One good reason is so others can understand you and what you are trying to communicate. This matters and will continue to matter throughout your life, whether as a student, or in your personal life? The right words matter.
This page covers some basic grammar tips that you can use whether you are writing:
Use the + signs to open the menus and reveal more information. Below is the direct link to Grammar Essentials page.
affect, effect
affect: a verb meaning "to influence something." The sunny weather affects my mood, for the good.
effect: a noun meaning "the result of." My good mood is an effect of the sunny weather.
TIP: If something affects you it usually has an effect on you.
are, our
are: a form of the verb "be." Are you going to the Learning Commons?"
our: means "belonging to us." Our class had a tour of the Learning Commons last week."
by, buy
by: means "close to or near," or indicates someone did something. My favorite book was written by Anthony Doerr.
buy: means "to purchase." I am going to buy Doerr's latest book.
desert, dessert
desert: sandy, dry, arid landscape. Death Valley is a desert in California.
dessert: refers to a sweet treat at the of a meal. We had a piece of chocolate cake for dessert.
either, neither
either: indicates similarity between two things. Either blueberry or blackberry pie would be a good option.
neither: agrees with a negative statement. I do not like prune pie. Neither do I.
hear, here
hear: to detect sound by ear. I hear a dog barking.
here: refer's to immediate location. The dog is right here.
lose, loose
lose: fail to win - The team is going to lose. OR misplace or no longer be in possession of - I'm going to lose my phone if I'm not careful.
loose: not tight. There's a loose screw on my desk.
past, passed
past: events that occurred previously. Thank goodness I'm finished, and that course is in the past.
passed: the pass tense of "pass." Thank goodness I passed the course!
than, then
than: is used to compare. I'd rather have pizza than burgers.
then: at a certain time - I was living in the Twin Cities, then. OR a time after - They won the first game, and then the second game as well.
there, they're, their, and there're
there: refers to a place or location. My friends are over there.
they're: a contraction of "they are." They're returning from class.
their: belonging to them. Their class ended a few minutes ago.
there're: a contraction of "there are." There're five us meeting for coffee.
who's, whose
who's: a contraction of "who is?" or "who has?"
whose: an interrogative word - Whose is this? OR a relative pronoun - Whose book is this?
