the plunge." Gandalf to Pippin
To/Too/Two
To - somethingorother - I don't know how to describe this. It's like the word "be". If you don't know what it is, you obviously can't read this in the first place.
Too - preposition - used to say "also" or "as well"
Two - it's a number you fucking moron
Phrasing lesson #1:
Couldn't care less/Could care less
"Couldn't care less" indicates that you have absolutely no emotional attachment to something. There is no more care to not give so to speak.
"Could care less" indicates that you don't care too much for the item, but you still care for it to some degree since there are still "cares to give less of".
Phrasing lesson #2:
Should have/Should of
Should have is the proper way of saying what should/could have been done.
Should of is not and is grammatically incorrect.
I don't know how to better explain that without swearing...
Effect/Affect
Effect - noun - the result of an action - ex. The effect of not studying is you fail. The effect of poor grammar is you look stupid, even online.
Affect - verb - to change the outcome of an event or the way something operates - ex. You can affect how I feel by making fun of my sense of direction.
Principal/Principle
Principal - noun - a person in charge, normally of a school - ex. Principal Dean is a butthead
Principle - noun - a standard one lives by - ex. One of my core principles is not calling anyone a butthead
Then/Than
(as explained by our own JadedRescue)
Author's input:Jaded Rescue wrote:Than is about quantity, as in, "I have less fucks to give than Ashlee."
Then is what you use for something like, "I used to not give fucks about grammar, then Ashlee punched me in the face."
Than - used for comparisons
Then - used to describe a chronological sequence
Suffixes
You can't go throwing a suffix onto the end of any word just because it uses the correct tense of the word. You look dumb. In some cases you have to change the root of the word:
*Grinded is not a word - Ground is (past tense of "grind" [for all uses, even dancing])
Or sometimes you have to add a word in front of the word you are tensifying (tensifying is not a word, but you get the gist). I.E.
*Stupider is not a word - "More stupid" is the correct way to say it
You and I vs. You and me courtesy of zazisaspaz (full relation)
Bear vs. Bare, Through vs. Threw, and Who's vs. Whose courtesy of Stace and abw1987:zazisaspaz wrote:"The use of you and I is correct when it is the subject of the sentence (the “doer” in the sentence). Here’s a helpful hint: If you’re in doubt about whether to use you and me, try replacing me with I, and use I in the sentence by itself. If I doesn’t make sense, then try to use me by itself. If me works, then you and me is the correct phrase to use."
Bear vs. Bare
Bear
verb - to hold or support
"Bear with me"
"It's just too much to bear"
noun - big scary animal
"Look, a bear"
Baren adjective - naked
"There is nothing saucier than my bare chest"
Through vs. Threw
Through preposition - past, or in one end and out the other
"I felt a chill move through my bones"
Threw verb - past tense of throw
"I threw a donut at his eyes"
"I threw up after the anesthesia wore off"
Who's vs. Whose
Who's contraction for "who is" or "who has"
"Who's been to an AB show?"
"Am I the only one who's scared of chupacabra?"
Whose possessive of who
"Whose coat is this?"
Mute vs. Moot & Weary vs. Wary courtesy of Grubbin
Mute vs. Moot
Mute: silent; I wish Josiah were mute.
Moot: meaningless; Josiah's point is moot.
Weary vs. Wary
Weary: tired; I grow weary of Josiah's posts
Wary: suspicious; Knowing Josiah, I was wary of reading his post.
-'s vs. -s
-'s - indicates possession or indicates something "is" or "has" going to or done something. Ex: Zaz's cats are talked about way too much on these boards. Zaz's going to stop referencing his cats from here on out.
-s indicates plurality. Ex: I have two cats.
Vane vs. Vain
Vane - n. - a broad blade attached to a rotating axis or wheel that pushes or is pushed by wind or water and forms part of a machine or device such as a windmill, propeller, or turbine. ex: Look at the vane on that windmill spinning!
Vain - adj. - having or showing an excessively high opinion of one's appearance, abilities, or worth. ex: The amount of views on this thread is making zaz vain. --OR-- producing no result; useless. ex: Still I search this world in vain, not "vane" WHOEVER WROTE THE LYRICS IN THE FORTRESS ALBUM BOOKLET!
Apart vs. A part
Apart - separated by a distance; at a specified distance from each other in time or space.
A part - a piece or segment of something such as an object, activity, or period of time, which combined with other pieces makes up the whole
Woman vs. Women
Woman - n. - singular. One female human
Women - n. - plural. Multiple female humans
Ex: We should get another woman on these boards so we'll have an even number of women at a total of 4!
Council vs. Counsel (inspired by a conversation with Andy92 & Micky
Council - n. - an assembly or meeting for consultation, advice, or discussion
Counsel - n. - advice given especially as a result of consultation - (alt.) v. - to advise