Your vs You’re
Though your and you’re seem to sound the same there is a huge difference between your and you’re. Those who have a knowledge about English language know that using your and you’re interchangeably is wrong and it surprises them to see that your is used in place of you’re and vice versa. It is a critical mistake if you are using your where you’re should be used and you’re where your should be used. It makes a big difference in the meaning as much as using it’s and its causes. The word ‘your’ implies the sense of possession of somebody, as in “your book,” whereas ‘you’re’ is the contraction of the two words you and are.
What does Your mean?
As mentioned before in the introduction, your is the possessive form of the pronoun you. Thus, it gives the idea that something belongs to the person you. For example,
Wash your dirty clothes before you go out again.
Here, the dirty clothes belong to you. Therefore, the possessive adjective your is used to indicate this ownership. So, if you want to say that a bicycle belongs to the person you are talking to, you have to say.
“It’s your bicycle” not “It’s you’re bicycle.”
The second sentence does not give a meaning. Even if it did it certainly does not give a meaning that denotes the bicycle belongs to you.
Look at the two sentences, ‘I hope your day was good’ and ‘I shall come to your hospital for a health check up today.’ In these sentences, your implies the sense of possession of somebody.
What does You’re mean?
You’re is the contracted form of you are. You’re should be followed by a word or phrase that gives meaning to the pronoun you. For example,
You’re so beautiful today.
Here, the sentence says that this person ‘you’ is beautiful on this particular day. If you use your here instead of you’re, it will make no sense.
It is to be learned for sure that you’re is nothing but, you are. Look at the two sentences, ‘you’re the best singer in the competition’ and ‘you’re by far the loveliest girl I have met in recent times.’ Just see the difference they can make when you’re is wrongly used as ‘your.’ The two sentences in the event of wrong usages would become, ‘your the best singer in the competition’ and ‘your by far the loveliest girl I have met in recent times.’ Don’t they lack compactness in their construction?
What is the difference between Your and You’re?
• Your is a possessive adjective. You’re is the contraction of the two words you and are.
• Your presents the idea of possession. You’re does not denote possession.
Wrong usage of your and you’re can make a huge meaning change is sentences. For example, you should not say, ‘your right’ if you want to convey the meaning ‘you are right.’ In the same way, you are not supposed to say ‘you’re home’ for ‘your home.’ However, we astonishingly come across wrong usages when it comes to the application of your and you’re.
Hence, great care has to be taken in the usage of your and you’re. It has to be clearly understood that you’re is a kind of contraction or a combination of the two words you and are. ‘You’ is a personal pronoun whereas ‘are’ is an auxiliary verb. Thus ‘you’re a very kind man’ is as good as writing or saying ‘you are a very kind man.’ You should be attentive in the use of your too.