12

ENGLISH
BLUNDERS

YOU MIGHT BE MAKING RIGHT NOW!

The thing about common mistakes is that most of us make them from
time to time. Make sure you correct yours!

IT'S/ITS
It's is a contraction of "it is" or "it has"

Its is a possesive pronoun, meaning

belonging to something

Example: Its a bird... its a plane... its

Superman!

Example:

You're/Your
You're is a contraction of "you are"

Your is a possessive pronoun indicating

something that belongs to you

Example: You're too good to make a

mistake like this!

Example: Your good grammar skills

impressed the client.

I/Me
I is used when referring to the
subject (the doer of the action)

"Me" is used when referring to the

object (the receiver of the action)

Example: Javed and I went to the

graduation ceremony.

Example: They told Javed and me to go

to the graduation ceremony.

There/their
There refers to a place or an idea

They're is a contraction for "they are

Example: We will not go there, since

there wont be any food this time.

Example: When theyre older, theyll

understand.

Affect/Effect
Affect is a verb meaning to have an
influence on

Effect is the change occured due

to an influence

Example: Sleep deprivation affects work

performance.

Example: Sleep deprivation has a

negative effect on work performance.

Loose/lose
Loose refers to the lack of tightness
of something

Lose is used when something is lost

Example: The lens-cap of your camera

is too loose.

Example: You might lose your lens-cap if

youre not careful.

Continuous/continual
Continuous things are the ones which
exist without interruption.

Continual things occur repetedly, but

with intervals of interruption.

Example: Rakib played Clash of Clans

continuously during class.

Example: The lecturer would continually

ask him to stop, before deeming him a
lost cause and giving up.

Then/Than
Then is mainly used to situate actions
in time

Than is used for making comparisons

Example: You log in to your Facebook

account, and then update your status.

Example: You spend more time in

Facebook than any other website.

Every Day/everyday
Every day means each day
Example: I drink tea every day.

Everyday is an adjective used to

describe something that occurs daily, or
is ordinary
Example: Drinking tea is an everyday
habit for me.

Lay/lie
Lay means to set something down. It
needs a direct object.
(Past tense: laid)

Lie means to be in a horizontal

position. It doest need a direct object.
(Past tense: lay)

Example: I lay the bag on the ground.

Example: The bags lie near the doorstep.

compliment/complement
Compliment means to praise

Complement means to complete or

enhance

Example: The reviewer complimented

your writing skills.

Example: He said your good grammar

complements your storytelling ability.

Who/whom
Who is used when referring to the
subject (the doer of the action)

"Whom" is used when referring to the

object (the receiver of the action)

Example: Who voted for me?

Example: Whom should I vote for?