# Learn the goddam difference between its and it's! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 3, 2002, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676 "2002-04-03T22:56:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cargogal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/48db29/32.png) [@Cargogal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cargogal)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/1 "2002-04-03T22:56:07Z")
Perhaps, once you have that mastered, you can move to your vs. you’re. Perhaps… someday… who vs. whom. If you’re not sure, don’t use whom because you believe it’ll make you sound smart. You will only sound even stupider. This rant is broadly applicable to many, many message boards, emails, letters to the editor, even scientific papers, fer chrissake! ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/2 "2002-04-03T23:04:30Z")
Ah, it never fails. The moment you step up to pick on someone’s grammar or spelling… …you screw something up yourself. At any rate, I completely agree. Most heartily with the your/you’re conundrum. ---
**Author:** ![JustPlainBryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@JustPlainBryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustPlainBryan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/3 "2002-04-03T23:05:29Z")
its a tradegy that so many people dont know basic english grammer. ---
**Author:** ![Cargogal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/48db29/32.png) [@Cargogal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cargogal)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/4 "2002-04-03T23:09:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scout1222 \* > \*\*Ah, it never fails. > > The moment you step up to pick on someone’s grammar or spelling… > > …you screw something up yourself. > > At any rate, I completely agree. Most heartily with the your/you’re conundrum. \*\* It’s similar to the mummy’s curse. Whenever I critique, I read the post over very, very carefully… and usually miss something. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/5 "2002-04-03T23:24:42Z")
I took pity on you and fixed it. Because I agree with you. ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/6 "2002-04-03T23:26:21Z")
There/Their/They’re Two/To/Too Sight/Site/Cite It’s a hopeless struggle, but put up the good fight. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/7 "2002-04-04T00:15:40Z")
Okay fine, I’ll be the ugly Doper, as it were. If we are talking solely about message boards, I’d say simply … “Bite me.” I’ve dragged this argument out a billion times, so I guess one more time won’t hurt. When I compose my posts here, I speak in my head, and whatever comes out flows down my arm, through my fingers and onto the keyboard. Homophones sometimes slip in. I’ve used “won” when I meant “one” more times than I can remember. If a post is generally grammatically correct and the typos don’t appear in every other word, then I’d say you got you panties wound up a little too tightly. And “stupider” isn’t a word. So there. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/8 "2002-04-04T01:13:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jack Batty \* > > then I’d say you got **you** panties wound up a little too tightly. \\ 😉 And let’s not forget then vs than. They all annoy me, but that one is defin **i** tely the one that makes my skin crawl the most. While I agree with **Jack Batty** that I can easily overlook _typos_, it’s different when it’s obvious (by repeated wrong usage) that someone simply doesn’t know the difference and doesn’t care enough to learn the correct word. Bigger/taller/shorter/faster th **a** n. ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/9 "2002-04-04T02:15:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jack Batty \* > \*\*And “stupider” isn’t a word. So there. \*\* Thank you! Typos I can overlook; those happen to everyone. But the grammatical errors just grate my nerves. I hate this and I see it all the time, and I didn’t want to nitpick but since the thread’s already here: The proper thing to say is “more or most stupid” not “stupider” or “stupidest”. There’s currently a thread in Cafe Society right now called **Books that start good, end bad**. ARRRGGH! That’s wrong! Wrong, wrong! I don’t want to be an ass and go in there simply to correct the grammar of the thread title, but I’m tempted everytime I go into Cafe Society and see it there on the first page. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/10 "2002-04-04T02:16:18Z")
Then there is **lay/lie.** ---
**Author:** ![Cargogal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/48db29/32.png) [@Cargogal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cargogal)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/11 "2002-04-04T02:39:05Z")
Take an adjectve; -er makes the comparative, -est makes the superlative. I see, from a quick search, that ‘stupider’ is given as acceptable by the first two [relevant](http://www.easyenglish.com/lesson.asp?best.txt) [hits](http://assets.cambridge.org/0521625750/sample/0521625750WSC00.pdf) (for the second one, go to Page 6 - it lists stupid as one of the two-syllable adjectives that conform to the -er -est rule). Does someone want to bribe Lederer or Safire to contradict that? This may be a stupider thread than most, but it is by no means the stupidest I’ve ever seen. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/12 "2002-04-04T04:28:22Z")
Here’s my way of ‘splaining it to my children: “Its,” “his” and “hers” are possessive by definition. You wouldn’t write “it’s tail” anymore than you’d write "his’ tail." And, please, people, a lot is two words. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/13 "2002-04-04T04:51:15Z")
I’d like to take a moment to rant about my biggest grammatical pet peeve: **The word combination “different than” does not exist in English, you drooling knuckledragger!** An object can be “bigger than,” “faster than,” or “heavier than.” Note how these examples mean, “more X than.” It is impossible for one object to have “more different than” another. Say it correctly, you primates. It’s “different FROM.” And KEEP saying it correctly, or I will follow you home and buy a house in your neighborhood. And you do NOT want me affecting your property values. ---
**Author:** ![Cargogal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/48db29/32.png) [@Cargogal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cargogal)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/14 "2002-04-04T04:57:59Z")
“Effect” means to put into motion, to enable; or the end result thereof. “Affect” means to have an impact upon. Mixing those pisses me off. I also post to an automotive forum. It seems that half of the folk there believe that the things that stop cars are called ‘breaks.’ AAAAAAaaaa!!! ---
**Author:** ![Ironblayde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f14d63/32.png) [@Ironblayde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ironblayde)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/15 "2002-04-04T06:54:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max Torque \* > \*\*I’d like to take a moment to rant about my biggest grammatical pet peeve: > > The word combination “different than” does not exist in English, you drooling knuckledragger!\*\* On a somewhat similar note, I hate the phrase “same difference” as well. Also, this one isn’t abused as much as your/you’re and the like, but there are a lot of people out there who really need to learn the difference between “imply” and “infer.” ---
**Author:** ![OliverTwistofLime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b487fb/32.png) [@OliverTwistofLime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OliverTwistofLime)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/16 "2002-04-04T07:24:56Z")
What grinds my teeth is: "How yuh doin? Oh, I’m doin good. Isn’t “I’m doing well” the correct response? (if one IS doing nicely). But I feel good or I feel well are both correct. Am I right? (This brief message is probably full of grammatical errors as well). ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/17 "2002-04-04T07:45:28Z")
One that always annoys me is “should have went” instead of “should have gone.” Some people, even otherwise apparently educated people seem never to have heard of the past participle. Worse is “should **of** went.” Aaargh!:mad: ---
**Author:** ![Tsubaki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@Tsubaki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tsubaki)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/18 "2002-04-04T11:05:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DesertGeezer \* > **Worse is "should of went."** I TOTALLY agree! OK, since you are all up on your grammar, I’ll ask for your advice. What is the difference between “inquire” and “enquire”? If someone wants to join the association of which I’m a member, are they “inquiring” or “enquiring”? Your help is greatly appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/19 "2002-04-04T11:25:44Z")
Most of my pet peeves have been mentioned, but… “Hoard” and “horde”. I’m a D&D player, I see this a lot. A dragon’s wealth is not its “horde”. A barbarian army is not a “hoard”. Thank you for your attention. “Flaunt” and “flout”. If I see one more person “flaunting” the law… ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676/20 "2002-04-04T12:33:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tsubaki \* > \*\* > > What is the difference between “inquire” and “enquire”? > \*\* The difference is that inquire starts witn an “i” whereas enquire starts with an “e”. Otherwise there is no difference. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learn-the-goddam-difference-between-its-and-its/101676.md?page=2)