Improve Your Writing, Spelling and Grammar

Simple tips for using the right homophone

Were you ever writing something and suddenly stopped typing because you didn't know which form of a word to use or weren't sure how to spell the word you wanted to use? With social media becoming the most common purpose of using the Internet, correct grammar usage probably isn't at the top of everyone's mind. Social media is social afterall, like a conversation on the street. However, if you are blogging or job hunting, to ensure that you are writing and speaking with correct grammar will definitely improve the impression you make.

As language enthusiast and New York Times guest-blogger Robert Lane Greene wrote earlier this month, "Every texter and Facebooker is a writer." He pointed out that a bigger proportion of Americans than ever before are writing frequently, maybe even daily. But, as Greene said, this "just means that more people are writing with poor grammar."

What I have noticed is that most errors in writing stem from incorrect use of homophones – words that sound alike but have different spellings and different meanings. The most common being their/there/they're and to/too/two.

When I was a middle school teacher, I often found these discrepancies in my students' writing. So I developed some methods for my students to use when determining which word to use for each scenario.

Even now, while reading blogs or Facebook posts, I notice the words in these sets below are used interchangeably as if they all have the same meaning. Understanding their individual meanings can help you understand which form to use when, and help you to improve your writing, spelling and grammar skills.

The simple tips that follow can help you understand whether to use:

• you're or your
• there, their, or they're
• its or it's
• to, too, or two
• affect or effect
• stationery or stationary
• I or me; she or her; he or him
• lose or loose

You're and They're:

These are contractions. Remember those from elementary school? The apostrophe replaces letters that were removed to make two words into one shorter word. So "you're" means "you are", and "they're" means "they are". So think of that before you use the apostrophe form of the words that sound like these.

Your

Use this anytime you aren't saying "you are". This is the possession form of you. So you use it whenever you are referring to something that belongs to the person about whom you are (or you're) speaking. Easy enough, right?

There and Their

"Their" is possessive, so belonging to them. "There" is, simply put, not here. So if you think of it that way (and know how to spell "here"), then you can use that as a tip to remind yourself how to spell "there".

The problem with "their" is that a lot of children learned in elementary school the incorrect adage "i before e except after c" – which is false. So lots of people misspell "their", just as they misspell "weird". English is a complicated language because it borrows so many words from other languages, so "rules" like this one can usually be proven wrong.

It's and Its

Another contraction - "it's" means "it is". If you remember that, then you will remember when to use it. "Its" is possessive, so only use that when referring to something belongs to "it". If you can remember that "it's" is a contraction that means "it is", then you won't need to remember when to use "its"; you will just use it whenever you aren't really aren't saying "it is".

It is understandable to confuse this one because if you're talking about your friend Mike and mention something that belongs to him, you say "Mike's" – with an apostrophe. This is why so many people use the apostrophe for the possessive "its". It is confusing, or rather, it's confusing. This is just another example of why English is such a difficult language..

To, Too and Two

These are more difficult and require some thinking. Follow these simple clues when using these words:

• To: Opposite of "from" – "from" has one "o", so does "to"
• Too: This means "in excess", so think that this one (too) has too many o's
• Two: The number – if you can remember the instances in which to use the other two words that sound like this one, then this one will be the exception, the one that doesn't apply to those other two rules.

Affect and Effect

The best way to remember when and how to use these words is that one is a verb and one is a noun. Affect is a verb, so an action word, "action" starts with an "a". Effect is the end result of an action, and a noun. If you can remember when to use "affect", then you will know when and when not to use "effect". You can also think "effect" is an "end result" – both start with an "e".

Stationery and Stationary

This is an easy one. Stationery is what you write a letter on, the word "letter" has e's in it. Stationary means to stay. The word "stay" has an "a" in it. This is the easiest mind trick for remembering these words' spellings.

I/Me, He/Him, She/Her

I'm sure you know when to use "he" as opposed to "him" when the word is alone. But what about when you are speaking of "him" along with someone else or yourself in a sentence? A lot of people mess these up. The absolute best way to know which one to use is to take one of the people out of the equation and then see how it sounds. For example:

• She and I went shopping: She went shopping. I went shopping.

You wouldn't say "Her went shopping" or "Me went shopping" now, would you? So if you would normally say "Her and I went shopping," think about it and take "I" out of it. You would be left with "Her went shopping" and that just doesn't sound right, does it? Now try using a name instead of "She/Her" – "Ruth and I went shopping" or "Ruth and me went shopping"?

• She gave an invitation to him and me: She gave an invitation to him. She gave an invitation to me.

Same rule. Someone might say, "She gave an invitation to him and I." But take out the "him" and you are left with "She gave an invitation to I." That doesn't sound right at all.

The toughest one of all of these is "between you and me". People always say "between you and I" because they think it sounds better, but it is actually wrong. The best way I can think to remember this distinction is to think of all the e's in the word "between". "Me" has an "e", "I" doesn't.

Lose and Loose

These two are often misspelled and, frankly, I am always surprised to see it. Think of the words "those" and "hose" – the "s" in both of these words sounds like a "z". And they also only have one "o". Now think of "noose". In that one, the "s" sounds like an "s", and that word has two "o's". I can't think of a single word with a "z" sound that is spelled with two "o's" and an "-se" at the end.

Repetition Helps You Learn

I know it is probably impossible to remember all of these rules without printing this article and carrying it around with you. There is nothing wrong with referring back to a cheat-sheet if it helps the end result be a correct one (unless, of course, you're sitting in a classroom). The more often you think about it before you write it, and apply these rules, the more likely you are to remember them.

For a while, I could never remember whether to use "that" or "which". I had a college textbook from a journalism class that had all of these kinds of confusing pairs of words explained. I always kept it at my desk, at every job I've ever had.

Now, however, it's easy enough to just look things up online when in doubt. The problem is, not everyone takes the time to do that. Maybe some assume they are using the correct one? Or maybe they believe that these words do all have the same meaning, so it is acceptable to use them interchangeably. I don't know. But hopefully this article helps you to understand that there is reasoning behind the use of these words, and this will help you in using them correctly.