We
Yankees like to tease our Rebel friends for their favorite word: “Ya’ll.”
But to be truthful, we’re just secretly jealous that we didn’t think of
it first. What an amazing word! Not only are there NO rules pertaining to
usage (how cool is that?), but it’s like a universal part: It works anywhere.
Sometimes
it’s a subject: “Are ya’ll going to the
game tonight?”
Sometimes
it’s an object: “I’d just like to thank
ya’ll for coming to my party!”
And
sometimes it’s even possessive: “Is ya’lls
coffee hot enough?”
Sadly,
for many years, there was no such word up North. But we’re a persistent bunch, here in the
land of blowing snow, tornadoes, and unsweetened tea. Over time, we finally landed on an
alternative: “you guys.” Although it can seem mildly offensive to
people who resist being called “guys,” you need to understand something about
the North: Everyone is a guy. You’re a guy; I’m a guy; Grandma’s a
guy. Everybody’s a guy. Little action figures are “army guys.” Cereal box toys, Little People, Lego men,
Baseball figures—they’re all just “guys”. Your hamster is a cute “little guy,” and your
neighbor’s Doberman is a “big guy.” The
jogger down the road is a “running guy,” and the garbage collector is a “trash
guy.” When your fridge breaks down, you call the “repair guy,” and when your
laptop gets a virus you call the “computer guy.” It may not be as endearing as “ya’ll,” but
that’s just what the Civil War got us.
So
you guys—what about “your” and “you’re”?
For those who stubbornly INSIST
on proper usage, instead of the vernacular, here are some quick and easy ways
to keep those pronouns straight:
1. “Your” is possessive--and it never, ever gets to have an apostrophe.
Life
is just not fair that way. So if you say
“yours,” leave off the apostrophe. There
is no such thing as “your’s.”
“This land is my land. This land is
your land.”
“Yours truly, Abe Lincoln ”
2. “You’re” is always replacing the more formal “you
are.”
The
apostrophe is literally replacing a missing letter (“a”) in the word “are.”
“You’re my best friend .”
In
one sentence, here’s how they look together:
“You’re not the
only one who is affected by your
temper.”
*********************************************************
Now
that we tackled that, let’s move on to something even bigger. Put on your mask: The grammar’s getting pretty thick in here .
. .
There.
Their. They’re.
These
three words sound exactly the same but have completely
unrelated meanings. (If you never
felt sorry for immigrants trying to learn our crazy language, today is a good
day to start.)
1. “There” always means “not here.”
It
even has “here” tucked in there, as a helpful clue.
“The game will not be held here; it is
over there.”
2. “They’re” always
means “they are.”
Again,
that apostrophe is warning us of a missing letter.
“They’re coming at 5:00.”
3. “Their” is always possessive (showing ownership).
This
is the plural form of “his” and “her”.
“Their
car has a huge dent in the side.”
Again,
add an “s” if you must, but leave off that apostrophe:
“I
think that dog might be theirs.”
For
fun, this is what a sentence looks like with all three forms used together:
They’re over there shopping for their school outfits.
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