Grammar Talk

Often, I see a lot of otherwise well-written stuff on the internet that is marred by common mistakes in grammar. This is a shame, because it will distract the reader from the content of the message.

Misused homonyms are typical errors; that is, words that sound alike or nearly so, but are spelled differently. These are the most common mistakes because a spell checker will not catch them. The words are not "misspelled", but they are merely used in the wrong context.

Following are some common homonym mistakes, along with the words used in proper context:

Were/We're/Where

We were going to go to the movies, but decided to stay home.

We're (We are) going to go to the movies next week.

Where are you going?
_________

They're/Their/There

They're (They are) going to the mall.

Their house is the blue one at the end of the street.

Put the books down over there.
_________

Your/You're

Your dog is in the house.

You're (You are) my best friend.
_________

Here/hear

Let's sit here.

I can hear the music
_________

Bear/bare

Bear with me; I'll take you to see the bear at the zoo.

I like it when a woman will bare her boobs.
_________

To/too/two

Let's go to the store.

Your sister can come, too.

I need to buy two cans of cat food.
__________

Its/It's

It's (it is) going to rain.

The cat licked its paws.
__________

Dominant/Dominate

Mark Martin had the dominant car in the race yesterday.

Hitler had plans to dominate the world.
__________

Phase/Faze

My son is going through a teenage phase.

Violent movies don't faze me.
___________

Flair/Flare

She has a flair for decorating.

There was a solar flare last night.
____________

Knew/New

I have a new lover.

I knew her friend.
____________

Pear/Pare/Pair

We have a pear tree.

We need to pare down our expenses.

I need to buy a pair of shoes.
_____________

Soul/Sole

She is my soul mate.

I am the sole support of my family.
_____________

For/Fore/Four

The book is for you.

I have four cats.

The golfer said "fore" before he hit the ball.
______________

Hair/Hare

I have long hair.

A hare is a type of rabbit.
_______________

Peer/Pier

Eric Clapton is a guitarist without peer.

The ship was docked at the pier.
______________

Pour/Poor/Pore

Pour the milk into the glass

Poor people need job opportunities

The lawyer will pore over his books until he finds a loophole.
_______________

Hour/Our/Are

I will be back in an hour.

Our house is small.

Are you going to go home with me?
_______________

Feel free to add any that I've missed.