English can be very difficult, even for native speakers. There are some of the most popular spelling and grammar mistakes students make when writing in English:
1. Their, They’re, There
- “Their” is when something belongs to them, e.g. “Their car”
- “They’re” is the contracted form of <they are>, e.g. “They’re going outside = they are going outside”
- “There” means a location, e.g. “Look over there”
2. Your, You’re
- “Your” is when something belongs to you, e.g. “Is this your wallet?”
- “You’re” is the contracted form of <you are>, e.g. “You’re nice = you are nice”
3. There is or There are
- “There is” is used for singular nouns to say that something exists or is in a place, e.g. “There is a caffee shop nearby”
- “There are” is used for plural nouns to say that somethings exist or are in a place, e.g. “There are many restaurants in the station”
4. Its vs. It’s
- “Its” is the possessive form of <it> and expresses posession of inanimate nouns, e.g. “its battery, its argument, its wing”
- “It’s” is the contracted form of <it is> used to introduce the subject/object of a sentence, e.g. “It’s snowing = it is snowing”
5. It`s (it has) vs. It`s (it is)
- It`s can be a contraction of <it is> or <it has>, depending on the contectst. While <it has> is the 3rd form of the verb “to have“, <it is> is the the 3rd forn of the verb “to be“.
6. Effect, Affect
- “Effect” means <result>, e.g. “The medicine had a good effect”
- “Affect” is a verb meaning <to influence>, e.g. “This medicine can affect you”
7. Then, Than
- “Then” refers to a point in time, e.g. “I’ll shower, then sleep”
- “Than” is for comparisons, e.g. “I am taller than her”
