Your vs. You're

[Ink]

YOUR VS. YOU'RE

Possession and Contraction

It is quite possibly one of the most common mistakes made by speakers of the English language - a slight distinction in terms of appearance, to be sure, but of paramount importance in regards to its function.

Perhaps it would be best to start by taking these brethren words apart, to find out what makes them so different. In the end, it all boils down to...

THE APOSTROPHE
--> ' <--

Yes, there it is. Right there in the middle. Hold on, take a closer look...

' ' ' ' '

Yes, there it is. It is EXTREMELY important that you remember what it is, what it means, where it is, and what it does. To summarize its glorious function...

• When left in the midst of a word, an apostrophe can cease to be punctuation, and signifies a contraction.
  
• Contractions are something we use everyday - they simply shorten a phrase by combining two words into a single word. For example, say 'we are going to the internet'. You could also say 'we're going to the internet'. We're is a contraction of We Are.
  
  We Are - A + ' = We're.
  This Will - Wi + ' = This'll.
  Do Not - O + ' = Don't.
  You Are - A + ' = You're.
  
  The meaning is the same, it's just a slightly informal way of shortening the phrase. Oh, hey, I just did it. Instead of saying 'it is', I utilized a contraction to say 'it's'. Neat.
  
• Only some phrases may be properly shortened into a contraction via use of an apostrophe. The specifics are buried in the world of English vernacular. You use them all the time in speech - now you know them for what they are.
  

So, now we understand how contractions work. So, we can properly utilize 'you're'. I believe you're ready to move on to your next lesson.

POSSESSION

Not the head-spinning kind, no. A possessive word simply implies ownership of the implied subject, whether it be mine or yours. See, there it was, right there. This land is my land. This land is your land. In this case, we are talking about the modification of a pronoun, implying said pronoun's ownership of something.

Oh, wait, I said pronoun's. Here, it can get a bit confusing. You see, I lied. An apostrophe doesn't necessarily MEAN a contraction when present in the midst of a word. No, it can also imply possessiveness. But we'll cover that exception later. Here's a quick rundown of how you can set straight what is yours, and what is mine.

• When implying possession of something, a possessive form of a word is required.
  
• When implying possession by a specific thing, a noun, the rule is simple, nine times out of ten - tack on an apostrophe, and an 's'.
  
  That is the admin's sandwich. Not the troll's sandwich.
  
  But, what if the word already ends with an 's'? Saying 'admins's' is a mite silly. It's easy to fix, really. Move the apostrophe to the end.
  
  Look at all of the users out there. This is the users' domain.
  
• Now, when you want to imply possession by a PRONOUN, such as you, me, that, this, etc., special rules apply. They're fairly irregular, and are just one of the quirks of the English language.
  
  Me = Mine
  You = Your
  He = His
  Her = Hers
  It = Its
  
  And so on. So, when you say 'this is your cake', not only are you missing out on said cake, you are using a possessive pronoun to imply ownership by somebody else.
  

I think we've covered all of the bases here. Let's summarize.

YOUR

• Is a possessive pronoun, implying ownership by you.
  
• Is similar to mine, his, and hers, and used in the same function.
  
• Is used in situations where an object (a noun), or some such thing is stated to be owned by you. Your cake. Your day. Your network.
  
• IS NOT INTERCHANGEABLE WITH YOU'RE.
  

YOU'RE

• Is a contraction of a pronoun and a verb, 'you' and 'are', 'you are', to shorten a longer phrase into one word.
  
• Is similar to we're, don't, and wouldn't in form - but not necessarily function.
  
• Is used in situations in which it is appropriate to be slightly informal and shorten a phrase to a single word, while retaining the original meaning.
  
• IS NOT INTERCHANGEABLE WITH YOUR.
  

Congratulations, you are now better informed than 3/4 of the internet. KNOWLEDGE.