On New Year’s Day I ended up at an impromptu brunch where we had a discussion that was like a distillation of conversations I’ve been having throughout 2006, meaning a mix of despairing and philosophical.
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It has been so long since I wrote a grammar tip! What with surgery in November and a profound depression brought on by rampant spelling and grammar errors in award-winning books (latest is The History of Love by Nicole Krauss), I have just not been up to the task.

Here is a tiny kvetch.

People everywhere need to stop confusing “there,” “they’re” and “their.”

The most common use of “there” means “in, at or to that place or position.”
“They’re” is the contraction of “they are.”
“Their” is the possessive form of “they.”

So here is some creative dialogue to illustrate the tip.

“Where are Jack and Fred?”
“They’re out back in their tree fort playing with their Barbies.”
“Why?”
“Because the Barbies like it there.”