To use an apostrophe or not? These two are probably the most frequent culprits of confusion.

It's and Its

It's—It is. Use the apostrophe when you're using the contraction it's. Just as you would in the contractions, Let's—let us. You're—you are. I've—I have.

It's (it is) over on the counter. It's a good idea to hide it from Quenton, or it'll be gone for good!

It's time to turn off that light and get to bed. It's past your bedtime!

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Its Possessive form of the pronoun it. No apostrophe is needed, wanted or otherwise called for. I mean, it's just not necessary!

Its head was bigger than Dad's pick-up truck, and its tail swept the trees from our front yard. It turned its head our way, its eyes red, and its teeth big, white and SHARP. "It's time to get out of here!" whispered my brother with a desperate urgency. "Before it decides it's lunchtime!"

The pretty chestnut foal thrust its soft muzzle into my hand and snuffed. Then, I guess it thought I was its mom. "It's sucking my fingers!" I yelled excitedly to my Mom.

Other possessive pronouns that do not need an apostrophe to show such possession are: yours, ours, theirs and hers.

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YOUR, YOU'RE

Here's another couple of words people misuse all too frequently.

Your is another possessive form of you used as an attributed adjective. You're is a contraction of you and are. They should not be used interchangeably.

Some of the misuse could very likely be avoided if people took the time to read what they've written and make sure it makes sense. Sometimes it's just a matter of slowing down the fingers on the keyboard. Or slowing the thoughts to match the speed of the fingers on the keyboard . . .

Here are some example of how the words are used:

Your jacket is unzipped. You're going to be cold if you don't zip your jacket!

Your puppy wants to go outside. She's got another one of your socks in her mouth. You're not going to be able to find any of your socks if you keep letting her lose them outside!

You're scheduled to take your test on Friday afternoon. You're going to need your notebook and two pencils. Don't forget them!

You're going to want to take this road, and go down about a mile; the equestrian center is on your right.

Take your average teenager, for example . . .

In the dictionary, the pronounciation table shows they both may be pronounced as YOOR with the smile above the OO, and as unstressed YER. Which to me, is why people make the mistake of using Your when they need to be using You're. Now in the Your pronounciation table, there's YOR with the upside down V and YOR with the dash indicating a long O.

It seems to me that not ennumciating YOU and 'RE distinctly and apart from each other is what may be the reason for the misuse. Could also be laziness as my three sons admit freely. Might be a reason, but it's no excuse! Not going to take that much out of your day to type 're after you when you mean you are. Do it!

Thank you!

Of course, if yer just going to get yer dander up over it, nothing, I suppose, I can do about it. But it would be so nice if yer spelling of you're and your were correct!

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Plurals

Why is it that many people feel plurals deserve an apostrophe? Such a catastrophe!

CDs, for example do not merit an '. Unless you're talking about something belonging to a CD. The CD's insert was autographed by the musicians of the band.

Last names don't need an ' either—unless it's showing possession of something. The Tollefsons run the best equestrian center around. It's, by far, a much better place than the Arthur's!

Whatever the reason's reasons or excuse's excuses are for sticking in unneeded apostrophe's apostrophes, people should cultivate the habit of checking over their spelling's. If it doesn't own anything, then no ' ought to be used!

More on Plurals coming. If you have questions, feel free to email.

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I, Me

Next we'll take into consideration I and Me. It's really not that hard to figure out which is correct in any given instance. It's pretty straight forward in sentences where just the one pronoun is used. For instance:

He bought the puppy from me. Me is correct. You would never say, He bought the puppy from I, would you? No, so neither would you say, He bought the puppy from Daine and I. You would say, He bought it from Daine and me.

Just because I flaunts itself as being more "formal" and "proper" than me, doesn't mean it's correct to use I in place of me.

Say the following sentences aloud.

• Jake and me plan to go fishing.

• Jake and I plan to go fishing.

  Jake says his Mom won't let him go fishing today. So—

• Me plan to go fishing, anyway.

• I plan to go fishing, anyway.

Easy one here. Jake and I plan to go fishing. I plan to go fishing is correct.

• Mom gave the money to Jeri and I.

• Mom gave the money to Jeri and me

  What do you think for this one? They both sound right. Again, leave out the other person to find the correct pronoun.

• Mom gave the money to I.

• Mom gave the money to me.

Simple, eh? Mom gave the money to me is correct.

• Then, Jeri and I gave the money to Miss Kassill.

• Then, Jeri and me gave the money to Miss Kassill.

  One more time, leave out the other person and you have:

• Then, I gave the money to Miss Kassill.

• Then, me gave the money to Miss Kassill.

I is correct here.

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We, Us

The same rules pretty much apply with these two words as with I and Me You can check for correctness here the same way we did with I and Me.

Dad took us to the store. We shopped with Dad for hours.

• I wish Mom had been able to come shopping with Dad and us.

• I wish Mom had been able to come shopping with Dad and we.

• I wish Mom had been able to come shopping with us.

• I wish Mom had been able to come shopping with we.

Pretty obvious that us is correct in this case.

• He gave that same deal to the Joneses and us.

• He gave that same deal to the Joneses and we.

• He gave that same deal to us.

• He gave that same deal to we.

• Us kids got to go to the movies, Saturday night.

• We kids got to go to the movies, Saturday night.

• Us got to go see a movie, Saturday night.

• We got to go to see a movie, Saturday night.

• It was a really funny movie, and we and the other people laughed our heads off.

• It was a really funny movie, us and the other people laughed our heads off.

It might also be said this way: (Not saying it's right or wrong, just saying people might say it this way when talking.)

• It was a really funny movie, and the other people and we laughed our heads off.

• It was a really funny movie, and the other people and us laughed our heads off.

Either way, solve it the same way:

• It was a really funny movie, and we laughed our heads off.

• It was a really funny movie, and us laughed our heads off.

We is correct.

Have you got it now? Easy to practice it. Try a few on your own.

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Lose, Loose

I don't know why people mix these two up. Could be they're in a hurry and just don't bother to check what they've written. It's easy to hit a key more than twice. Could be pure laziness. Whatever the reason, it sets my teeth on edge to see it!

Loose after all has nothing to do with lose. Although, I suppose you could let your horse loose and then lose it. Or maybe your dog got loose from his chain. Haven't seen him in a couple of days. Looks as though you're going to lose him forever now.

Okay, but you never loose a sale. You might loose a sail, I'm not sure about that. I don't sail. But I do sell. And loosing a sale is just not done.

On the other hand, losing a sale is entirely possible, and I've done that once or twice. :(

We all make mistakes, particularly when we're in a hurry. I know I do. :) But when you're putting up a sales page and you make these kinds of mistakes, you lose that professional image you're striving for. Who edited your copy before you put it up? No one? Shame! Besides the misuse of their, there and they're, and your and you're, this loose and lose thing makes me crazy!

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Here's some writing rules to check out. I plan to expound on this subject when I have a little more time. I feel the need to refute a few. I'm told there are many variations on these, so as I gather then, I'll post them—plus my own thoughts as to how relevant they are to the way we speak and write today. In my humble opinion, in fiction particularly, it's not a crime to break some of them. Heh . . . not a crime to break most of 'em! How many of you do not use contractions in your speech and writing? If you do not, you probably sound like Data or Teal'c. I don't talk that way, and so I don't write that way. Way too tedious, pompous and stuffy! But then, other rules ought to be followed to the letter . . .

Rules for Writers

1. Verbs HAS to agree with their subjects.

2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.

4. The adverb always follows the verb.

5. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.

6. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.

7. Avoid clichés like the plague. (They're old hat.)

8. One should never generalize.

9. Be more or less specific.

10. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.

11. Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.

12. No sentence fragments.

13. Always avoid annoying alliteration.

14. Don't use no double negatives.

15. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will suffice.

16. Contractions aren't necessary and shouldn't be used.

17. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.

18. One-word sentences? Eliminate.

19. Who needs rhetorical questions?

20. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."

21. The passive voice is to be avoided.

22. A writer must not shift your point of view.

23. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

24. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

25. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

26. Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.

27. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.

28. Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!!!!!

29. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.