So far, I have seen this particular mistake so many times, it's like listening to nails on a chalkboard whenever I see it. The problem is that people who are in college still confuse THERE, THEIR, AND THEY'RE! This isn't third grade people!
There is a distinct difference between these three words:
"There" is used to describe something that is in, at, or to a place or position (this is the "Where?" there). Example: "Peter the rabbit put his bag of carrots somewhere over there." or "There is no sign of Ginny's homework.
"Their" is describing ownership over something by more than one person. An example of this is "The Johnsons just moved into their new house down the street" or "Their new dog is so cute; it's a miniature poodle!"
Another, rather hilarious in an irritating kind of way, is when people confuse "irony" and "hypocrisy." Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform. An example of hypocrisy is when a person at an activist at a hunger strike sneaks off and eats a cheeseburger (this activist spouted off on staying strong and resisting the temptation to eat until the protest is successful and then running off to gorge themselves). Irony is the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite. An example of irony is "I posted a video on Youtube talking about how useless and boring Youtube is."
Lastly, "they're" is actually two words in one, "they" and "are," so hopefully you can figure out how to use this one on your own. However, if not, here is an example- "The Johnsons are such lovely neighbors; they're having us over for a barbeque next week."
You can't start a paragraph with quotes OR end with them. You also can't just insert a quote without explaining it. An example of how to properly insert a quote is as follows:
“The poor are not responsible for their poverty and misery. Most of them struggle in conditions that are subhuman, dangerous, full of disease, hunger and despair” said Ferrari. If substantial donations are made, the Heifer project will be able to further assist those people out of their poverty.
(This is not a real quote from the Heifer International Foundation)
I am sure there are plenty of other mistakes out there and if you can find any that I make on this blog, give me a heads up. :) If you want any topics about writing papers talked about specifically, leave me a comment. Thanks!
