Alright, people, seriously, it's time for the Grammar Police. I just see these way, way too often:
Its vs. it's
Its = possessive
Example: Our political culture has lost its mind.
It's = contraction, it is
Example: It's crazy how often people fuck this up.
Your vs. You're
Your = possessive
Example: Don't lose your marbles.
You're = contraction, you are
Example: You're making me angry by getting this wrong so often, people.
Loose v. Lose
Loose = not tight
Example: You've got a screw loose if you use "loose" when you meant "lose."
Lose = to not have something
Example: You're going to lose your ability to speak and think clearly if you keep fucking these words up.
Lightening v. Lightning
Lightening = to make lighter, whether by weight or by color
Example: Lightening the load makes the car drive better.
Lightning = giant arcs of electricity shooting through the sky during storms
Example: Lightning will fuck you up if you're not careful.
Proper use: It's amazing how often you're going to find people lightening their cranial loads with the greased lightning of bad, loose grammar, which wends its way through people's speech, causing them to lose the ability to express themselves with clarity.
Improper use: Its amazing how often your going to find people lightening their cranial loads with the greased lightening of bad, loose grammar, which wends its way through people's speech, causing them to loose the ability to express themselves with clarity.
Makes my teeth ache, seeing that -- and, if you actually parse that second sentence, you'll find that the meaning is different from the proper sentence!
