Notice anything wrong with this blog post title? Gooder is not even a word. Luckily, making a grammar mistake like this doesn’t happen often. (And this one was intentional btw.)
However, it is the smallest of grammar mistakes, even if they are accidental, that can cost you business, email subscribers and more.
One day I sent out an email. Perhaps, you received it. It read: “Are you ready to charge what your worth this year?”
Did you notice anything wrong in the subject line?
Well, obviously, I didn’t see it before I pushed the “send” key. Off it went into cyberspace – typo and all.
Imagine my embarrassment when I received an opt-out request and the reason provided was “Use of “your” when it should have been ‘you’re’ in an e-mail subject line.”
She was right. I had missed a classic error often made by others and my face turned red when I read her message. However, I’m grateful because it also prompted this blog about contractions and how they’re commonly misused.
3 Things to Remember Next Time You’re Writing Your Content
1. YOUR vs. YOU’RE:
“Your” means “of or relating to you or yourself.” For instance, “What is your time worth?”
“You’re” is plan and simple – it means “you are.” In other words, “Are you ready to charge what you’re worth this year?”
2. ITS vs. IT’S:
“Its” is used to indicate possession or the recipient of an action such as “As he looked up at me, my dog was wagging its tail.”
”It’s” means “it is” or “it has.” So, “It’s time to take the dog for a walk.”
3. THERE, THEIR and THEY’RE:
“There” means “in or at that place,” “to, into or toward that place,” or “that place or point,” For instance, “”Let’s sit over there,” “I flew over there on an airplane,” or “When they saw the flames, they got out of there fast.”
“Their” is used to indicate possession. “They were upset to learn that the airline lost their luggage.”
“They’re” means “they are.” So, “They’re going to leave for the airport shortly to catch their plane.”
No matter how well you write or how many times you have read something, always get someone else to read your content before you click send, publish or print. This will save you much more than you realize.
Did you ever send out a message only to discover a typo after you sent it out? Were you embarrassed? Please share your experience in the comment box below because I’d love to hear from you.
Source: Webster’s II New Riverside Dictionary, Berkley Books, New York.
