# Your **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 5, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721 "2004-03-05T17:03:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@robo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robo99)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/1 "2004-03-05T17:03:10Z")
I’m sure it’s all Americans - they just don’t know what this word means anymore. Who’s teaching our kids? ---
**Author:** ![UselessGit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/74df32/32.png) [@UselessGit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UselessGit)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/2 "2004-03-05T17:16:09Z")
I agree. Damn Americans… So… what are you on about? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/3 "2004-03-05T17:18:14Z")
You’re mama! ---
**Author:** ![robo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@robo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robo99)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/4 "2004-03-05T17:23:07Z")
> [@UselessGit](#): > > I agree. > > Damn Americans… > > So… what are you on about? People more and more writing “your” when they mean “you’re”. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/5 "2004-03-05T17:48:04Z")
> [@robo99](#): > > Who’s teaching our kids? That’d be underpaid, underappreciated, overworked, overmanaged public school teachers, Bob. Unless, that is, you volunteer as a tutor with your local schools, in which case I apologize for criticizing your armchair-quarterbacking. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/6 "2004-03-05T17:58:31Z")
Hey! [Over here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=243066), yo! ---
**Author:** ![robo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@robo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robo99)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/7 "2004-03-05T20:52:01Z")
> [@Jeff Olsen](#): > > Hey! [Over here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=243066), yo! That other thread got sidetracked fast. I don’t care about misspellings in general. It’s this rampant use of “your” for “you’re” that is driving me nuts!!! AAAAAAARGH! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/8 "2004-03-06T17:16:40Z")
While we’re on the subject… People who use “could of” instead of “could have”- this is so rampant that my college-level English instructor brought it to the attention of the class as a grammatical no-no. People who use “their” whey they mean “they’re”, and vice-versa. (BTW, I personally don’t have a problem with “they/their” as a gender-neutral singular pronoun, even though it gives English teachers fits. Until we come up with an alternative pronoun, we have to use something and saying “he or she” in every other sentence can be a bit clunky) There are others, but I haven’t had enough coffee to be able to list them yet. ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/9 "2004-03-06T17:57:54Z")
Do you know what I hate? ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/10 "2004-03-06T18:02:04Z")
> [@gluteus maximus](#): > > Do you know what I hate? Pants that make you chafe? ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/11 "2004-03-06T18:24:01Z")
I mean besides that! ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/12 "2004-03-06T18:32:20Z")
> [@Thea Logica](#): > > People who use “their” whey they mean “they’re”, and vice-versa. That’s actually exactly the same as your/you’re, I think. [Lame joke] What I love about English is the consistency - Their/they’re; your/you’re; our/ou’re. Right? I really think ou’re getting to the root of this all! Oh… 😃 [/L.J.] Dani ---
**Author:** ![jastu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jastu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jastu)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/13 "2004-03-07T08:40:51Z")
Yes, your used for you’re is so prevalent now I have almost come to accept it without cringing. Another one which really bugs me and I might add it’s always Americans, is when then is misused for than. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/14 "2004-03-07T08:53:42Z")
> [@robo99](#): > > People more and more writing “your” when they mean “you’re”. What REALLY pisses me right off is when people come here to complain about others’ lack of grammatical skills without having an adequate grasp of the language themselves. Perhaps you\* meant \* to say, “It is becoming more common for people to write ‘your’ when they actually mean ‘you’re’.” Your quoted sentence above makes no ‘sense’ whatsoever. Until you have a meticulous ability with English, I suggest you worry more about your own skills than ‘who is teaching our kids??’ 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/15 "2004-03-07T08:56:56Z")
It made perfect sense to me, though I would not have chosen the phrasing “more and more.” Perhaps it’s a colloquialism not familiar to Australians. ---
**Author:** ![glass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac8455/32.png) [@glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glass)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/16 "2004-03-07T09:05:32Z")
> [@robo99](#): > > I’m sure it’s all Americans - they just don’t know what this word means anymore. Who’s teaching our kids? Members of da teacher’s union who sold thier soles to da union boss man for two hours pay per month? Arghhhhhh…professionals?.. Hey teachers, not to fret…bottom line says that your saved by the kids’ parents who love you just cause you are almost as cheap as the gum-chewing baby sitter ---
**Author:** ![Gomez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d78d45/32.png) [@Gomez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gomez)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/17 "2004-03-07T13:39:05Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s this rampant use of “your” for “you’re” that is driving me nuts!!! AAAAAAARGH! Oh shut up you anal retentive twerp. Honestly, this is like the billionth thread we’ve had on this subject. Will **everyone** please just accept the fact that people are **always** going to confuse “your” and “you’re”. As long as humanity exists this trivial error will be made. Get it? Got it? Good. Now go away. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/18 "2004-03-07T13:49:59Z")
> [@robo99](#): > > I’m sure it’s all Americans - they just don’t know what this word means anymore. Agreed. Its all about I, me, mine, these day’s. ---
**Author:** ![furlibusea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@furlibusea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furlibusea)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/19 "2004-03-07T14:08:26Z")
> [@](#): > > originally posted by **flag** Members of da teacher’s union who sold thier soles to da union boss man for two hours pay per month? > > Arghhhhhh…professionals?.. > > Hey teachers, not to fret…bottom line says that your saved by the kids’ parents who love you just cause you are almost as cheap as the gum-chewing baby sitter May I respectfully suggest you avoid cheap shots. You have no clue what the fuck you are talking about. The problem with education is people like you that make sure their children walk into the classroom with no respect for teachers, and parents that either won’t make sure their children go to school, or sue the school if Johnny gets an F for cheating. ---
**Author:** ![Optihut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/edb3f5/32.png) [@Optihut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Optihut)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721/20 "2004-03-08T11:17:58Z")
I blame the internet! Back before, when I had to learn English by watching TV and reading books, everything was fine. When I first stumbled across the internet and certain messageboards - not this one, the amount of spelling and / or grammar mistakes around here is very low, imho - I was irritated at first and then slowly started to slip myself. It’s - again imho, ymmv - a subconscious process: When you see a wrong usage of words day in and day out, you’ll slowly pick up that faulty language as well. On the plus side, I always used to say “on top off my head”, instead of “Off the top of my head” - so the reverse is possible (and probably more likely) as well. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your/232721.md?page=2)