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You're and Your, etc.

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It's my belief that a main reason these two words (you're and your) are mixed up in writing is because of a mistaken pronunciation when speaking. Many people (even singers, if you listen closely you'll hear it) pronounce both words like their "3rd twin" - yore. That's correct for your but not for you're, which is pronounced more like (the correct pronunciation of) sure or cure. A good online dictionary with audio will help sort it out.

Thoughts on this, or other pronunciation, spelling errors?
 

pigoo3

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It's my belief that a main reason these two words (you're and your) are mixed up in writing is because of a mistaken pronunciation when speaking.

Another reason is "you're" is a contraction & actually stands for "you are". I think many times "you're" is used when "your" should be used. Many times if I get confused when I'm using "you're"...I substitute "you are" into the sentence. If "you are" doesn't sound correct...then I don't use "you're"...and do use "your".:)

- Nick
 
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I have found, that auto correct some times changes the spelling, in some instances.
 

chscag

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Hey, that's an easy one..... just pronounce it as "you'all" (Texas style) LOL. :rofl
 

IWT


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As this particular forum is “neutral” so to speak, I’ll add my pennyworth.

There has been a move in the UK to do away with the apostrophe because, it is claimed, it is too difficult for the modern generation to take this on board.

I disagree, but of course I would given my age:)

The apostrophe either signifies belonging to - John’s book or is in place of a missing letter - it’s, meaning it is. Or can’t, meaning can not or cannot. You’re meaning you are.

Its and it’s are more problematic. It’s a a book is easy - meaning it is a book. A cat has claws. Its claws are sharp (no apostrophe).

I personally don’t (note the apostrophe) think that pronunciation has much to do with it. It’s (apostrophe) more a question of education.

Don’t take me too seriously, this is a neutral, even tongue in cheek forum. :wink

Ian
 

chscag

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Hi Ian:

If you think the modern generation there in the UK has some difficulty with the apostrophe, you should live here in the US for awhile and see how our modern generation has difficulty with the English language in general. I hate to say this but I have run across individuals who supposedly are educated (high school, college, etc.) who can't spell and are terrible with grammar.

I could go on but will abandon my soap box for now. :smile
 

Raz0rEdge

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The one that I find confuses people significantly more than "your" and "you're" is "its" and "it's".
 
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As a retire teacher I can remember gritting my teeth as I explained how it was improper to us texting shorthand when writing a paper. I still remember looking at a young lady who was clueless as to why it was not okay to use "u" in place of "you" and "4" instead of "for".

So mixing up your and you're, while an obvious mistake when used improperly, it beats "ur " in my book. ;)

Lisa
 

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Your vs You're and its vs it's is pretty straight forward.
At least American English, Canadian English and British English are all the same in that case.

But I'm sometimes not sure what acceptable American English spelling actually is.

For "colour" it's "color" in American English, that's well established. But take a word like "light" for instance - is that correctly spelled "lite" in American, or does that fall into the catogory as "u" for "you"?
 
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Hey, that's an easy one..... just pronounce it as "you'all" (Texas style) LOL. :rofl


Good suggestion Charlie, but I understood that you Texans pronounced it as yaul or yawl, just like the type of sailing boat.


- Patrick
======
 
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But take a word like "light" for instance - is that correctly spelled "lite" in American, or does that fall into the catogory as "u" for "you"?

Then when you see litebulb, it must be a very lite as in weight, bulb, but not a bulb like a tulip, but rather one as found in a lamp.


- Patrick
======
 

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Then when you see litebulb, it must be a very lite as in weight, bulb, but not a bulb like a tulip, but rather one as found in a lamp.


- Patrick
======
:laugh:laugh:laugh:laugh:laugh
 

IWT


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Of course, the other trap is the word “None”.

None always takes a singular verb because it is a contraction of “not one”.

So none of us IS going to the game, is correct. Wrong to say none of us are....... The confusion is amplified because the latter often sounds better than the correct way:)

Ian
 
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toMACsh
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@krs | "lite" is used in the US on food and beverage labels to indicate lower calories

Back to my main point: Doesn't anyone else notice people pronouncing "you're" like "your"? Or is it (is't?) just me?
 
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It's my belief that a main reason these two words (you're and your) are mixed up in writing is because of a mistaken pronunciation when speaking. Many people (even singers, if you listen closely you'll hear it) pronounce both words like their "3rd twin" - yore. That's correct for your but not for you're, which is pronounced more like (the correct pronunciation of) sure or cure. A good online dictionary with audio will help sort it out.

Thoughts on this, or other pronunciation, spelling errors?

All homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently) are commonly misspelled: your/you're, its/it's, to/too, brake/break, hear/here, etc. Pronouncing "you're" the same as "your" is not not a mistake. If you look both words up in Merriam-Webster, they share three identical pronunciation variations.

you're.JPG
your.JPG
 
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Back to my main point: Doesn't anyone else notice people pronouncing "you're" like "your"? Or is it (is't?) just me?


Yup, both variations are pronounced the same way up here and always have been.

What was your point or do you pronounce each of them differently and expect others to do the same???

Maybe it's a unique Wisconsin variable pronunciation thing?


- Patrick
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Yup, both variations are pronounced the same way up here and always have been.

What was your point or do you pronounce each of them differently and expect others to do the same???

Maybe it's a unique Wisconsin variable pronunciation thing?


- Patrick
======

I think pronouncing "you're" as \ yü-ər \ is akin to pronouncing "what" as \ hwət \ (ditto for "why," "where," etc.). It sounds too formal for normal conversation.
 
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We'll I guess it's just me, and a couple of other web dictionaries with audio I've found that pronounce "you're" "sure" and "cure" the same way I do.

Now, on to "problee" and "vedgtible"...
"cumfterbul" "tempature" "meterologist" "imagrent" "uhvent" "tor" "uhmergency" "Los Vegas"
It's nearly endless.

Language changes; I get that. A word will get mispronounced so often by so many people that the dictionary publishers are forced to acknowledge that the perversion is now the commonly acceptable way to say it. To me, that's not a positive development; it's a corruption. Oh well! I'll keep saying things the way my ancestors did, or even my grade school teachers.
 
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Language changes; I get that. A word will get mispronounced so often by so many people that the dictionary publishers are forced to acknowledge that the perversion is now the commonly acceptable way to say it.

So who gets to decide which pronunciation is "correct," thus making the rest "perversions"? Of course, none of them are perversions; it's just as you said--language changes. It's not a good or a bad thing; it's just reality. It's not determined by individual preference but by corporate usage.

None always takes a singular verb because it is a contraction of “not one”.

So none of us IS going to the game, is correct.

Actually this is not quite true. "none" can be used with the singular or plural depending on the context. So in your above sentence, either can be acceptable. Look at my reply to toMACsh above for another example.

none.JPG
 
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