Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim

As-Salaamu ‘Alaikum Beautiful and Beloved Asiatic Black Sisters
Of the Tribe of Shabazz!

More than any other grammatical mistake, this one irritates me the most. Whenever I see it, it is like someone scratching a chalk board. (Remember chalk boards? 😉 ) Anyway, it is my personal mission in life, to educate every one I possibly can on the difference between these two words.

First, “Your” is a possessive pronoun. It is used to show possession instead of using the noun.

If you are referring to a book that belongs to the person to whom you are writing, you would write, “That is your book.”

Generally, possession indicates ownership of a particular object. In the previous example, I used a book. It would also be used for other material possessions, such as a car, house, bike, etc. However, the possessive pronoun “your” should also be used for intangible objects, such as ideas, characteristics or emotions. For example:

– “We enjoyed your interpretation of John Coltrane’s Love Supreme.”

– “Do you have a minute? I really need your advice.”

It doesn’t necessarily have to refer to an object.

Now, “You’re” is a contraction. (Notice the apostrophe.) Contractions are two words that are combined to make one word. “You’re” is the contraction of “you” and “are”.

Instead of writing “You are…” you can just write “You’re…” You would use “you’re” in any instance where you would otherwise write “you are.”

Here are some examples of when to use “You’re”:

– “You’re an exceptional artist.”

– “The limo will take you wherever you’re going.”

– “You’re going to have to light the candles before you turn off the light.”

Here is another one. Notice the differences.

– “Your carpet should cover the entire area under which you’re going to place your furniture.”

Please spread the word, so we can stop this travesty of grammar before it’s too late! 😉