There are some things we learn in elementary school that should remain with us for the rest of your lives--treat others as you want to be treated, wash your hands often, warm up for any sort of physical activity by stretching out your arms and vigorously rotating them. Academically, we learn so many simple, yet crucial grammar and spelling conventions that should live on whether we're writing a book report on a selection from the Magic Tree House series or a corporate memo. We must always keep the elementary concepts in mind.
Everyday, I find myself cringing at the sight of so many erroneous errors in writing of all types. Here, I'd like to focus on my greatest pet peeve in writing: the confusion of there, their, and they're. The distinction between the three forms of this word was made in elementary school, so we should all know better by now. For once and for all, I'd like to lay it all out again. THERE indicates a place, THEIR signifies possession, and THEY'RE is a contraction combining the words they and are. It's that simple. Really. I'm continually baffled by the number of people who either don't know or don't care about the proper placement of there, their, and they're.
I have a dream: that one day we will live in a world where spelling mistakes stem not from lack of knowledge, but instead from hasty typing. Kind of like the errors I have undoubtedly made in this post.
Kali J
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