Nightmare that is English Spellings!
Published on April 20, 2012
Published on Wealthy Affiliate — a platform for building real online businesses with modern training and AI.
There is so much to learn with IM, I just start to feel that I'm getting somewhere and then I come across something else that I need to overcome before I can progress. I'm not saying that's a bad thing because I enjoy learning but I would like to feel that my foundations were a little less shaky than they appear to be at the moment.
When I think of all I still have to learn I am eternally grateful for one thing and that is that I was born in an English speaking country because in truth English is the language of the internet, well when I say English of course I actually mean American English where the word colour is written as color and grey is gray but hey that's not much to overcome!
Since joining WA I have been surprised by how many people are here learning this stuff when English isn't their first language and I really have to take my hat off to you all because I can't imagine how difficult it is for people who are trying to learn all this information and build a business in a foreign language.
My son has dyslexia and while trying to help him with his spelling I have realised just how many homophones there are in the English language, that is words that sound the same but are spelt differently - they are completely different words they just happen to be pronounced the same.
The most common mistake people seem to make is between they're, their and there and two, to and too. I just wanted to try and clarify the difference between them as it can be quite off putting when read by an English speaking person (unless they happen to be dyslexic!) and could make the difference between them staying on your site and moving on!
Ready to put this into action?
Start your free journey today — no credit card required.
They're is quite easy it's an abbreviation for "they are" - they're all going to the park
Their is when something belongs to a person - sitting on their chair, can you give me their number.
There is a bit more complicated - it is usually used as a place - look over there, stand there please, but it can also be used to introduce a subject - there is a cat on the roof, there used to be a tree here...
If you understand the rules for they're and their then it will be much easier to get there right too!
Two is the number 2, not too many people get this wrong because it is learnt with the other numbers and the figure 2 is often used in it's place.
To is used a lot in English and is the weaker "tu" - going to the market, decided to retire, give that to me...
Too is usually when something is excessive, or when a person wants to be included (could be replaced by also/as well) - you are driving too fast, there is too much sugar in my coffee, can I come too?, we too have problems, I thought that too!
Phew!! Do you know what - defining this was harder than I thought it would be and I know this stuff! It makes me even more in awe of all you non English speaking Internet Marketers!
Share this insight
This conversation is happening inside the community.
Join free to continue it.The Internet Changed. Now It Is Time to Build Differently.
If this article resonated, the next step is learning how to apply it. Inside Wealthy Affiliate, we break this down into practical steps you can use to build a real online business.
No credit card. Instant access.