Is it "Your" or "You're"?

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I was reading the sales copy of a WSO this morning. The product looked really good, but right at the end the copy ended with "You're Friends ...".

Is that just an Americanism? Because in my book "You're Friends" means "You ARE friends". Surely they meant to say "Your Friends"?

We use British English in South Africa and everytime I see "You're" used instead of "Your" I feel like joining Lynn Truss' (of the "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" book) vigilante party, resplendent with balaclava and thick red pen.

It drives me NUTS . Am I just being anal?

Di
  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    Yes, "You're Friends" means "You are friends," but you're friends could be correct if the person meant to infer that reader was friends with someone. You didn't tell us the context, but I'm guessing it was an incorrect usage. Having said that, don't be surprised if you just stirred up a a small hornet's nest. This topic often does.
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    • Profile picture of the author DianaHeuser
      Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill View Post

      Yes, "You're Friends" means "You are friends," but you're friends could be correct if the person meant to infer that reader was friends with someone. You didn't tell us the context, but I'm guessing it was an incorrect usage.
      Hi Dennis,

      Apologies, for not being clearer

      They ended it with "You're friends Joe and John". Obviously not their real names of course
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      • Profile picture of the author LarryC
        Originally Posted by DianaHeuser View Post

        Hi Dennis,

        Apologies, for not being clearer

        They ended it with "You're friends Joe and John". Obviously not their real names of course
        That's incorrect, but it's an example of a mistake that's becoming so common that many people don't think it matters anymore. Another one is the extra apostrophe as in Car's For Sale. No doubt, America is leading the way in this trend
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        • Profile picture of the author Dave Patterson
          For me the word is LOSE. WTH is with people writing loose...I mean, c'mon now!

          Loose vs Lose - e Learn English Language
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          • Profile picture of the author DianaHeuser
            Originally Posted by Dave Patterson View Post

            For me the word is LOSE. WTH is with people writing loose...I mean, c'mon now!

            Loose vs Lose - e Learn English Language
            Oh yes. That one too.
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          • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
            You know, I know my grammar very well (I better with an English prof for a
            father) but in defense of some people, myself included, sometimes I will write
            so fast that I will inadvertently use the wrong word by accident. Then, when I'
            go back to proofread, something I don't do at forums, I'll find the mistake.

            Point is, I'll sometimes make a post and it has grammar mistakes. It happens
            to all of us when we rush and it's not because we don't know the correct
            usage of the word.

            And yes, some of us don't have a clue.
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            • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
              Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

              And yes, some of us don't have a clue.
              That would be me.

              If it wasn't for spell check, I would look like i have a 3rd grade education,
              and that is on a good day.

              I do not even have a good excuse.
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              • Profile picture of the author ThomM
                Originally Posted by kenmichaels View Post

                That would be me.

                If it wasn't for spell check, I would look like i have a 3rd grade education,
                and that is on a good day.

                I do not even have a good excuse.
                I just discovered that my spell checker language in FF was on Australian for the last 4 months.
                Kept adding u to everything.
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          • Profile picture of the author ThomM
            Originally Posted by Dave Patterson View Post

            For me the word is LOSE. WTH is with people writing loose...I mean, c'mon now!

            Loose vs Lose - e Learn English Language
            That would be me (jumps up waving his arms).
            For some reason that word gives me fits.
            Always has and probably always will
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            • Profile picture of the author Dave Patterson
              Originally Posted by ThomM View Post

              That would be me (jumps up waving his arms).
              For some reason that word gives me fits.
              Always has and probably always will
              Yeah....I KNOW!
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  • It's contextual...and Americans are the worst offenders at it -

    Your friends helped you out. / You're friends for helping me out.

    Your friends Joe and John? You're not friends with those guys...are you?
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  • Profile picture of the author KimW
    Personally I just find it is just the opposite than what I wrote to the person that seems to feel the need to correct me.

    Your and you're
    loose and lose
    its and it's
    while not the same here is another:
    affect and effect
    there/they're/their

    what else folks?
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  • Profile picture of the author KimW
    Thom, that one is easy!
    "You would LOSE something if it is too LOOSE."
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    • Profile picture of the author ThomM
      Originally Posted by KimW View Post

      Thom, that one is easy!
      "You would LOSE something if it is too LOOSE."
      Yeah easy for you to say
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  • Profile picture of the author Exel
    It's one of the most common mistakes besides there/they're/their.
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  • Profile picture of the author MaxBounty
    It drives me batty when people write "could of" rather than "could have". I can see why people make the mistake, since most people use "could've" in their speech, but it still makes me a bit crazy.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      Originally Posted by MaxBounty View Post

      It drives me batty when people write "could of" rather than "could have". I can see why people make the mistake, since most people use "could've" in their speech, but it still makes me a bit crazy.
      The problem is...the English language is a ******* mess.

      I honestly don't know how anybody not born in this country is able to learn it
      without going batty.

      We have three twos. To, two and too.

      Wouldn't one have been enough?

      Oh wait, we have two ones. One and won.

      So I guess if we have three too's, we should have two won's. It's only fair.

      Then why don't we have five fours? We only have two for's. Couldn't we
      think up three more fours?

      And what about eight? We only have two ate's. Is that two ate's too many?

      And don't even get me started on the pronunciations of some of our words.

      If four sounds like for, why does sour sound like power? Oh wait, we have a
      sour that sounds like four. It's soar. But wait, don't we also have a sore?

      And try reading a sentence out of context with the word "read" in it and be
      absolutely certain that it's pronounced "red" and not "reed".

      And how the hell does reed sound like read but not all the time?

      Can we have some ******* consistency in this language, thank you?

      Ball, fall, wall, crawl?

      Huh?

      Couldn't we just make it crall and be done with it?

      And why does done sound like fun but spelled like bone that sounds like moan?

      And then...as if THAT'S not bad enough, then they throw in won.

      So...we have

      Done
      Fun
      Won

      Sounds like a Chinese extra in a bad B movie. (B as in be, not bee)

      Oh but we're just getting started folks.

      If you spell out the letter "W" there is no "W" in the word double-you

      And why the hell is cheese not spelled like sneeze?

      Sneeze
      Freeze
      Cheese

      What's wrong with that picture? I mean SOMETHING'S out of whack.

      Again, can we have some ******* consistency in this language?

      What's the difference between ruff and rough?

      They sound the same but they sure as hell don't mean the same thing?

      Dead
      Head
      Bed
      Fed

      Can we PLEASE get our Ed sounds consistent if nothing else?

      I mean for crying out loud...it's a short 'e'.

      How can you **** up a short e sound?

      peak
      peek
      weak
      week
      leak
      leek

      How do English as a second language folks not screw THEM up?

      If I was (or is it were) an English as a second language speaking person,
      I'd really be up the creek. Or is it creak?

      Oh **** it!
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      • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
        Great post, Steven. Very entertaining, but um...

        Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post



        Then why don't we have five fours? We only have two for's. Couldn't we
        think up three more fours?
        Would you settle for three?

        For, fore, four.

        Originally Posted by ThomM View Post

        I just discovered that my spell checker language in FF was on Australian for the last 4 months.
        Kept adding u to everything.
        It also keeps calling all the ladies "Sheila." I was starting to think you got hit by one too many boomerangs.
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        • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
          Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill View Post

          Great post, Steven. Very entertaining, but um...



          Would you settle for three?

          For, fore, four.
          Do I ******* look like I play golf? I do not recognize that monstrosity as a
          word...period.

          If I were to play golf and I wanted to warn people that I was swinging, I'd
          simply yell, "Get out of the ******* way!"

          Fore indeed.

          And while we're on the subject...floor?
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          • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
            Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

            Do I ******* look like I play golf? I do not recognize that monstrosity as a
            word...period.

            If I were to play golf and I wanted to warn people that I was swinging, I'd
            simply yell, "Get out of the ******* way!"

            Fore indeed.
            ROFL! Guess you don't sail much either. :p
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            • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
              Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill View Post

              ROFL! Guess you don't sail much either. :p
              No...I don't. If God wanted us to be on water he would have given us fins.

              But you're making my point for, fore, four, me.

              This language is messed up.
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              • Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

                No...I don't. If God wanted us to be on water he would have given us fins.

                But you're making my point for, fore, four, me.

                This language is messed up.
                He did...we grew out of them.
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                • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
                  Originally Posted by MoneyMagnetMagnate View Post

                  He did...we grew out of them.
                  Dude, i am still laughing...
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                  • Profile picture of the author Tina Golden
                    I hate it when I see people turning two words into one and that is something I see frequently. I don't usually say anything, as I don't want to be Mrs. Wombat, but it is rather like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.

                    It's a lot, not 'alot'.

                    It's a while, not 'awhile'.

                    I'm not talking about people who have English as a second, third or fourth language. I have the utmost respect and admiration for those of you who can master multiple languages.
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                    • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
                      Originally Posted by Tina Golden View Post

                      I hate it when I see people turning two words into one and that is something I see frequently. I don't usually say anything, as I don't want to be Mrs. Wombat, but it is rather like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.

                      It's a lot, not 'alot'.

                      It's a while, not 'awhile'.

                      I'm not talking about people who have English as a second, third or fourth language. I have the utmost respect and admiration for those of you who can master multiple languages.
                      Does "alright" bother you, or is it all right?
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          • Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

            Do I ******* look like I play golf? I do not recognize that monstrosity as a
            word...period.

            If I were to play golf and I wanted to warn people that I was swinging, I'd
            simply yell, "Get out of the ******* way!"

            Fore indeed.

            And while we're on the subject...floor?
            Well, consider yourself forewarned after the fact...:p
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            • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
              Originally Posted by MoneyMagnetMagnate View Post

              And, if we want to get technical...you forgot 'yore' as in "days of"...:p
              Another wise ass heard, herd from.
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      • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
        Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

        The problem is...the English language is a ******* mess.


        Sneeze
        Freeze
        Cheese

        What's wrong with that picture? I mean SOMETHING'S out of whack.

        Again, can we have some ******* consistency in this language?

        What's the difference between ruff and rough?

        They sound the same but they sure as hell don't mean the same thing?

        Dead
        Head
        Bed
        Fed

        Can we PLEASE get our Ed sounds consistent if nothing else?

        I mean for crying out loud...it's a short 'e'.

        How can you **** up a short e sound?

        peak
        peek
        weak
        week
        leak
        leek

        How do English as a second language folks not screw THEM up?

        If I was (or is it were) an English as a second language speaking person,
        I'd really be up the creek. Or is it creak?

        Oh **** it!
        Steve you forgot that we've also got

        day
        pay
        may
        way
        weigh
        slay
        sleigh

        These just rain on our parade as we try to rein in the understanding of the English language as it does reign in exceptions to the rules. :p

        Terra
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        • Profile picture of the author jimbo13
          Last week a tough man from Slough came through Wokingham Borough and bought some cough medicine even though he had hiccoughs.

          Don't know about US pronounciation but:

          1. uff as in buff
          2. ow as in cow
          3. oo as in moo
          4. urrah as in surra (gate)
          5. ort as in sort
          6. off as in off
          7. oh as in Oh dear
          8. up as in hiccup US

          Pretty simple if you ask me.

          Dan
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          • Profile picture of the author Dan Riffle
            Originally Posted by jimbo13 View Post

            ,snip>

            Don't know about US pronounciation but:

            1. uff as in buff
            2. ow as in cow
            3. oo as in moo
            4. urrah as in surra (gate)
            5. ort as in sort
            6. off as in off
            7. oh as in Oh dear
            8. up as in hiccup US

            Pretty simple if you ask me.

            Dan
            I'm with you except for number 5. I don't get the "r" sound in "bought."
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            • Profile picture of the author jimbo13
              Originally Posted by Dan Riffle View Post

              I'm with you except for number 5. I don't get the "r" sound in "bought."
              Okay Dan, how about awt then for bought.

              Dan
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              • Profile picture of the author Dan Riffle
                Originally Posted by jimbo13 View Post

                Okay Dan, how about awt then for bought.

                Dan
                Now we're on the same page!
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              • Profile picture of the author Karen Blundell
                you're not alone, Diana. But I blame our public education system for the lack of good grammar and spelling that seems to be prevalent among the younger generations.
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                • Originally Posted by Karen Blundell View Post

                  you're not alone, Diana. But I blame our public education system for the lack of good grammar and spelling that seems to be prevalent among the younger generations.
                  You mean the one what teaches Readin', Riten' and 'Rithmetic?
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                  • Profile picture of the author Tina Golden
                    Originally Posted by Dave Patterson View Post

                    And does anybody besides my sister call a URL "Earl"?
                    I do

                    Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill View Post

                    Does "alright" bother you, or is it all right?
                    I hate 'alright' but technically it's not an error at this point. After a mistake has been around for over a century, I guess it becomes part of the language :rolleyes:
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                    • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
                      Originally Posted by Tina Golden View Post

                      I do

                      I hate 'alright' but technically it's not an error at this point. After a mistake has been around for over a century, I guess it becomes part of the language :rolleyes:
                      That's news to me!
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            • Profile picture of the author LynnM
              Originally Posted by Dan Riffle View Post

              I'm with you except for number 5. I don't get the "r" sound in "bought."
              That's because English people don't pronounce their rs! (or should that be r's?)

              P.S. Dennis, yes Slough's a town.
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              • Originally Posted by LynnM View Post

                That's because English people don't pronounce their rs! (or should that be r's?)

                P.S. Dennis, yes Slough's a town.
                Well, c'mon you're in Scotland...the Scots rrrrroll so many rrrrrr's you have to carrrry them in a wheel barrrrow! Not that that's not grrrreat! (it just leaves fewer r's for everybody else :p :rolleyes
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                • Profile picture of the author whateverpedia
                  Originally Posted by MoneyMagnetMagnate View Post

                  Well, c'mon you're in Scotland...the Scots rrrrroll so many rrrrrr's you have to carrrry them in a wheel barrrrow! Not that that's not grrrreat! (it just leaves fewer r's for everybody else :p :rolleyes
                  That sounds like a real pain in the r's.
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          • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
            Originally Posted by jimbo13 View Post

            ]Slough ]
            2. ow as in cow
            Is that a town, is that why you capitalized it? It's also a stagnant swamp or something cast off (like a snakeskin) and pronounced "slew".

            Add a "y" to the end and you have sloughy, which can mean soft and watery or moral degradation, and then it's pronounced more like your example with a long e at the end (would rhyme with cow-ee).
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      • Profile picture of the author lcombs
        Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post

        The problem is...the English language is a ******* mess.

        I honestly don't know how anybody not born in this country is able to learn it
        without going batty.

        We have three twos. To, two and too.

        Wouldn't one have been enough?

        Oh wait, we have two ones. One and won.

        So I guess if we have three too's, we should have two won's. It's only fair.

        Then why don't we have five fours? We only have two for's. Couldn't we
        think up three more fours?

        And what about eight? We only have two ate's. Is that two ate's too many?

        And don't even get me started on the pronunciations of some of our words.

        If four sounds like for, why does sour sound like power? Oh wait, we have a
        sour that sounds like four. It's soar. But wait, don't we also have a sore?

        And try reading a sentence out of context with the word "read" in it and be
        absolutely certain that it's pronounced "red" and not "reed".

        And how the hell does reed sound like read but not all the time?

        Can we have some ******* consistency in this language, thank you?

        Ball, fall, wall, crawl?

        Huh?

        Couldn't we just make it crall and be done with it?

        And why does done sound like fun but spelled like bone that sounds like moan?

        And then...as if THAT'S not bad enough, then they throw in won.

        So...we have

        Done
        Fun
        Won

        Sounds like a Chinese extra in a bad B movie. (B as in be, not bee)

        Oh but we're just getting started folks.

        If you spell out the letter "W" there is no "W" in the word double-you

        And why the hell is cheese not spelled like sneeze?

        Sneeze
        Freeze
        Cheese

        What's wrong with that picture? I mean SOMETHING'S out of whack.

        Again, can we have some ******* consistency in this language?

        What's the difference between ruff and rough?

        They sound the same but they sure as hell don't mean the same thing?

        Dead
        Head
        Bed
        Fed

        Can we PLEASE get our Ed sounds consistent if nothing else?

        I mean for crying out loud...it's a short 'e'.

        How can you **** up a short e sound?

        peak
        peek
        weak
        week
        leak
        leek

        How do English as a second language folks not screw THEM up?

        If I was (or is it were) an English as a second language speaking person,
        I'd really be up the creek. Or is it creak?

        Oh **** it!
        I would to have the opportunity to sit down with a linguist and ask him how all the spelling and grammatical rules are determined.

        "I before E except after C"? What the hell difference does the 'c' make?
        Though and tough. How does 'gh' become an 'f'?
        And, 'women'.
        Here's one that's not a word but could be; photi = fish.

        This could go on forever.....
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    • Profile picture of the author whateverpedia
      Originally Posted by MaxBounty View Post

      It drives me batty when people write "could of" rather than "could have". I can see why people make the mistake, since most people use "could've" in their speech, but it still makes me a bit crazy.
      Add should have and would have to that list as well.

      Spoken errors that get up (sorry waterotter :rolleyes my nose include calling an asterisk an asterix, and ECK cetera instead of ET cetera, although technically that should be pronounced AY cetera.
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      • Profile picture of the author seasoned
        Originally Posted by whateverpedia View Post

        Add should have and would have to that list as well.

        Spoken errors that get up (sorry waterotter :rolleyes my nose include calling an asterisk an asterix, and ECK cetera instead of ET cetera, although technically that should be pronounced AY cetera.
        A coworker recently had a problem querying a database. THEN, he caught on that I was pronouncing the word differently. He said "It IS asterik, right?"? I said "Well, I have always said asterisk!". He tried the change, and got a response quickly!

        Steve
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  • There are a lot of words in the English language that sound very much alike, but mean totally different things. Take the words 'censored', and 'censured' for instance...
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  • Profile picture of the author smartiewriter
    Many people often get confused with 'you're' and 'your'.

    In the following case, it should be 'Your Friends'
    ex:
    Your Friends
    -Mike and Sally
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  • Profile picture of the author Lori Kelly
    Hi Di.

    I hope you're (you are ) not being anal because that would mean I am anal too.

    The one that drives me crazy is "I could care less."
    If you could care less, then you could care less.

    I couldn't (or could not) care less is the appropriate form of that phrase.
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  • Profile picture of the author waterotter
    There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is "UP."

    It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to writeUP a report?

    We call UP our friends. And we use it to br ighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UPthe leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.

    And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

    We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP,look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP.

    When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.

    When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.

    One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so............ Time to shut UP.......
    The rose is opening up...the flower is opening up.

    The rose up in the garden is opening up.
    Peanuts is up on his kennel flying up in his mind.

    He is keeping up with those flying behind him.


    The bird is flying up in the air..

    You can see the bird up in the air.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan Riffle
      Originally Posted by waterotter View Post

      There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is "UP."

      It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to writeUP a report?

      We call UP our friends. And we use it to br ighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UPthe leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.

      And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

      We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP,look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP.

      When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.

      When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.

      One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so............ Time to shut UP.......
      The rose is opening up...the flower is opening up.

      The rose up in the garden is opening up.
      Peanuts is up on his kennel flying up in his mind.

      He is keeping up with those flying behind him.


      The bird is flying up in the air..

      You can see the bird up in the air.

      That's f***ed up.
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      Raising a child is akin to knowing you're getting fired in 18 years and having to train your replacement without actively sabotaging them.

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  • Profile picture of the author LarryC
    << There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is "UP." >>

    Yeah, what's up with that?
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    Content Writing, Ghostwriting, eBooks, editing, research.
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    And DON'T you hate it when someone says "Can someone advice me about which build in modem is best"?

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Dave Patterson
    And does anybody besides my sister call a URL "Earl"?
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    Professional Googler
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by Dave Patterson View Post

      And does anybody besides my sister call a URL "Earl"?
      URL is an akronym, for Uniform Resource Locator. So it SHOULD be pronounced U.R.L.. Then again, R.A.M. has been pronounced RAM, like the animal, since the 1970s. And PROM has been pronounced like the highschool one, since the 1970s. And ROM has been pronounced like the name. So who knows. I STILL pronounce every letter, for URL, though.

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author irisbass
    i usually make this kind of mistakes cuz its more convenient for us to simplify some words and we can take sth down in shorthands.what matters is that we know which occasion is more flattering and make right choice,which is more vital.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    A store owner offered me a complimentary box of tissues once. I was a little down so I thought they'd cheer me up and took them home. Damned things never said one nice thing about me or anything else. If they hadn't been complementary, I'd have asked for a refund.

    I've also heard that a woman can never have too many principals. I'm not sure why anyone would have a fetish over school administrators as I've always found them fairly mundane. Maybe I just have too many principles to figure it out.

    And when you step in a creek, why does it splash instead of creak? I'm gonna get a crick in my neck thinking about that one.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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  • Profile picture of the author The A
    LOL, I'm a non-native speaker and at campus I'm studying english. Never knew that this kind of topic is being discussed on Warrior Forum too Anyway, I believe it's just a mispelled phrase, he meant to write "your"
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    "And all what's left is nothing but a bunch of weeping competitors..."
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  • Profile picture of the author Ken Shorey
    Here's another on the drives me crazy: our and are

    Taking are car to the repair shop.
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  • Profile picture of the author Green Moon
    Originally Posted by DianaHeuser View Post

    ... everytime I see "You're" used instead of "Your" I feel like joining Lynn Truss' (of the "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" book) vigilante party, resplendent with balaclava and thick red pen.

    It drives me NUTS . Am I just being anal?

    Di
    It's not just you! I've never been able to understand why people don't know the difference. Don't they know about contractions? Do they think the apostrophe is just there for decoration?
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  • Profile picture of the author bailbondsguys
    Another common mistake is "its" and "it's". When you use the possessive form of this word it is (it's) correctly spelled without an apostrophe.

    Correct use: "it's"
    It's something a lot of people do wrong.
    Meaning:
    (It is) something a lot of people do wrong.

    Correct use: "its"
    I saw a monster and it had sharp teeth in its mouth.
    Meaning:
    I saw a monster and it had sharp teeth in its (possessive) mouth.
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  • Profile picture of the author lcombs
    Here's one too many get wrong even though it has an easy solution.

    Is it "You and I are going", or "You and me are going"?
    And, what's (whats' ;-) ), the solutinon?
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    • Lets look at the word Literally...

      lit·er·al·ly/ˈlitərəlē/Adverb:
      1. In a literal manner or sense; exactly: "the driver took it literally when asked to go straight over the traffic circle".
      2. Used to acknowledge that something is not literally true but is used for emphasis or to express strong feeling.

      So, in one sense, it means exactly - and in the other sense it means not exactly true...
      How can you take the word literally literally...when it literally contradicts what it literally means? :confused:
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  • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
    Originally Posted by DianaHeuser View Post

    It drives me NUTS . Am I just being anal?
    WHAAAAAT????

    No. It is the same in American English. Grammar rules are identical.

    Although at 1 AM after a few drinks, the word anal definitely takes on a new meaning. Sorry...
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    No signature here today!

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