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There, Their, and They’re
Use there to refer to a place or to the existence of something.
Examples:
Rebecca found her dropped book over there, behind the oak tree.
Ted promised that there will be free ice cream at the Scoop Shop’s grand opening.
Use their to indicate that something belongs to certain people, animals, or things.
Examples:
The Kroebers brought their new baby home today. He is their son.
Use they’re as a contraction of “they are.”
Examples:
Ben and Gabriel say they’re trying out for the baseball team.
I love hanging out with Kim and Carly. They’re so funny!
Affect vs. Effect
The words affect and effect are often confused and misused. Figuring out which one to
use can be as easy as determining whether your sentence calls for a verb or a noun.
If a verb is needed, most of the time the word you want is affect. It means to change or to
influence.
Examples:
What you eat affects your health.
Mikayla’s superb campaign speech affected my decision about whom to vote for.
If a noun is needed, the word you want is usually effect. It means a result or a
consequence.
Examples:
The effect of eating well is a healthy body.
The allergy medicine had a negative effect on Dylan; it actually made him itchier.
Number vs. Amount
The words number and amount are often confused and misused. Figuring out which one
to use is often as easy as determining if it’s possible to count the people, places, or things
to which you are referring.
Use number to refer to things that you CAN count.
Examples:
When George’s family looked out the window, they saw a large number of plastic
flamingos covering the lawn.
Olivia tripped over a number of toys on the way to get her little brother out of bed.
Use amount to refer to a quantity—something that you CANNOT count.
Examples:
While trying to bake cookies, Andrew spilled a significant amount of flour and sugar on
the floor.
No amount of scrubbing will clean off the doodle Tracy drew on the desk.
Good vs. Well
Good is an adjective.
Use good to modify nouns or pronouns.
Examples:
We saw a good movie last night. Montana is a good softball player.
Also use good to modify sense verbs when they are being used to describe how someone
or something is, rather than
to describe an action.
Examples:
You look good. That tastes good.
Well is an adverb.
Use well to modify action verbs.
Examples:
She sings well. Emily plays the part well. Thanks to his new glasses, Ben sees well.
Well can also be used as an adjective to mean “in good health” or “satisfactory.”
Examples:
Kate is well today. All is well in the world.
If someone asks you how you are, it is OK to say either “I’m well” or “I’m good.” Saying
“I’m well” means that you are healthy. Saying “I’m good” means that you are happy and
everything is fine.