Inspired by 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders

I volunteered in my son's classroom yesterday. Let me first say that in general these are bright kids, I think their teacher is great, and certainly not ALL of them made these errors.

However:

your is a pronoun indicating possession, "your book"

you're is a contraction of the words "you are." If you can replace the word with "you are" PLEASE use an apostrophe and add the "e"

their is also a possessive pronoun

there indicates a place, "over there"

"should of" "could of" -- incorrect. it is "should or could HAVE" (I'll even give you credit for "should've")


A side note to parents: please pronounce "picture" properly. If you don't it may lead to your child writing the word "pitcher" when the correct spelling is directly in front of them because they have heard it mispronounced their entire life. Duh.

Last, my current biggest pet peeve: everyday.

Here's the definition from dictionary.com:
1. of or pertaining to every day; daily: an everyday occurrence.
2. of or for ordinary days, as contrasted with Sundays, holidays, or special occasions: everyday clothes.
3. such as is met with every day; ordinary; commonplace: a placid, everyday scene.
–noun
4. the routine or ordinary day or occasion: We use inexpensive plates for everyday.

Please remember that if you are saying something like, "We go to the park every day" or "I cook three meals a day, every day" every and day are two separate words.

Thanks for your support.