Why people use your instead of you re?

They mean two different things. You’re — contraction of you are. The apostrophe stands for the letter “a”. YOU is used as a personal pronoun, second person.

Why cant people tell the difference between your and you re?

Your is possessive, meaning that something belongs to you or the person you are speaking to. For example, “What is your name?” Or, “Are these your car keys?” You’re is a combination of the words, you and are. This is called a contraction.

Why do so many people mix up then and than?

Writers often confuse the words than and then because they sound alike when spoken. Remember that than is used to make comparisons and then is used to indicate a point in time. Incorrect: You reacted more calmly then I would have.

Why do people use then and not than?

The way to keep the pair straight is to focus on this basic difference: than is used when you’re talking about comparisons; then is used when you’re talking about something relating to time. Than is the word to choose in phrases like smaller than, smoother than, and further than.

Are then and than interchangeable?

Although they were once used interchangeably—indeed centuries ago their spellings and pronunciations frequently interchanged—now there is a clear difference between them. Use “than” to make a comparison; use “then” to place events in time or things in order.

Is it your back or you’re back?

Your is always followed by a noun or gerund. You’re is the contraction of “you are” and is often followed by the present participle (verb form ending in -ing). 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”.

Is it you and your or your and your?

Both of your versions are grammatical. The first uses two genitive (possessive) forms. The latter forms a possessive out of the entire noun phrase you and your friend. Though this one will probably sound most natural to most speakers, the your and your friend’s version will likely be preferred in formal contexts.