Thursday, June 4, 2026
Grammar and spelling are very important to me. I know my grammar is not always perfect and Mason says I need to embrace the comma. I tend to write on my blog like I would speak is what I tell him. He is not a regular reader, but I have asked him for advice! My kids are absolutely better writers than I am, by the way.
Are you in a work setting where grammar might matter?
I would regularly receive emails from higher ups in my field (of education!) with really unprofessional grammar. I did judge them! They also were not taking advantage of using editing features and spell check.
Once one is an adult, the red ink pen corrections are no more, so where does one go to learn? Professor Google?
I sometimes don’t edit well enough and make mistakes even in words like “hear” and “here” and I am mortified! It’s easy to do when you are typing quickly. I always give people passes on things like that. I hate typing on my phone and I know that can cause errors.
Even though I was a Spanish teacher, I taught some English grammar that was imperative to the learning of the new language and if they ever had to write in English, I also wanted them to be the best they could be. Jen, my English teacher and blogger friend, let me know what I forget!
I absolutely think grammar should still be taught. It goes hand in hand with reading and writing and comprehension of a text.
Here we go…
Their, They’re, and there are homophones – words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. Apostrophes are used to replace/represent missing letters in a contraction.
Their – is a possessive so you would use this spelling for “their house was simply gorgeous”
They’re – this is a contraction which means a morphing of two words – they and are. “They’re just adorable!” You could have also said, “They are just adorable!”
There – is an adverb of place so it is used like this “There are lots of kids in our neighborhood”
Some common contractions:
I’ve is “I have”
Isn’t is “Is not”
Doesn’t is “Does not”
Won’t is “will not” – can you imagine teaching this one to a non-native speaker of English – confusing!
It’s and its – Ok, this is one I see so many people use incorrectly and I distinctly remember when a teacher corrected me and that’s why I know it now – Thank you, Mr. A! I really wanted to impress him, too.
It’s – It’s is a contraction – a morphing of the words It and is “It’s a long way from here to there”
Its – this is the possessive – “We adopted a puppy but its mom is not done weaning yet” – this does not get the apostrophe because we are not saying “it is”
Who’s – this is a contraction of who and is – “who’s the chairperson of the committee?”
Whose – this is a possessive – “She is Mary whose daughter is Sarah”
Your – this is a possessive – “Your daughter is Sarah” – no apostrophes are needed
You’re – this is a contraction of you and are “You’re the apple of my eye”
Her – “Her daughter is Sarah”
Hers – “He is a friend of hers” – this does not get an apostrophe.
Mary’s – you use an apostrophe to show possession.
The kids’ – if more than one person owns something, your apostrophe goes after the “s” – “This is the kids’ playroom”
Here is a tricky one – if the name already ends in “s” you can choose – James’s or James’
Last names also don’t take an apostrophe. If you write a card to a family you would say “The Scotts” or you can say “The Scott Family” to avoid the “s”. The Jones’s or the Jones’ would correct. That’s a tricky one.
Plurals don’t take an apostrophe. All you need is the “s” at the end – “There are two girls in the group”
What trips you up? Do you have any grammar questions? My mom was an English and Art major and she taught both subjects during her long career. My Dad was the one that corrected our grammar, though. He was an excellent student and an excellent writer.
Thank you for attending class today,
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 