Basic Writing Skills

Easily Confused Words (1a)

Review the following easily confused words.

its

belonging to it

  • That dog just walked on its back legs.
  • That store is having its back-to-school sale.
  • My car has a mind of its own.

it's

it is

  • Guess what? It’s my birthday!
  • Do you know if it’s four o’clock yet?

it has

  • It’s been driving me crazy.
  • I think it’s taken the waiter twenty minutes to come back.

there

  1. Most of the time, there means “at that place” (the opposite of "here").
    • I went there to meet my brother.
    • I found my wallet over there.
  2. When placed at the beginning of a sentence, there often has little meaning other than "something exists."
    • There are ghosts in that haunted house.
    • There is an old house on the corner.

 

their 

belongs to them

  • All of those kids with their contagious laughter really made my day.
  • They didn’t want to see all of their hard work go to waste.

 

they’re

"they are" or "they were".

  • They’re going to a party tomorrow.
  • You should meet my work friends; they’re a real hoot.

your

belonging to you

  • I like your shirt.
  • Your cat is hiding under the couch.
  • I think that pencil is yours.

you're

you + are

  • You’re sitting on my coat.
  • I think you’re ready for the next level.
  • He told me you’re a piano player

to

shows direction or aim

  • I went to the store.
  • She is going to school.

before an infinitive verb

  • I tried to run really fast.
  • We need to bake a cake.

too

excessively

  • It’s too hot to go outside.
  • This pizza is too salty!

also

  • We live in Texas, too.
  • You can come, too.

two

the number 2

  • I have two sisters.
  • Two of those dogs just ran away.

then

that time

  • We were very tired by then.
  • Since then, I have been afraid of clowns.

links items in a sequence

  • She parked the car, then she locked it.

If . . . then constructions

  • If you want more salad, then get some.

than

used to compare

  • That dog is smaller than all the rest.
  • Your paper is more wrinkly than mine.
  • This book is harder to understand than the last one.

This is the spelling you’d use for more than, less than, rather than, or other than.

Instructions for the quiz.

Choose the word that is spelled correctly.

Quiz