Many kids cringe when they hear the words ‘Creative Writing’.
‘It’s tough’ some say. Others roll their eyes and tell me it’s one of their least favourite subjects. Still others say that writing is their pet hate.
I’m here to assure you that it doesn’t have to be that way. Creative Writing can be a lot of fun and really quite painless. The best and easiest way for children to get better at writing is to make sure they avoid the MOST COMMON GRAMMAR mistakes even adults make right through their lives.
I’ve outlined them below. Make sure to share these with your child.
1) Its and It’s
Its is a possessive determiner (like saying your or his), whereas it’s is a shortened version of ‘it is’. Example of its (possessive): ‘Our car is at the repair shop. Its mirror is broken.’ Example of it’s: ‘It’s raining.’ (meaning ‘it IS raining)
2) Your and You’re Goodness! I see this in corporate presentations all the time so can’t really blame children if they get this wrong 🙂
‘Your’ is a possessive determiner (again like saying his or her), whereas ‘You’re’ is a shortened version of ‘you are’. Example of ‘your'(possessive): ‘Your dress looks lovely.’ Example of ‘you’re’: ‘Gee, you’re quick. You’ve finished your meal already.’
3) Lose and Loose This is one of the most common grammar mistakes to watch out for. ‘Lose’ means to misplace something. As in ‘Be careful not to lose your jumper at school’ Whereas ‘loose’ means ‘not firmly in place’. As in ‘his shoelaces were loosely tied.’
4) Their and There
‘Their’ is a possessive determiner as in ‘The Smiths live in a big house and their dog is ferocious.’ On the other hand, ‘there’ means ‘in/at/to that place.’ For example: ‘Don’t go there. It’s dangerous.’
So, these then are the most common grammar mistakes most kids (and adults) make. Get your child to practise these tips consistently and be amazed at how much stronger his or her writing becomes as a result.
For more strategies on creative writing, don’t forget to enrol your child for my upcoming Creative Writing Workshop for Kids on 29th Sep (in Sydney). Links below: