How to Catch 5 Errors Spellcheck Won't See
Homophones sound just alike, although the words are spelled differently and have different meanings. If we carelessly substitute "sea" for "see" or "to" for "two," the error is invisible to a spell-check program because both choices are perfectly good words. But we can train ourselves to catch five of the most common homophone errors by using these simple tricks.
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Instructions
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Use an apostrophe to replace a missing letter. It is = it's. The dog wagged its tail = a simple possessive, like his or hers. No apostrophe. Now you know. Is it its or is it it's? No problem.
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2
Use an apostrophe to replace a missing letter. (Did we already say that?) Who is = who's. If you're just wondering who this jacket belongs to, the question is, "Whose jacket is this?" No missing letter, no apostrophe. Whose or who's? Easy as pie.
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3
Use an apostrophe ... well, you know the rest. So if you mean "they are," you'll choose "they're." The other two choices have the answers inside them. "Their" contains the word "heir," which is someone who owns something inherited. "Their" is a possessive form: "their house, their car, their inherited fortune" ... etc. "There" contains the word "here," which is the opposite of there. If you're talking about location, you want that one. Does "their" or "they're" go "there"? Simple!
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4
End a verb with -ed, and a noun with a t. The past, the present, and the future all have the letter "t" in them. But verbs change with time: Today you pass; yesterday you passed. What's past has passed. Got it!
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5
Use "hear" when you mean to listen. "Hear" includes the word "ear," which you need to hear. What could be simpler? It's hard to hear in here.
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