English Mistakes You Should Avoid: Because they make you look Dumb

At CE, we follow use of proper English language (instead of SMS language or slangs).
But many-a-times, I stumble across basic English grammar mistakes used by CEans.

I am trying to point out some of the mistakes that I find frequently. I hope that you will read it carefully and keep in mind so that it helps you everywhere and not just on CE.

1. Difference between You're and Your

You're = You are.
e.g. You're very good at programming.
And for your,
e.g. I am annoyed by your lies.
Same is the case with : they're and their

2. Use of Letter 'I'

The letter I that one uses to refer to himself is never written in small caps.
You should never write a statement like this:
"i am sorry. i did not know."

3. Difference between effect and affect

Affect is a verb. Effect is a noun.
You can not use them interchangeably.
e.g. When you affect something, it creates effect on that thing.

4. Difference between loose and lose

Loose is an adjective. Lose is a verb.
Loose means "not tight"
Lose means "not to win"
e.g. You might lose the match.
Your pants are loose.

5. Difference between it's and its

The difference may not seem significant to the average writer, but they are 2 completely different words.
Its is a pronoun, meaning "belonging to it."
While It's is a contraction of "It is" (like don't for do not).
e.g. This is a new chair. Its material is plastic.
e.g. It's not fair.


There are many more mistakes that we do unknowingly. I will add more points as and when I point them out frequently.