Table of Contents
You’re
- “you’re” is a contraction (two words put together with an apostrophe to replace the missing letters)
- “you’re” = “you are”
The apostrophe in “you’re” replaces the letter “a,” as in “you are.”
Contractions with forms of “be”:
singular (one)
- I’m (I am)
- you’re (you are)
- he’s (he is)
- she’s (she is)
- it’s (it is)
plural (more than one)
- we’re (we are)
- you’re (you are)
- they’re (they are)
Your
- “your” is a possessive pronoun (like “my, her, his, our, their”)
- Compare “your” to “our.” Different possessors, but the same idea.
Possessive nouns use apostrophes, but possessive pronouns do not.
Possessive pronouns:
singular (one)
- my (belonging to me)
- your (belonging to you)
- his (belonging to him)
- her (belonging to her)
- its (belonging to it)
plural (more than one)
- our (belonging to us)
- your (belonging to you)
- their (belonging to them)
Comparative examples:
- Dog, you’re never going to find your bone like that.
- “you’re” = “you are” (contraction)
- “your” = possessive pronoun (belonging to “you”)
- Your dog looked at me as if to say, “You’re crazy.”
- “Your” = possessive pronoun (belonging to “you”)
- “You’re” = “You are” (contraction)
- Did you know that your dog stole your steak yesterday?
- “your” = possessive pronoun (belonging to “you”)
- Your mother will not like that.
- “Your” = possessive pronoun (belonging to “you”)
- You’re going to have to teach him better manners if you’re going to keep him.
- “You’re” = “You are” (contraction)
Credits: Photo by Derick McKinney on Unsplash, United Nations poster, response to COVID-19