Your Fault or You're Fault?
©Judy Vorfeld
Your and you're are two of the most commonly misunderstood words in the Wide Wide World.
"Your" is the possessive form of the word "you." It's used as a modifier before a noun, e.g., "Thanks for your letter."
"Your" means someone owns or has something: your car, your Web site, your attitude. Examples: "Are your sales going through the roof?" ... "When will you see your friend, Peggie Brown?" ... "Did Will Bontrager do your scripting?"
"You're" is a combination of "you" and "are." When you see that apostrophe, think "you are." Examples: "You're headed in the right direction" ... "You're wonderful."
Why do so many people get confused when using these words? Because they see the apostrophe and think of possession. In the case of "you're," the apostrophe does not mean possession, as it does with so many other words.
Use both words in the same sentence: "You're talented, and I like your style."
Recap: You're means "you are," while "your" means ownership.
If someone is correct, say, "You're right."
If someone needs directions, say, "To your right."
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