Change Your Life and Make a Fortune with 10 Rules of English You May Not Know

English is considered one of the most difficult languages to learn. Even for native speakers, the language is so full of peculiarities that it can sometimes make competent people sound like they flunked the fifth grade.

Utilize vs Use

An organization utilizes. A person uses. In correct English usage , XYZ Corporation has a plan to utilize technology. I use a computer. Utilize is big; use is small. People who utilize pencils sound like morons.

Whom vs Who

Whom is the object of a preposition - always. For whom, to whom, about whom, under whom - in all other cases use who. Over using whom doesn't make you sound erudite, it makes you sound like don't know how to use whom.

Its vs It's

Its is possessive. It's (with apostrophe) is a contraction. Remember that in English, contraction is stronger than possession and gets the apostrophe. If I contract, you will not be able to possess.

Their, There and They're

Their belongs to them. There is a place. And they're is a contraction of "they are." No one, who wants their usage of the English language to be taken seriously, should get these wrong. If you aren't absolutely sure which to use and you don't have a moment to look it up choose "ther", at least this looks like a typo.

Your vs You're

Your belongs to you. You're is a contraction of "you" and "are." Making this mistake undermines any credibility you may have. In English, apostrophes indicate that a word is a contraction of two words or a possessive. For an exception see its.

Could Have, Would Have, Should Have

English isn't always written the way it sounds. Finding could of, would of, or should of, in any type of document is a sure sign that the writing to follow will be bad.

Between vs Among

Between is two. Among is more. A group of people can't have a discussion between themselves.

Speak To vs Speak With

Emphasizing the "with" to draw attention to the fact that you know how to speak English correctly is nearly as bad as getting it wrongly.

No One vs Noone

Prithee, meet me at Ye Olde English Taverne at noone. No one is two words.

Yea, Yeah, Yay

Yea is formal for "yes." It's the opposite of "nay" and commonly used for voting. Yeah (yeh) is modern slang for yes. Yay is the opposite of "boo."

Eat Your Cake and Have it Too

Often this expression appears as have your cake and eat it too. The trick is to eat the cake and still have it. Eat your cake and have it too is correct.

Used To, Supposed To

Yes there is a "d" on the end of used and supposed. Because the "d" isn't clearly heard when spoken, it frequently gets dropped when written. Don't forget the "d."

Y'all vs Ya'll

Y'all is a contraction of "you" and "all." The apostrophe goes between the "y" and the "all" and no where else. Y'all is best used in dialog when writing fiction. It's commonly thought to be the plural of you. Many southerners disagree. They claim the plural of y'all is all y'all.

Notate vs Note

To notate is to write annotations about a text. Notate is a technical term not a fancy synonym for note. If you notate the the time you arrived on a calendar, not only do you sound pretentious you're using the word incorrectly.

Remember these rules of English and you'll discover that mastering the language and sounding like you know what you're talking about isn't so difficult after all.