Your is only sometimes used in letter closings. The word your is the possessive form of the pronoun you and is used as as a second-person possessive adjective meaning “of or relating to you or yourself or yourselves especially as possessor or possessors.” Since it is a possessive adjective, it is always followed by a noun or a gerund, which belongs to or are associated with you. Only one of these two spellings is an actual word. Your’s is a misspelling of yours. - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary If you are writing to such a person, address them as Dear Sir or Dear Madam and sign the letter as ‘yours faithfully.’ Your initials and surname follow it. Yours is a better idea. Thatâs all _________. Don't use My or Your. He humbly sought to present a unified and correct use of language, and most writers today refer to his works simply as "Fowler." Go clean it up. Your is the second person possessive adjective, used to describe something as belonging to you. Apr 01 2007 12:09:32. Is this yours or theirs? What is the difference between YOU'RE and YOUR in English? Back in 1928, Henry Watson Fowler wrote Modern English Usage as a companion to the Oxford English Dictionary. Remember that apostrophes are important to show possession for proper nouns, but incorrect for possessive pronouns. My dog wonât eat food if he thinks itâs _____________. How do you know which one is yourâs? Yours Sincerely vs Yours Faithfully Since there has always been a confusion in the usages of yours sincerely and yours faithfully, it is good to know the difference between yours sincerely and yours faithfully. If, for whatever reason, you do find yourself torn between your’s and yours, just spell out your’s as if it were a contraction. ; Is that your car? Yours sincerely is typical British English and it must be used when writing to someone that you have met or spoken to. How to use you and yours in a sentence. Iâll work to earn my own stuff. The main function of yours is to indicate possession or ownership. When a proper noun becomes possessive, it is necessary to add an apostrophe and an s. For example: Yourâs is a result of people applying this general rule to the specific personal pronoun your. "Yours is a pronoun that means "that which belongs to you. The ironclad rule – no exceptions – is that if you’re able to replace the word with "you are," you’re saying you’re. There is one rule that will help you make the right choice: If you can replace the word with "you are," you should select "you’re". When I begin a letter “Dear Sir,” I close it with “Yours truly.” When you do know the name of the recipient… Yours sincerely is also British. between the user's documents and everyone's documents. Possessive worksheets: Possessive ´s Level: intermediate Age: 10-17 Downloads: 778 POSSESSIVES Level: elementary Age: 9-11 Downloads: 643 Possessives (my/mine, your/yours...) Level: elementary Age: 9-17 Downloads: 625 Describing a room: Possessives Level: elementary Age: 9-17 Downloads: 510 Subject Pronoun OR Possessive Adjective … It replaces your and adds a noun, making it yours. Yours is so soft and buttery. See our grammar notes about Possessive Adjectives. Your vs You're English Grammar. Remember One of These Examples Here are two witty examples with "your" and "you're" used correctly to help you remember how to use them: â, That Airline Seat You Paid for Isnât Yours â, I donât want or expect anything that is ______________. Apr 01 2007 12:09:32. Yours affectionately is an old-fashioned sign-off for a letter. Yours is a possessive pronoun that can show ownership of something. You’re is the contraction of "you are" and is often followed by the present participle (verb form ending in -ing). 'Yours truly' (US) or 'Yours faithfully' (UK) ends the letter when you don't know the recipient or use their name. Otherwise, your only choice is your. Remember that the word your will usually not be followed by an adjective. Just imagine what a personal assistant might say. Instructions: Fill in the blank with the correct word, either yourâs or yours. Your homemade bread always tastes so much better than mine. This happens because both words sound the same when they are spoken. Use "… Yours vs Your's. Pronouns: possessive ( my, mine, your, yours, etc.) There is no use for this spelling, and it serves no purpose—other than to confuse people. If you are writing to such a person, address them as Dear Sir or Dear Madam and sign the letter as ‘yours faithfully.’ Your initials and surname follow it. Keep exploring EnglishBix to … When to use yours: Yours is a possessive pronoun which shows an object owned or possessed by you. - English Grammar Today – une référence pour l'utilisation et la grammaire de l'anglais écrit et parlé – Cambridge Dictionary Using the wrong complimentary closes can damage the goodwill you have built up in the rest of your … I wish I had your energy. I left you another one. Yours affectionately, Your affectionate What is the difference between the above two expressions. Additionally, because mine and the other possessive pronouns do not include an apostrophe, it will remind you that yours also does not need an apostrophe. Some people get in the habit of adding an apostrophe anytime they need an s. This is a bad habit and will cause many errors. ‘Regards’ is commonly used for informal communication that is written to close friends or relatives. Have you noticed that some correspondence closes with “Sincerely yours” and others with “Sincerely?” According to Oxford Dictionaries, “sincerely yours” is a formal expression used for business letters. It involves substituting mine for yours. Yours and Your’s – Meaning and Usage As mentioned above, yours is the second person possessive pronoun. In most cases, your will not be followed by an adjective (a word that describes something) when that adjective is describing the person that you are talking to. (incorrect spelling – should be. Yours truly definition, a conventional phrase used at the end of a letter. How do you form the second person possessive? As I have mentioned in other posts, the concept of a possessive pronoun can be confusing for an English learner. Yours should never have an apostrophe. Your is always followed by a noun or gerund. Americans tend to reverse the order and write Sincerely yours. Wellbeing or Well-Being – Which is Correct? Is this yours or theirs? Forums Grammar & Sentence Structure 1 4,657 + 0. “Sincerely” can be used in business emails or personal communication in American English. To make most words possessive in English, you add an apostrophe. He found a book. What is the Difference Between Yours and Your’s? He found a book. I can't find my wallet, but yours is on the table. Helpyourself vs Bemyguest. Donât eat that cookie. It indicates that the pronoun you has ownership of something. What should be used and when has been a topic of discussion when it comes to the art of letter writing. The words yours and your are often confused because they are easy to mistype. yours vs your’s; their, there, they’re Share / Tweet / Pin Me! Yours should never have an apostrophe. You can stay here or come with us; the choice is yours. Share: Facebook; Pinterest; Pocket; Reddit; Twitter; WhatsApp; More Lawless English Files: contractions. Letâs practice a few ways you can use yours in your sentences to help you avoid making the same error. It is not a contraction. Learn the correct spelling of Your vs. you’re & other commonly misspelled words & phrases in the English language. When you are indicating possession, yours is the correct choice—not your’s. Although they look almost exactly alike, the version with the apostrophe is incorrect and will make your writing look unprofessional. "You're a shining star" = "you are a shining star. You're is short for "you are" and your shows ownership.If you're getting them mixed up, your secret is safe with us. Use "Yours faithfully" when you begin a letter with "Dear Sir/Madam" Use "Yours sincerely" when you know the person’s name to whom you’re writing; Use "Best wishes" when writing to someone you know well; Most Brits today avoid ending correspondence with old-fashioned closings like "We remain yours faithfully" or "Respectfully yours." You should never use your’s in your sentences. In most cases it's obvious whose they are. All the others are incorrect. Yours is a second person possessive pronoun and is used to refer to a thing or things belonging to or associated with the person or people that the speaker is addressing. Related English Mistakes. Remember that apostrophes are important to show possession for proper nouns, but incorrect for possessive pronouns. None of these would be used currently. Do you know the difference? Now, you need to ask yourself, which of the above spellings is correct, yours or your’s? I’ll cover everything you need to know about yours vs. your’s in this post. How to use yours in a sentence. Otherwise, you should only choose "your". Difference Between Yours Sincerely and Yours Faithfully: How you end a letter is as important as every other part of the letter. If you added you are in the place of your in these sentences, they would not make sense. The answer to this question is black and white. Always use yours and never yourâs. People often accidentally add an apostrophe to yours even though it isnât necessary. When you see this error, you can assume the person meant to write yours. Forums Grammar & Sentence Structure 1 4,657 + 0. yours vs your… A common mistake not only for students learning English but also for native speakers is the difference between Your and You're in written English. I can't find my wallet, but yours is on the table. I donât care. For instance, if someone drops a belonging in a crowded area, you might pick it up and ask him or her. Should I use yours or yourâs? The choice is ____________. Anything you want can be yours if you work really hard. There is one reliable method to help you remember which of the two words is correct. Yours Vs Your Grammar. Why is There Confusion: Yours vs. Your’s? What should be used and when has been a … Avoid any temptation to add an apostrophe to yours. Yours Vs Your Grammar. Play an interactive game to practice this topic: Possessive Pronouns Game. You can see that a lot of people spell ‘yours’ with an apostrophe, such as ‘your’s’. All these suitcases look alike. Previous Who vs Whom. No matter how you wish to spell it, it is grammatically incorrect to spell ‘yours’ with an apostrophe. Key Difference: ‘Yours sincerely’ is commonly used in a formal letter wherein the author knows the name of the respondent. Sincerely Yours vs. Yours Sincerely Whether you use “Sincerely Yours” or “Yours Sincerely” depends on where you live. Yours is the correct choice and is always the correct choice. Other possessive pronouns include mine, his, hers, ours, and theirs. This isn’t much of an issue in speech because both would sound the same when spoken, but one spelling is correct and one is definitely wrong. This is another 100% rule. Yours Sincerely and Yours Faithfully Sincerely and faithfully are two adverbs that are often used as complementary endings in formal letters. It will also help you self-edit your work by providing real-time insights about your readability score, sentence-length and so on. Major Differences Between Yours Sincerely and Yours Faithfully. Glamor or Glamour – What’s the Difference? “Don’t let the company get … As an author and a freelance writer, I use it regularly for proofreading my work – and it works like a charm. Yours sincerely. (incorrect spelling), Look at your essay compared to his. If you are an American writing to someone in the UK (or vice versa), you might consider using their version. ↪ How do you spell Your vs. you’re? The reason your does not require an apostrophe+s is because it is already a possessive word. Why do you always steal my shoes? It thus fulfills two very important … Sincerely Yours vs. The words yours and your are often confused because they are easy to mistype. As an author and a freelance writer, I use it regularly for proofreading my work – and it works like a charm. Has all your running around made you tired? Much more structured, the British letter closings have a purpose or a reason behind each that have lasted for generations. I donât remember if those are my pencils or not. Yours is a second person possessive pronoun and is used to refer to a thing or things belonging to or associated with the person or people that the speaker is addressing. If you found this grammar guide about Possessive Pronouns in English useful, let others know about it: What is the difference between YOU'RE and YOUR in English? Valedictions or customary closings are an important aspect for any letter or email. Yours Yours is the second person possessive pronoun - it replaces "your" + noun. None of these words requires an apostrophe since they are already possessive. 3 Responses Leonard 27 February 2014 / 13:35. He found a book – is it yours? The bottom line is that ‘yours’ is the only way to spell it and there are no other spellings. “Our” point of view Yours. Here’s an easy trick to remember your’s vs. yours. Yourâs is an incorrect way of spelling yours. Yes, this is a common mistake even native English speakers have when writing. Here’s one we’ve been discussing. When to use you: Use you or your when your product is asking questions, giving instructions, or describing things to the user. You do not need an apostrophe to indicate possession because yours itself is a possessive pronoun. Not exactly. When to use yourâs: Yourâs is never correct, so donât ever use it. Today, we will identify the differences and uses of your and you’re. Don’t eat that cookie. Yourself vs Theeself. Yours Vs Your? Theyâre Sallyâs and yourâs. English has a lot of genuinely confusing words amongst its ranks, but the two words your vs. you’re are not a part of them. If you did not know the person, or address, you paid a visit to your church, and dictated your message. A few years ago, I discovered this spelling checker app for proofreading articles, book chapters and blog posts. The main difference between Yours and Your’s is that yours is the second person possessive pronoun whereas your’s is an incorrect formation to indicate the same. (incorrect spelling – use, âWhich one of these planes is yours?â he asked, gesturing to the pair of Air Force jets on the tarmac of Los Angeles International Airport. - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - … It's your secret.And now you're about to know more.See? Use "Yours faithfully" () or "Yours truly" () for Unknown Recipients I’ve updated my answer to include this. Related English Mistakes. Listen without limits with BBC Sounds. It should, of course, be, ‘Hope you're okay’. These help the reader understand you more clearly because if you added an ‘s to its, it is not clear whether you mean its as a possessive or it’s as a contraction. Your client and your boss come across as rather illiterate oafs. Though you may see your’s written even by native speakers, it is incorrect. __________________ is much better written. I ask because it is possessive, so I would think it would be the latter, but I typically use and see the former usage. Because possessive pronouns are neither contractions nor common nouns, they donât use apostrophes. Yours is a possessive pronoun. Your is a possessive adjective and modifies nouns. â, âGovernor, next time you want to sit on a beach that is closed to the entire world but you, you get your fat a– in a car and go to one that is open to all of your constituents, not just you and yours,â the caller said. As you can clearly see, your’s makes no sense in this sentence. is that yours is that which belongs to you (singular); the possessive second-person singular pronoun used without a following noun while urs is (internet slang|text messaging) yours. (correct spelling). Otherwise, your only choice is your. –, Assuming that yours is a family where facts matter, The Fix is on the case. Americans use “Sincerely” and “Sincerely yours.” “Yours sincerely” is British. Pronouns: possessive ( my, mine, your, yours, etc.) In this case, the salutation would be ‘Dear Madam,’ and the complimentary close would be ‘Yours faithfully, M. S. Smith.’ ‘Yours faithfully’ is used when the writer wants to maintain a formal distance from the recipient and also to emphasize that the … Yours truly definition: You write Yours truly at the end of a formal letter to someone you do not know very well... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples (correct spelling), Do whatever you want. ‘Yours’ is used to describe another person’s possessions. The Bottom Line "Yours" is the only correct spelling. How to use yours in a sentence. Yours definition is - that which belongs to you —used without a following noun as a pronoun equivalent in meaning to the adjective your —often used especially with an adverbial modifier in the complimentary close of a letter. ‘Yours sincerely’ is actually a shortened term for archaic "I am yours sincerely", which were originally used in old British correspondence. Home » Yours vs. Your’s: What’s the Difference? There is no reason to use it in your sentences. â, “I heard my body is a topic of conversation so I wanted to say, I’m proud of my body and you should be proud of yours too,” the “Born This Way” singer wrote on her Instagram page on Tuesday. You can stay here or come with us; the choice is yours. Sincerely is an adverb that means in a sincere or genuine way. So, if the letter starts 'to whom it may concern' or 'Dear Sir,' end the letter with 'Yours faithfully' or 'Yours truly' but not 'Sincerely yoirs' or 'Yours sincerely'. For example, a letter that starts with Dear Mrs. Santos would conclude with Yours sincerely. Your adjective: relating to or belonging to you. I wish I didn’t have to sit next to you all day.” Your is a possessive pronoun and should be followed by a noun: ‘Your car, your phone…’ One common mistake is to say, ‘Hope your okay’. Your’s is an incorrect formation of the second person possessive pronoun. Better yet, here's help! What’s the difference between yours and your’s? Your's Though you may see your's written even by native speakers, it is incorrect. Can we also write: Yours affectionate or your affectionately? (incorrect spelling – use, Those arenât my coins. Do you know the difference? It is necessary that you address them by their first names, sign the letter Yours sincerely,and use your first name in the signature. Synonym for Your. ‘Yours faithfully’ is used with the salutation like ‘Dear Madam,’ or ‘Dear Sir.’ Faithfully is used when you are writing to someone whom you have not met, or you do not know. Tess, I’d regard “yours faithfully” as being closely akin to “yours truly.” I’m guessing that it derives from “your faithful and obedient servant,” the latter being in vogue in the 1700’s and used by people who were nobody’s servants. You’re is a contraction of the two words you are. Even though there is a slight variation between British and American conventions, the rules are straightforward. Is this yours or theirs? - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary The future of television (according to Apple) can be yours starting Friday when a revamped Apple TV begins hitting stores. Yours sincerely (If it is someone that you know) Next activities. The word ‘sincerely’ is often used at the end of letters as ‘yours sincerely’ or ‘sincerely yours’. Yours Yours is the second person possessive pronoun - it replaces "your" + noun. Yours, David . The difference between these two words is relatively straightforward, yet they are commonly mixed up with one another, especially on the Internet. Other Comparisons: What's the difference? Your means a form of the possesive case of you when used as a pronoun. In other words, saying "Your very kind" will almost never be correct. "You're is a contraction for "you are," and that apostrophe goes where the "a" fell out.When parents get mad, they say the whole thing: "You are not going anywhere, … Today, the term is commonly used in America and in a formal letter wherein the author knows the name of the respondent. Yes, this is a common mistake even native English speakers have when writing. Your is an adjective that means "relating to or belonging to you. Bird Of Paradise + … We checked in with three political historians to see what brainy insights they could share. Your is usually followed by a noun (including gerunds). I can’t find my wallet, but yours is on the table. The first and easiest trick to keep track of these words is to completely eliminate your’s from your vocabulary.