How To Avoid Common Internet Grammatical Mistakes

The Internet has become one of the foremost means of communication nowadays, and the fastest and easiest bridge between two (or more) people. Though lapses in grammar and spelling are quite acceptable for most Internet scenarios such as email between friends or comments left at websites, there are times when you would want to be taken seriously – and you’d definitely have to mind your grammar in these cases. Here are some of the best ways that you could avoid common Internet grammatical mistakes:

* Know when to capitalize. It’s time to review the capitalization rules that you learned in elementary school. The simplest to remember: make sure that you capitalize the letters at the beginning of sentences and that you capitalize proper nouns.
* Be careful about your spelling. If you feel that you aren’t that snappy with your spelling, remember that knowing how to spell words properly is an acquired skill. Take the time to familiarize yourself with how words are spelled, write more, and you’d find yourself becoming better with your spelling.
* Know when to use “you’re” versus “your”. It’s easy enough to remember: “you’re” is a contraction (or a shortcut) that stands for “You are”, while “your” is a possessive pronoun that indicates ownership of something. For example, you should say, “You’re awesome” and “Your dress is awesome”.
* Remember when to use “they’re,” “their” and “there”. This trio represents one of the most common grammatical mistakes in the Internet, and understandably so, because they all sound exactly the same. Just remember that “they’re” is a contraction that stands for “they are”; “their” is a possessive pronoun; and “there” is word that indicates direction.

* Know the difference between “it’s” and “its”. This is another very common mistake among English speakers, Internet users or not. “It’s” stands for “it is,” while “its” is a possessive pronoun. So we say something like, “It’s so beautiful,” and “its beauty.”
* Just be more conscious. The simple truth is many Internet users make mistakes in grammar only because they are not mindful of what they are writing. If it’s really important that you write with the proper grammar, then make sure that you take the time to proofread your sentences.
* Use spell-check. Most Internet sites have automatic spell and grammar check functions. Take advantage of this feature so you could proofread yourself. If the site that you went to doesn’t have this feature, however, you could type down your comments first in Microsoft Word (make sure that the spelling and grammar check features are on) and then paste it in the website.

Remember, avoiding common Internet grammatical mistakes is all about being conscious about what you’re typing down. You already know how to speak English properly; the key is to be careful about writing it down too. Remember, what you write down lasts longer than what you say, and you don’t know how would be able to read it. It will definitely pay to be careful about how you leave your mark every time you log on the net. But of course, what’s even more important is the substance of what you say. Good luck getting your message across!