May 20 2010
Be careful with contractions!
The English language contains so many contractions that it is easy to get confused. Let’s go over some basics:
- “Some time” VS “Sometime“
When should you use “some time” and when should you use “sometime“?
Tip: “Some time” refers to “an amount of time “, whereas “sometime” means “eventually”.
- “Into” VS “in to“
“Into” is a preposition, and means “to the inside of” (ex., “When she walked into the room, she realised the meeting had already begun.”) whereas the words “in” and “to” are respectively an adverb and a preposition.
Tip: Try speaking the sentence concerned aloud, marking a pause between “in” and “to“. If it sounds weird, you should probably write “into”.
- “Who’s” VS “Whose“
“Who’s” is a contraction of “who is“, whereas “whose“ is a possessive pronoun.
Tip: Replace “who’s” by “who is” in your sentence to see if it fits.
As part of our language services STAR provides English Proofreading Services to clients.
