Pet peeves. We all have them. My pet peeve happens to be something that gets under most people's skin: misusing & misspelling common words. If you're (notice how I spelled "you're" correctly here) one of the sweet, sweet people who just can't get it down, I'm here to help you. I want you to sound intelligent. I don't want you to get the "***you're" text as much as you do.

They're/There/Their

They're: they + are = they're. It's a contraction

There: a place

Their: possessive pronoun

They're over there sitting in their chairs.

Two/To/Too

Two: more than one

To: the one you're going to use most of the time; preposition, infinitive marker, or adverb

Too: in excess or in addition to

The two of you went to McDonalds and got too many fries.

You're/Your

You're: you + are = you're. It's a contraction just like "they're"

Your: possessive pronoun

You're going to have to go to the library and study for your test tomorrow.

Since/Sense

Since: the time between two things happening; the reason something happens

Sense: a feeling

Since she didn't have any common sense, she didn't call the police when her house got broken into last week.

A lot/Alot

Trick question!!!!!! "Alot" is not a word!!!!! So just use "a lot" when you're trying to say there is a big number of something.

Lose/Loose

Lose: if you can't find something or if you've lost a game

Loose: the opposite of tight

If you lose a lot of weight, your jeans will be loose.

Breath/Breathe

Breath: the air taken into or expelled from the lungs

Breathe: take air into the lungs and then expel it

Don't forget to take a deep breath before you jump in the lake; you won't be able to breathe under the water.

Desert/Dessert

Desert: the hot place with lots of sand

Dessert: the good stuff that comes after a meal

It's hard to find good dessert in the desert.

Hopefully this article will be your guide to a new year, new you, smart you, less annoying you. :-) You're welcome.