You're Vs. Your – The Important Distinction

It’s the grammar snob again, and this time I’ll pick up another very common and very unnerving error. If a grammarian sees this particular goof up in your writing, you WILL be mercilessly attacked. We all know about grammarians now, don’t we?

The error I’m talking about is the mixing up of you’re and your. Are you one of the many confused? Don’t worry, you’re reading this and your confusions will be cleared! Let’s look at these tricky words individually:

• You’re

You’re is a contraction, i.e., a combination, of ‘you are’. It is often followed by the present participle, a verb form ending in ‘-ing’.

Some examples:

You’re a nice person.
I think you’re lying.
I can’t believe you’re here!

• Your

Your, on the other hand, is the possessive form of you. It is used to describe something as belonging to you. Your is almost always followed by a noun.

Some examples:

Is this your pen?
Your book is on the table.
Your hand looks a little bruised!

Important Tip:

When confused, try replacing you’re with ‘you are’ in the sentence. If it fits, you’re good! Otherwise, ‘your’ is the word you’re looking for!

Very Important Note:

There is absolutely no such word as your’e!!

Want to add something? Have any inputs? Please feel free to leave a comment or contact us. I say it again, we grammar snobs love to argue :D.