*its/it’s:

• its=possessive pronoun, does NOT need apostrophe, as in belonging to it

• it’s=contraction for "it is" or "it has"

  • BUT you will not be using this because there are no contractions in formal academic writing

*than/then:

• than=used for comparisons, as in “My car is dirtier than yours.”

• then=adverb, as in next, as in “Then, I went to my next class.”

  • also in if-then sentences, as in “If you do not learn these rules now, then you will receive bad grades on your essays.”

were/where/wear:

• were=linking verb

• where=adverb, as in place, as in “Where did you come from?”

• wear=verb, as in wear clothes

there/their:

• there=adverb, as in over there or “There was a fly on the wall.”

• their=possessive pronoun, as in belonging to a group of people

• they’re=contraction for they are

  • BUT you will not be using this because there are no contractions in formal academic writing

your/you’re:

• your=possessive pronoun, as in belonging to you

• you’re=contraction for you are

  • BUT you will not be using this because there are no contractions in formal academic writing

who’s/whose:

• who’s=contraction for who is

  • BUT you will not be using this because there are no contractions in formal academic writing

• whose=possessive pronoun, as in belonging to whom, as in “Whose book is this?”

too/to/two:

• too=intensifier, as in too much/many, in excess—so it has an excess of o’s, as in “I ate too much.” Also means “also,” as in “I want some, too.”

• to=preposition, starts prep. phrases and infinitives, as in “I went to the store to buy milk.”

• two=the number 2

threw/through:

• threw=verb, as in “The pitcher threw the ball to the first-baseman.”

• through=preposition, as in “The ghost walked through the wall.”