Rhymes About Grammar

December 06, 2013

For more great rhymes of mine check out The Vocabuverse!!!

You/Your/You’re

Here’s what you should and shouldn’t do
When you use the pro-noun “you”
You know, the word you use to designate
The person you are addressing
As in, “Gosh you are depressing”
When referring to another person’s state

But listen here my little friend
If “r” is found at “you’s” rear end
The word takes on a sudden transformation
For then the word it does take on
The very essence of “belongs”
As in, “Excuse me sir but is this your train station?”

But if you add an "r" and "e"
After an apostrophe
What you mean is something someone’s doing
Like, “You’re certainly disturbing me
If you’re wearing that to tea,
Doing so will end up your undoing!”

So please don’t be a moron
When you need to put an r on
Otherwise you might cop some abuse
For your and you’re might seem the same
But they’re not, THEY’RE NOT the same!
And after reading this you’ve no excuse!

Who/Whose/Who's

When of a person you must show
Which or what one is then know
The interrogative used for such is “who”
As in “Who stole my pajamas?”
Or “Who here likes piranhas?”
Are some examples just to name a few.

But something you must learn
The word “who” can be turned
Into a word relating things to it
That certain word is “whose”
And here is a small clue
To help you to ensure you don’t abuse it:
“A person whose pajamas
Were eaten by piranhas”
Is a phrase in which it seems to fit.

But now here’s the trick
So that no one thinks you thick
And to give your grammar razzmatazz
Remove from “whose” the little “e”
To it add an apostrophe
And “who’s” will now mean “who is” or “who has”

“That man who’s in pajamas,
Who’s screaming loudly, ‘Argh! Piranhas!’”
Exemplifies the essence of these truths
So when writing keep in mind
That your audience don’t find
Improper use of who and who’s and whose

It/Its/It’s

It’s worth elucidating
When referring to a thing
We give that thing the designation ‘it’
But add the letter ‘s’
And the meaning will address
The things relating specifically to it

Like, “that dog loves its bone”,
Or “that cat has lost its home”
Hopefully by now you get the drift?
Just don’t make the catastrophe
By adding an apostrophe
Or else the grammar police will get miffed!

So the word is not abused
An apostrophe is used
With regards to “it has” or “it is”
Like “That dog, it’s got a bone
It’s the cat that had no home!”
Then the grammar goblins won’t get in a tizz!

Aid/Aide

If someone lends you a hand
It would pay to understand
That such an individual is your aide
But the action in itself
When someone gives you help
The thing that they are offering is aid

It’s important that you see
That the little letter ‘e’
Actually can make quite a difference
Although it can’t be heard
Adding the letter to the word
Separates assistant from assistance!

For more great rhymes of mine check out The Vocabuverse!!!