Dear Grammar Idiots

[superbadgirl]

Yes, I'm talking to you.

"Your" and "you're" are actually very simple to differentiate. Rather than explaining possessives and contractions, as that seems to make people's heads spin, I'll simply state that if you can break the word you're using in any given sentence into "you" and "are", then you should use "you're." If that's not what you mean, then go with "your."

SIMPLE.

Also please note that the past tense of drag is not drug. Drug is either a pharmaceutical or, as a verb, means to give someone a pharmaceutical. Dragged is the word you want. Really.

Past and passed are not interchangeable. Costumer when you mean customer is just plain embarrassing. Bemused is not the same thing as amused.

Do not get me started on the then/than issue so many of you seem to have. That one is also simple to understand if you just think about it for half a second or so.

My advice: get a beta who has a clue, and instead of just using her/him as a tool, learn from her/him.

Sincerely,

Girl Who Shouldn't Read at Fanfiction.net

Comments

[el1ie.livejournal.com]

Things like that are confusing especially if you had someone who didn't know the usage correcting you as a youngster - I had a teacher that taught me my right hand was the one I used to write with - fair enough - but at that point I could write with both hands and she hadn't noticed. I still can't tell left from right to this day.

One of the reasons I wish writers would try harder even in fan fiction pieces is the more the words are used wrongly the harder it is for others to actually learn. It is true that the more you read the better you spell, but reading bad spelling is just as absorbing, after a while you get so used to seeing it it's hard to tell. I find this in fandoms especially - words and phrases become almost fandom specific and the same bad spelling of certain words goes along for the ride. Stargate fiction was always pretty good with the lie/lay but Supernatural is a disaster.

There is a good explanation here. http://home.comcast.net/~garbl/stylemanual/kthrul.htm#lay
but even that is a bit confusing, however it gives a good idea where to start and what questions you should ask yourself. :)