Commonly confused words

It can be a challenge to learn a new language, and English is no exception! It is only natural to make mistakes, but it’s also important to learn from them. Here are some common words that students often confuse, and notes on how to use them correctly:

“Their”, “There”, and “They’re” 

1. Their

• This is a possessive pronoun. 

• Use it to show that something belongs to a group of people. 

• Their house is really big.

1. There

• This is an adverb of place, to show where something is.

• The children are playing there.

• The house is over there. 

1. They’re

• This is a contraction – it takes two words (they are) and makes it one by removing a letter.

• They’re looking for people who know how to speak English well.

• It’s the end of the day and they’re not finished with work yet!

“It’s” and “Its”

1. It’s

• This is a contraction – it takes two words (it is) and makes it one by removing a letter.

• It’s really hot outside today!

• The students in the course are doing so well — it’s amazing!

1. Its 

• This is a possessive pronoun that shows something belongs to something else.

• My dog has a bone. The bone is its favourite thing to chew.

• In this example, “its” refers to the dog:  The bone is my dog’s favourite thing to chew.

“Two”, “To”, and “Too”

1. Two

• This is the number 2.

• I have two cats.

• There are only two students in class today.

1. To

• This is a preposition of movement.

• It shows where you are going.

• I am going to the beach tomorrow.

1. Too

• This means ‘also’ or ‘very’.

• The shopping mall is too busy. (It is very busy)

• The beach is busy, too. (The beach is also busy)

“Your” and “You’re”

1. Your

• This is a possessive pronoun.

• It shows that something belongs to you.

• Your dog is beautiful.

• Is this your book?

1. You’re

• This is a contraction – it takes two words (you are) and makes it one by removing a letter.

• You’re so lucky!

• Are you sure you’re not going to be late?

“Then” and “Than”

1. Than

• This is used when comparing two things to each other.

• Salad is healthier than chips.

• Canada is colder than South Africa.

1. Then

• This refers to time or the sequence of events.

• Eat your dinner, then you can have dessert.

• I did my homework, then I went to the gym.

So, now you know! If you ever have to write these words down, make sure of the spelling and punctuation. Sometimes a tricky apostrophe will change the meaning of your sentence completely.