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Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images (Steph Curry); Kevin Mazur/AMA2016/WireImage) (Ariana Grande); Michael Tran/FilmMagic (Zendaya); Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images (Ed Sheeran); Entertainment Pictures/Alamy Stock Photo (Letitia Wright)
Grammar,

Grammar’s Famous Names

This feature about how parents choose names for their kids offers practice using “you’re” and “your.”    

From the November 2018 Issue

Learning Objective: to correctly use the commonly confused words “you’re” and “your”  

Featured Skill: Commonly Confused Words,
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    L.3
  • Grade 6
    L.6.3
  • Grade 7
    L.7.3
  • Grade 8
    L.8.3
TEKS Standards
  • Grade 6
    6.19, 6.21a
  • Grade 7
    7.19
  • Grade 8
    8.19

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Directions

Read the blurbs below. Determine which word is correct in each bolded word pair.

Hint

You’re or Your?

Your is the possessive form of you: “I like your shoes.”

You’re is a contraction of you and are: “You’re just in time.”

Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
If you’re a Steph Curry fan, you’ll love this: When Curry was born in 1988, Stephen was ranked the 40th-most-popular boy’s name. Now it is ranked 271.

The Trends

Baby names follow trends just as fashion and music do. How many of you’re/your friends are named Mildred or Harold? Probably none, but 100 years ago, those were two of the most popular names in the United States. Ninety years from now, it might be hard to find anyone under the age of 100 with you’re/your name.

What’s trending now? In 2017, Emma topped the list of most-popular girl’s names and Liam topped the list for boys.

Kevin Mazur/AMA2016/WireImage
This bit of trivia is for the Ariana Grande fans in your life: The name Ariana comes from ancient Greece and means “holy one.”

Call Me … Apple?

Blue Ivy. Moon Unit. Apple. You’re/Your probably not shocked to hear that these are the names of celebrities’ kids. Celebs are known for giving their children unusual (and sometimes bizarre) names.

But actually, many parents choose unique names. Some change the spelling of a familiar name, like Jaxson for Jackson. Others borrow words not typically used as names, like Story or Ocean. And some parents simply make up a name because they like how it sounds.

Michael Tran/FilmMagic
If you’re from Zimbabwe, you may know that Zendaya means “to give thanks” in Bantu, a language spoken in Zimbabwe.

Who You Are

Maybe you’re/your named after a beloved grandparent. Or maybe you’re/your name invokes a virtue, like Grace or Hope, or reflects where you were born, like Austin or Virginia. Or maybe you’re/your parents named you after a character from a book, movie, or TV show.

Of course, what really matters is who you are, not what you’re/your called. As the famous playwright and poet William Shakespeare wrote, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

This activity was originally published in the November 2018 issue.

Activities (1)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Activities (1)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

1. INTRODUCE AND PRACTICE GRAMMAR SKILL

  • As a class, read Grammar’s HINT (found in the upper right corner of the second page) to introduce or review the commonly confused words addressed in the feature. Then read the annotations, which model the correct usage.
  • Have students practice the grammar skill by completing the activity as a class, in groups, or individually. In the activity, students choose which of the commonly confused words to use at several points within three short boxes of text.

2. REINFORCE SKILL

  • Use the “Your vs. You’re” activity.
  • Have students observe the commonly confused words in context by searching for examples of their use in the magazine or in other reading material.

EDITOR'S TIP

Challenge students to come up with their own “you/you’re” sentences. Have them trade their sentences with a partner. What words do your students confuse? We’d love your suggestions for future grammar activities.

E-mail us at [email protected].

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