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My biggest pet peeve is when people
use your instead of you’re. So, just for the sake of
education, let’s have a crash course is the correct usage of you’re and your. YOUR shows possession, such as “Is that your cheese?” or “Your mustache
looks really good.” While YOU’RE is
the contraction of you and are, for example “You’re the cutest thing I ever did see.” Or “You’re not the boss of me!” Most of us would agree that this
grammar rule is easy-peasy, no problem. . .But sadly, it seems that quite a few
people missed the School House Rock
episode that explained contractions.
Now just because that is my pet
peeve does not mean I run around like a crazed grammar nazi, correcting every your/you’re mix up. Actually, I don’t
correct anyone’s grammar ever, unless I am specifically asked to edit
something. Why not? Because I’m not their English teacher (yet), and it isn’t
my business to correct them. Also, if I went around correcting everyone’s
grammar, if I were to make an accidental grammatical error I would look like a hypocritical
ass, or at least that’s my logic. Although, I have discovered that not everyone
shares my logic . . . I still remember it like it was yesterday, I was simply
scrolling around on Facebook (probably procrastinating on a paper that was due
in a few days), and I made the simple comment on someone’s status, “You’re
friends are funny.” At first I didn’t even notice my mistake, I was in a hurry
to go get my popcorn out of the beeping microwave, but when I returned to my
computer I saw it. A comment underneath my comment, and all it said was “your*”.
That’s it. I was mortified, I had made the one grammar mistake that I always hated
. . . I was one of them. I thought
about pleading my case in another comment, “Please understand, that was just a
mistake! I know the difference between your
and you’re, I really do!!” but the
damage was done, I would just have to live with the shame. (Okay, maybe I’m
being a little dramatic, but you get my point.)
Everyone makes grammar mistakes
every now and again, even us English majors. So next time you see a grammar
mistake on Facebook, take a moment to think, “Should correct this person, even
though I’m not their English teacher? Maybe they were just in a hurry to race
to the microwave to prevent their popcorn from burning. Maybe I should give
them a break.” Leave the corrections up
to the professionals.
