They're, there, and their29/10/2012
They're (contraction)
Let's start easy. 'They're' is a contraction of 'they are'. If you expand 'they're' to 'they are' and your sentence doesn't make sense, you are using the wrong version! There (adverb) The opposite of here! For example, I left my bike there. A handy hint for 'there': it contains the word 'here', which describes a place. If you're not talking about a place, consider using one of the versions. There can also be used with the verb 'to be' to indicate the existence of something or mention it for the first time, e.g. There's (there is: existence of) a bear in there (place/location). Their (third person plural possessive adjective) Their books, their children, their house. This version indicates possession. It also happens to contain the word 'heir'. An heir receives something when someone else dies. Both have something to do with ownership. Their son is their heir and inherits their house. If you're not writing about belongings, consider one of the other two versions. Think you've got it? Test your 'they're, there, their' skills here! Your and you're26/10/2012 The possessive determiner 'your' and the contraction of 'you are', 'you're', have vastly different meanings. Don't run the risk of being misunderstood in written communications by using 'your' when 'you're' is required. Consider the example below. Should you wish to hone your English skills on this subject, you're advised to head to this webpage: How to use you're and your.
Punctuation saves lives!25/10/2012 The correct use of commas in English is a talent which evades even the most conscientious native speakers. Consider the example below, in which a vastly different meaning is implied by the lack of - or employment of - a comma. The first sentence, "let's eat grandma", suggests that the main course for dinner is, in fact, the speaker's and listener's grandmother!
The second suggests that both the speaker and his/her grandmother should sit down to dinner - possibly for a delicious roast lamb with mint sauce. To avoid serving up your grandmother for supper, brush up on your comma usage skills here. Aussie comedian Adam Hills on language24/10/2012 Adam Hills is a brilliant Australian stand-up comedian who, in this clip, considers how the British, French, Americans, Swedish and Australians might sound to speakers of other languages. Why English is hard to learn23/10/2012 Oxen or oxes? Fish or fishes? Cacti or cactuses? Consider the following strange and confounding irregular plural nouns in the below rhyme. Should you wish to brush up on your understanding of these English oddities check out this webpage at English-Zone.com.
Have you ever found yourself at a loss when attempting to translate a word from your mother-tongue to English? Were you not satisfied with the result because it didn't encapsulate the truly rich meaning of the word?
Any speaker of foreign languages is familiar with the beauty and diversity to be found in another language - and sometimes simply the practicality. To this day, I still haven't found a reasonable English translation for the wonderful German word 'doch'. There have even been scientific studies conducted on the incredible breadth of its uses and meanings: Möllering 2001 (Macquarie), Grosz 2010 (MIT), Grosz 2011 (MIT). The following are 25 brilliant words from various foreign languages, for which there are no satisfactory English translations. English is a crazy language!20/10/2012 Here's a quick look at the capricious nature of the English language. Click the picture to enlarge it.
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