I often see these mixed up, even though it’s very easy to tell which to use when.

1. There refers to a place, as in “Put it there.” It’s also used to declare the existence of something, as in “There are four people here.”
2. Their is a possessive pronoun, conveying the idea that something belongs to them. For example, “It is their money,” or “The house is theirs.”
3. Finally, they’re is a contraction to replace “they are.” Use it like so, “They’re going as soon as they get permission.”

Ensure / Assure / Insure

Use “insure” when you mean to buy insurance. As in “I need to insure my new car.”

Use “ensure” when you want to convey the idea of making sure. For example, “I left early to ensure I’d have enough time to make it through traffic.”

Finally, use “assure” when you’re referring to convincing a person, or making someone feel better about something. “I assured my mother that I’d study for my finals.”

Hope you find that useful!

There seems to be a lot in the news lately about writing and how people just don’t do it so well. To do my part, I thought I’d take a moment and point out a few simple rules that might help you (or some writing-challenged friend) improve their own scribblings just a bit.

• A lot or alot? This one would seem simple at first, but when I taught I was surprised (and appalled) at how many times people get this one wrong. Yes, I still see it, unfortunately.
  • This one is easy. Would you ever say alittle? Of course not. So don’t say alot. Got it?
• Insure, ensure, assure? HUH?? This one drives people crazy, but it isn’t as tough as it looks.
  • Insure is to buy insurance.
  • Ensure is to make sure.
  • Assure is to make someone feel better, as in offer assurance?
• Further or farther? Once you understand, you’ll never get it wrong again.
  • Farther is used when you can measure the distance. You might walk farther.
  • Further is used when the idea is simply "more." There’s nothing to be measured. You might talk further.
• Fewer and less? This is another simple one, once you know the rule.
  • Use fewer if you can count it, as in fewer people.
  • Use less if you can’t count it, as in less time.
    • Okay, a lot of people complain about that last one. You can count time, as in one hour, two minutes, etc. Right? Well, almost. You have to take this rule very literally. Did I say less hours? Less minutes? Nope. Both of those would use fewer. Got that one?

Okay, I think that’s enough for one evening. Anyone interested in seeing more of this type of entry from time to time?