# For my 9yo: they're,there,their,your,you're,lose,loose, etc... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 10, 2015, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168 "2015-11-10T04:16:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/21 "2015-11-10T16:56:39Z")
> [@dirty1](#): > > I wrote this down tonight to quiz my 4th grade daughter. It’s just a few of my pet peeves, in a few sentences. My plan is to dictate and have her write it down, but figured I’d share it and invite people to improve upon it: Its time for it’s medication, I’ll be rite back. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/22 "2015-11-10T17:02:51Z")
I strongly suggest including “its” and “it’s”. ---
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/23 "2015-11-10T17:06:35Z")
The ones I see mixed up the most (on THIS board, even!) are then (sequence) and than (comparison), and affect change) and effect (result). Do NOT let her join this board until she knows the difference. PS: There is definitely no A in definite! ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/24 "2015-11-10T17:20:53Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Sense and since are another pair of words that cause trouble. > > It’s been years since I saw Kathy. > Please pick me up a bag of chips since you’re going to the store anyway. > > The rabbit senses danger as the hungry wolves get closer and closer… Is this another ‘cot’ versus ‘caught’ issue? ‘Since’ and ‘sense’ are not homophones to me at all. Well, neither are ‘cot’ and ‘caught’ but I’ve given up on that battle. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/25 "2015-11-10T17:25:27Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Is this another ‘cot’ versus ‘caught’ issue? > > ‘Since’ and ‘sense’ are not homophones to me at all. Well, neither are ‘cot’ and ‘caught’ but I’ve given up on that battle. Yes, and no. In my dialect in my head, they don’t sound alike. When speaking aloud at conversational speed, they do sort of muddle together. (Chicago) ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/26 "2015-11-10T19:39:20Z")
The misuse of too, to and two and there, their and they’re, are the ones that drive me nuts. Good for you! ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/27 "2015-11-10T20:03:49Z")
Their car needs its brakes replaced. They’re going to get them from that shop over there. It’s a bit expensive, but those are the breaks. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/28 "2015-11-10T20:29:21Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Their car needs its brakes replaced. They’re going to get them from that shop over there. It’s a bit expensive, but those are the breaks. It needs two of its windows replaced, too, but it’s too expensive to do two. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/29 "2015-11-10T22:12:00Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Is this another ‘cot’ versus ‘caught’ issue? > > ‘Since’ and ‘sense’ are not homophones to me at all. Well, neither are ‘cot’ and ‘caught’ but I’ve given up on that battle. So you have neither the cot-caught merger nor the pin-pen merger. How about the marry-merry-Mary merger? ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/30 "2015-11-10T22:13:18Z")
Another one that bugs me: site, cite, and sight. You can be cited for trespassing if you are sighted at the wrong site. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/31 "2015-11-11T00:21:06Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Is this another ‘cot’ versus ‘caught’ issue? > > ‘Since’ and ‘sense’ are not homophones to me at all. Well, neither are ‘cot’ and ‘caught’ but I’ve given up on that battle. Listen to Webster and decide. [http://www.merriam-webster.com/audio.php?file=sense001&word=sense&text=](http://www.merriam-webster.com/audio.php?file=sense001&word=sense&text=) [http://www.merriam-webster.com/audio.php?file=since001&word=since&text=](http://www.merriam-webster.com/audio.php?file=since001&word=since&text=) I hear little difference at all and Webster is a pretty good authority. “Sin” as in you sinned, is a bit stronger in since. But in my region both words are pronounced pretty much as “cents” with a shh sound at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/32 "2015-11-11T03:00:36Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > There’s “a rat” in separate. (I still use that one to this day). Mom was a legal secretary. I can still hear her telling me “sep **A** rate”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Graymalkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@Graymalkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Graymalkin)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/33 "2015-11-11T03:16:40Z")
flaunt and flout ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/34 "2015-11-11T04:01:43Z")
When she’s mastered all the above, point her toward [The Chaos poem](http://ncf.idallen.com/english.html). ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/35 "2015-11-11T20:18:42Z")
The rain reigns supreme in Seattle, but is reined in a bit down in Berkeley. ---
**Author:** ![EmbarrassingDad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/embarrassingdad/32/5441_2.png) [@EmbarrassingDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmbarrassingDad)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168/36 "2015-12-06T07:16:00Z")
First, my sincere thanks for all the replies, and sincere apologies for letting this topic rest like I did. There is so much good stuff here, I just wonder if anyone could possibly write a coherent story in a few paragraphs, using every form of every common mistake cited? Haha, if that’s even possible, the author could go down in history, I think. I don’t claim to know everything, and I probably even have mistakes in this post, but if you’re up to the challenge, I’m sure we’d all like to see it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-my-9yo-theyre-there-their-your-youre-lose-loose-etc/737168.md?page=1)