Finding Ninee » Sharing our parenting and special needs stories with heart and humor.

A grammar lesson. When to use there, it’s and could’ve.

There’s a lot of stuff to be thankful for, out there, in this big huge world, right now. Much of it has to do with kindness, empathy, wonder, and appreciation. I’m an advocate for all of those, always.

But I’ve been thinking about grammar this week.

Here’s a quick guide to some of the grammatical errors that annoy the crap out of me. Here’s how to use there, their, and they’re, your or you’re, could’ve, would’ve and should’ve and a bonus – the word “regardless.” Happy Monday, friends!

Grammar Lesson: Using There, It

There, Their and They’reThere1

There is a place or whatever it’s called when used like this: “So yeah. There is no way I’m cleaning up the mess you made on purpose right now.”
Their indicates that a noun belongs to them. “Tucker is their son.”
They’re is a contraction of they and are. So if you can substitute “they are” in the sentence, they’re is your word. Now, speaking of “your…”

There’s a difference between your and you’re:

Your

To test which one to use, try using the words “you are” instead of you’re or your.  If “you are” works, use “you’re.”

Should Have. Would have. Could have. NEVER EVER OF. Ever. 

Should1

Because I personally know more than one smart person who has typed “of” rather than “have” in an email to me, and they may not believe a dumbass like yours truly, I’ve hired this really smart dark-haired professor woman with glasses and a British accent to educate you. You can tell she’s smart because she has books all around her with titles such as “Hard Things for Smarties.”  Not a title that I’ll likely ever own. To recap, saying “would of” rather than “would have” sounds stupid.

Regardless

Regardless1

Adding “ir” to regardless makes it void and incorrect.  Irregardless is not really a proper word. Look it up.  See? Even The Dictionary says that while it’s “a word,” that you’d sound like a stupidhead using it. Fine, I’m paraphrasing, but they do say to use “regardless” instead. I’m not pulling your leg.  Plus, did you like how I incorporated the “you’re” lesson into this drawing, too!  Little reinforcers, people!  They help!

It’s vs. Its

Its1

“It’s” is short for “it is” or “it has.”  “Its” is not.  Now, I know it may be tempting to use an apostrophe to show possession as in “…it’s wings,” but that’s not correct. Ever. Unless you can use the words “it is” for “it’s” then use “its” instead. Easy, right?

There are probably a lot of other common mistakes that I’m forgetting to mention here (a lot being one of them) but I’m tired and it’s past time to be thankful.

What are some grammatical errors that totally annoy you? What are you thankful for?

This is part of the Ten Things of Thankful movement. Visit some of the links below!

Ten Things of Thankful Your hosts
A Fly on our (Chicken Coop) Wall, Amycake and the Dude, Considerings, Finding Ninee, Getting Literal, I Want Backsies, Mother of Imperfection, Rewritten, Thankful Me, The Wakefield Doctrine


by Kristi Campbell

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  • Misty - i so love this!May 19, 2014 – 6:44 amReplyCancel

  • Allie - Kristi, I love this. Thank goodness for my husband, he is my grammar cop. One that sometimes irritates me is the misuse of “that” and “which.”May 19, 2014 – 7:08 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Allie, “that” and “which” can be tricky and whenever I’m not sure which to use, I change the sentence so that I don’t have to use either.May 19, 2014 – 11:52 amReplyCancel

  • Janine Huldie - Love this and should totally be taught in every English 101 class across the country. Seriously, not sure how many still don’t know their proper grammar and so many of these are truly pet peeves of mine when I see them being misused so very often. Great job though Kristi and totally nailed it!! 🙂May 19, 2014 – 7:20 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - HAHA Janine! Feel free to use the drawings in your classroom if you ever decide to go back to teaching! 😉May 19, 2014 – 8:15 pmReplyCancel

  • christine - So, what say you on the “all of a sudden” vs. “all of the sudden” controversy?

    I bugs me a bit when people use they or their instead of he or she or her or his. I get that people want to be PC or something, but their is plural. Don’t use it if you’re talking about a single person.

    And to Jean, I never know which I’m supposed to use, lie or lay. I just pull an Elmer Fudd and find a different way to say what I want to say. 🙂May 19, 2014 – 8:51 amReplyCancel

    • christine - It also bugs me a bit when people don’t reread their comments and leave typos when they are talking about being grammatically correct. (No it doesn’t.) I’m an idiot.May 19, 2014 – 8:53 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi - John and I agree on most issues, but have had to agree to disagree on the “all of a sudden” vs. “all of the sudden” question. I was shocked when I heard him say “the!”May 19, 2014 – 10:46 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Christine,
      Well. Until NOW, I’ve never even heard “all of THE sudden” but that just sounds plain old weird and wrong to me. They vs. he/she bugs me as well but I’ve been trying to let go on that one because I understand people’s points when they (used correctly) don’t want it to sound as formal as he/she. I usually choose (not chose which is another one) a sex and do the “blah blah blah “he” thing). I never know about lie vs. lay either so I do the same thing you do!! HAHA. Guess that says we’re so brilliant that we’re even able to rework a sentence to avoid the words we don’t want to use.May 19, 2014 – 8:18 pmReplyCancel

  • Sarah Rudell Beach (@LeftBrainBuddha) - Oh thank you thank you thank you for this!!!! These little grammatical errors drive this teacher absolutely bonkers! I may use your pictures with my students!May 19, 2014 – 8:51 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Hehe Sarah! Let me know if you need “cleaner” versions of the graphics for your students 😉May 19, 2014 – 8:19 pmReplyCancel

  • Kristi - The misuse of the word “literally” isn’t really a grammatical error, but it makes me laugh!May 19, 2014 – 10:51 amReplyCancel

  • Dana - The misuse of the word literally may make Kristi (in the comment above) laugh, but annoys the hell out of me! I live in constant fear of making these errors due to a typo, because I certainly know the correct usage. Ok, maybe constant fear is an exaggeration. You get my point.May 19, 2014 – 11:50 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - I can’t think of when it’s used incorrectly! Help? HAHAH to the constant fear. I make errors all over the place and I’m fine with my own. Yours, too, not that I’ve noticed one.May 19, 2014 – 8:28 pmReplyCancel

      • christine - For example, “I literally died laughing.”May 19, 2014 – 8:31 pmReplyCancel

        • Kristi Campbell - OH! Really!!! People say that? HAHAHA I’d totally call them on that. Or him. Or her, if it was just you know, one single person instead of a bunch. Thanks, Christine!May 19, 2014 – 8:42 pmReplyCancel

  • Elizabeth - Love this! What fun!May 19, 2014 – 1:16 pmReplyCancel

  • Tamara - All of these bother me! All of them.
    I’m also bothered by you not getting any new babies or puppies.
    I want both. Is that weird?
    Cassidy would have to do all of the work this time, though.May 19, 2014 – 1:53 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Sigh. I want lots of babies and puppies. Until I think about babies and puppies and then I want lots and lots and lots of both. But, well. So no, you’re not weird. Ever.May 19, 2014 – 10:15 pmReplyCancel

  • Sarah - I always appreciate someone willin to clarify these rules for the ignorant masses (was that too harsh?). ‘Of’ instead of ‘have’ makes me want to scream. But overuse of ‘I’ instead of ‘me’ makes me scream louder. And ‘they’ instead of ‘he or she’ which almost everyone on the planet does wrong.May 19, 2014 – 1:58 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - HAHAH to the ignorant masses, Sarah! And no, not too harsh ever. I vs. Me pisses me off as well. When I was 12 years old, I went to stay with my very proper grandmother for the summer. I got a dime every time I said “yes” instead of “yeah” or “uh huh.” AND the bonus? More when I said “and me.” in the right way rather than “and I,” which is the instinct of the unknowing nonthinkers 😉May 19, 2014 – 10:20 pmReplyCancel

  • Robbie - I LOVE this!! I cringe when I hear or read bad grammar. I’d add “pecifically” to the list.May 19, 2014 – 2:39 pmReplyCancel

  • Yvonne - Oh this is hilarious Kristi! And educational too of course.
    I wrote an article on this topic too, when I used to write at HubPages. And tried to make it funny, but my attempt did not come close to this.
    You covered many of my pet hates, though lose and loose are another as is misuse of lay – which I noticed Jean also mentioned. That one probably irritates me most, because so many people use it that it’s almost become accepted to say lay where you should say lie.

    But I will confess that I am guilty of Christine’s pet hate and often use they instead of she/he. So I guess we all do something we shouldn’t!May 19, 2014 – 5:15 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Thanks, Yvonne! I never was on the HubPages stuff, but I’m sure yours was AWESOME and hilarious and much more brilliant than this. I can’t believe I forgot about loose vs. lose (and choose vs. chose). I suck at lay vs. lie and yeah, the “them” thing is one that I think is becoming more widely accepted.May 19, 2014 – 10:34 pmReplyCancel

  • Lisa @ Golden Spoons - OMG! I love you so much!!! I am a self proclaimed grammar nazi – born and raised by a high school English teacher (my mom). These all drive me insane. I think the regardless/irregardless one is the worst because people who say it think they are saying something very intelligent. It’s the same as “I could care less.” It should be “I COULDN”T care less.” Anyway, this is awesome! 🙂May 19, 2014 – 5:48 pmReplyCancel

    • christine - How could I have forgotten the could care less?!?!?! That makes me nuts. Every time someone says it I correct him in my head.May 19, 2014 – 8:29 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Aw, Lisa! I love you back! And here’s to grammar and doing it right – you’re probably way better than I am with it if you were raised by an English teacher! But yeah, they drive me insane, too. I’m continually shocked by how many writers use the wrong “you’re” vs. “your.”
      And YES to “I couldn’t care less!!!!” A great addition! Will save for round two!!May 19, 2014 – 10:38 pmReplyCancel

      • Janice - “I could care less” is the one mistake that bothers me the most, so much so that I can’t let it slide when someone uses it with me, and I always retort: So, you could care less? I’m so obnoxious.May 21, 2014 – 9:24 amReplyCancel

        • Kristi Campbell - Janice, I love that you actually say “so you could care less?” It IS infuriating though!May 21, 2014 – 10:29 amReplyCancel

  • allison - LOVE IT.
    PRETTY sure I do “of” instead of “have” more times than I would admit to. Thankfully I now have an image of a dark haired professor with a British accent in my head telling me I am wrong. WRONG. That I should HAVE used should HAVE. (like what I did there?)May 19, 2014 – 7:36 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Well. Now you know then? And if it makes you feel better, I never gave the “of” vs. “have” much thought until a work friend of mine, who went to HARVARD for MBA used “I could of” in an email to me. Then? Oh yeah. Probably jealousy and loved what you did there. 😉May 19, 2014 – 11:02 pmReplyCancel

  • Michele @ A Storybook Life - This post is a thing of beauty. It’s immediately going up on the corkboard in my office!May 19, 2014 – 8:14 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - YAY for corkboards with my stupid-looking drawings on them 😉
      Seriously though, thanks, Michele.May 19, 2014 – 11:08 pmReplyCancel

  • zoe - truth be known I have made the its mistake but I must admit…just as you see no cap on the first letter of this diatribe, I am not stupid . I am a lazy ass.May 19, 2014 – 8:39 pmReplyCancel

    • zoe - BTW: switched to wordpress. So my comments should show IRRegardless… actually that one drives me ape-shit!May 19, 2014 – 8:40 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Lazy ass is GOOD. Stupid is stupid. Duh.May 19, 2014 – 11:09 pmReplyCancel

  • Jess H. - All of these errors drive me nuts. I especially cannot stand when people use irregardless as a word. Ack.May 19, 2014 – 9:38 pmReplyCancel

  • Kim - Oh – I can’t stand the obvious misuse of so many of those words!!! Fun post!!!May 19, 2014 – 10:02 pmReplyCancel

  • Dyanne @ I Want Backsies - I’m a grammar nazi, too, and have raised two more. My daughter came back from competing at state music contest with a shirt she bought that simply says *you’re

    I agree that all the ones you listed are annoying as hell. I also hate adding an “S” to a word, such as Walmarts. Anyways. And my boss puts “ect.” instead of “etc.” on EVERYTHING. I just let it go and have a private snicker….May 19, 2014 – 10:54 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Dyanne,
      That’s awesome about your daughters being grammar nazis and I <3 the shirt that just says *you're! HAHA to Walmarts. I haven't heard that one but it's funny. Here's to bosses and snickering. You'd think spellcheck would auto-correct "ect" because ugh.May 20, 2014 – 10:38 amReplyCancel

  • Michelle AKA Crumpets and Bollocks - When it came to urban street language, I learned from people with bad grammar, so when they say crack feen, what they mean is crack fiend and when they say heffer, what they really mean is heifer. It’s funny because I only heard these terms on the streets like street vernacular, but they are not urban dictionary made up words, like they really existed before the streets started using them and misspelling them.

    But I’ve learned that words change over time as people misuse them. For instance, the definition of sarcasm used to be a straight insult and the verbal irony involved, saying one thing but meaning another, was reserved for verbal irony. Now a days, sarcasm and verbal irony mean the same thing because that many people were misinformed.May 20, 2014 – 6:31 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Michelle, I can’t think of the word that I was going to use as another example of how their meanings change over time as people misuse them. Also? Thanks for the “crack feen” clarification because well, AWESOME.May 20, 2014 – 11:44 amReplyCancel

  • Molley@A Mother Life - And then we have the other fun ones like conversate and on accident! *head implodes can. no. longer. type, must. go. lie. down…….*

    Grammar is a dying art that we must fight to save… Who’s with me?May 20, 2014 – 8:14 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Molley – “conversate” makes me laugh because I assume it’s being used as a joke, even when it’s not. Here’s to saving grammar! A revolution!!May 20, 2014 – 11:56 amReplyCancel

      • Molley@A Mother Life - I know, I can’t help but correct them when it’s used in my presence… I can’t help it, I’ve tried. I might need therapyMay 20, 2014 – 12:02 pmReplyCancel

  • Deb @ Urban Moo Cow - And this is why I heart you. 🙂May 20, 2014 – 11:23 amReplyCancel

  • Kelly L McKenzie - I should have read this earlier, shouldn’t I? Had I done so, Regardless of the time of day, I am always with you on the grammar front. I know I make a mistake more often than not on the “… and I” front. I, yes, sometimes say/type I when it should be me.
    What annoys me to no end? “I seen….” No you didn’t. You SAW. Thank you. Over and out.May 20, 2014 – 12:36 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - UGH Kelly! “I seen…” is awful. Like bleeding ears awful. And we all make mistakes of course!!May 20, 2014 – 7:36 pmReplyCancel

  • Linda Roy - THIS! All of it! A resounding YES! This stuff drives me bonkers. I am a self proclaimed Grammar Nazi and as bad as I feel about standing in grammatical judgement, I admit I do it. I used to go to a therapist who said “irregardless” and I couldn’t take her seriously.May 20, 2014 – 3:04 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - You went to a therapist who said “irregardless???” Did you ever correct her and if you did, did she tell you that you have more issues than she would have otherwise? Intrigued. Thanks, Linda!May 20, 2014 – 7:42 pmReplyCancel

      • Linda Roy - Yeah! Funny, huh? She did it SO many times. Believe me, I was DYING to say something. But i think I’d already straightened her rug and repositioned her picture frames so many times, I thought that would push her over the edge.May 20, 2014 – 7:47 pmReplyCancel

        • Kristi Campbell - Seriously – that would have driven me nuts, too but I’m grinning at the idea of you going to your therapist’s office and straightening her rug and picture frames because that’s just plain old awesome.May 20, 2014 – 7:51 pmReplyCancel

          • LInda Roy - I actually thought she was awesome. She was funny. That one thing bugged me – and she was kind of a crazy cat lady – but she was a gem.

            I asked her once if she messed up the frames and the rug on purpose before I came in, since I have OCD, just to see what I’d do. She looked at me with this real deadpan expression and said “May-beeee…” lolMay 20, 2014 – 7:55 pm

        • Kristi Campbell - OMG I LOVE the deadpan “maybeeee” hahahah she sounds really cool. Except for the cat thing, because I’m way allergic. Of course.May 20, 2014 – 11:06 pmReplyCancel

  • Louise - I love this. I am currently wondering what sent you over the grammatical edge, but I love this!

    And here’s the part where I admit that I still have to proofread myself for its/it’s. I know the rule. I understand the rule. I still chronically type it incorrectly. Apparently my fingers don’t know the rule.May 20, 2014 – 5:02 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - HAHA I’m sent over the edge every day but just bury it until I um, explode a little bit? When it comes down to it, I realize that language is a means to get a point across, and if that happens, who cares about grammar and stuff, right? And mostly, I try to believe that but UGH I can’t stand it when I see “your welcome” and stuff like that.
      HAHA to your fingers not knowing the rule. My fingers have certain words that they can never ever spell. Like exaggeration, and jewelry. Like just now? I tried exaggeration three different ways before spell-check told me “ok you’re good, dummy.” 😉May 20, 2014 – 7:54 pmReplyCancel

  • Real Life Parenting - Whenever I hear or see anyone make these errors, they immediately lose smart cred (if they had any to begin with). I know I’m not perfect, but dude. Seriously.

    Grammar matters!May 21, 2014 – 9:24 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - IKNOWRIGHT? I am very very very far from perfect but “irregardless?” Ick.May 21, 2014 – 10:25 amReplyCancel

  • Don - Irregardless is the worst. People who say irregardless should be catapulted to the moon. I love calling people out on grammar stupidity. I wish it was my job. Lol.May 21, 2014 – 4:01 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Now that would be a fun job. I get to do it at work, sometimes. Jealous? They don’t let me have handcuffs though, so maybe we’re even.May 21, 2014 – 7:30 pmReplyCancel

  • Sandy Ramsey - How did I miss this?!?! Probably all that real life stuff that has put me weeks behind on my reading! This is so funny, but oh, so true. It drives me nuts, too. I’m sure I screw up every once in a while even thought I try very hard not to. I see this pretty consistently, though so I’m very glad you decided to put it out there and illustrate it for us 🙂 Love it!!May 22, 2014 – 1:02 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - I’m behind, too, Sandy! We went to Tennessee and the wifi was spotty and well, I’m catching up a little this afternoon. Thanks so much and happy Memorial Day!May 26, 2014 – 5:29 pmReplyCancel

  • Kimberly - I have the worst grammar on the net.
    Don’t shun me.May 23, 2014 – 5:18 amReplyCancel

  • Kenya G. Johnson - Thank goodness I don’t write like I talk – because I totally say could of, would of, should of. That paragraph really make me laugh. Now I’m going to be all paranoid and annunciate my haves.

    I don’t say this out loud and I don’t think I’ve seen it written but I hate to hear someone say, idear. Like, “I think that’s an excellent idear.” My husband has a made up word that embarasses me, he’s says “rether”. I need to ask him how he spells it. He uses it in the place of “whether” and “rather”.

    Ex: Would you rether have vanilla or strawberry?
    Ex. I doesn’t matter rether I have vanilla or strawberry.

    Are you laughing?May 24, 2014 – 3:46 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Kenya! I saw this in the car on our way back from Tennessee and was laughing so hard that my son told me to be quiet! HA. I’d much rether have vanilla, too. I’ve heard “idear” before – same with “warsh” for “warshing the clothes.” I can just picture you walking around saying “I would HAVE cleaned the fish tank but would rether have Christopher do it!” 😀May 26, 2014 – 5:32 pmReplyCancel

  • Brittnei - Hahahaha. I try so hard not to make these errors on my blog especially because it can annoy people and let’s face it, I do want to write properly. I loved the humor in your grammatical lessons, too!May 25, 2014 – 4:52 pmReplyCancel

  • Kerith Stull - I’m so glad I’m not the only one who goes crazy seeing words misused! Bring on the grammar police!!May 26, 2014 – 3:50 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Definitely not alone in going crazy seeing misused words, Kerith! HAHA 😀May 26, 2014 – 5:33 pmReplyCancel

  • April - LOL! I hate these grammatical errors. If I think I even typed any of these wrongs (except the haves and regardless), I say them out loud to double check! To fix all of them are so simple, it’s ridiculous! Thanks for sharing with Countdown in Style!May 26, 2014 – 11:43 pmReplyCancel

  • Seana Turner - The one that drives me crazy is when people use the wrong pronoun with the word “than”… as in “She is taller than me” The correct grammar is “She is taller than I.” If people would finish the sentence by adding the verb, it would be obvious “She is taller than I AM”February 10, 2015 – 7:10 amReplyCancel

  • Morley Mary - I really completely enjoyed this. I frankly don’t know just how can you produce these type of top quality posts each opportunity!
    It type of reminded me of https://trollacademy.org, yet this seems to have
    evened the score extra particular. Thanks forever discussing
    your current knowledge!July 26, 2020 – 11:09 amReplyCancel

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