![\"your](\"https:\/\/writingexplained.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/your-versus-you-re.png\")
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English has a lot of genuinely confusing words amongst its ranks, but the two words your vs. you\u2019re are not a part of<\/a> them. The difference between these two words is relatively straightforward, yet they are commonly mixed up with one another, especially on the Internet.<\/p>\n In today\u2019s post, I want to highlight the differences between these two words, show you how to use them with example sentences, and give you a few tips to keep track of them for your future writings. After reading this post, you shouldn\u2019t ever mix these two words up again, thereby sparing yourself the embarrassment of having someone else spot this mistake in your work.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n Since your is an adjective<\/a>, we can typically expect a noun or pronoun to follow it in our sentence. Consider our three examples above. All three have nouns<\/a> following your<\/em>. And since your<\/em> is possessive, it shows who the following noun belongs to: you. Your<\/em> glasses, your<\/em> house, and your<\/em> wedding.<\/p>\n Your<\/em> functions just like other possessive adjectives in this regard, adjectives like my<\/em>, his, her, its, our, <\/em>and, their<\/em>.<\/p>\n You\u2019re <\/em>actually stands for the words You are<\/em>.<\/p>\n Other contractions are,<\/p>\n So, we must keep this in mind when we are writing our sentences. If the two separate words you are<\/em> do not fit, we cannot use the contraction you\u2019re<\/em>. For example,<\/p>\n This sentence does not make sense using the contraction you\u2019re<\/em> when we split the word apart, so we know that it must be the possessive, one-word your.<\/em><\/p>\n Similarly,<\/p>\n This sentence makes perfect sense when we split apart the contraction, so we know that you\u2019re<\/em> is the correct choice.<\/p>\n There are two good checks you can use to keep yourself free from errors while using these two words.<\/p>\n Check one:<\/strong> If you are not sure that your<\/em> is the correct word for your sentence, look to see if a noun is anywhere around it. As I said above, your<\/em> is an adjective and therefore will be modifying a noun nearby. If there is no adjective around, you might want to use you\u2019re<\/em>.<\/p>\n Check two: <\/strong>That check is a little more technical. This next check is very easy and 100 percent accurate. No matter which word you think should be placed into the sentence, substitute it with you are<\/em> and see if the sentence still makes sense. If it still makes sense, use you\u2019re<\/em>. If it does not, use your<\/em>.<\/p>\n That said, you should not get in the habit of using contractions in formal writing because many teachers and professors frown upon it. In blogging, emails between friends, and general communication they are all right, but in any professional or formal setting, it is best to avoid them.<\/p>\n These two words sound alike, but mixing up you’re vs. your is an embarrassing mistake that is easy to avoid.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\nWhat is the Difference Between Your and You\u2019re<\/h2>\n
When to Use Your<\/h2>\n
![\"your](\"https:\/\/writingexplained.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/your.png\")
Your<\/em> is the possessive<\/a> form of you<\/em>. It is a second-person possessive adjective used as a modifier before a noun. For example,<\/p>\n\n
When to Use You\u2019re<\/h2>\n
![\"you're](\"https:\/\/writingexplained.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/your-copy.png\")
The word you\u2019re<\/em> is actually a contraction of two separate words, and the apostrophe in the middle of the word indicates this to us. When you see words with an apostrophe like this, you can be sure that it is a contraction; the apostrophe stands for a missing letter (or letters) in the word.<\/p>\n\n
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Remember the Difference<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Summary<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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