I Read...a lot!

Since I am an independent self-publisher, I enjoy supporting other authors who are in the same position. I have noticed a lot of common errors in writing. Of course there are typos. Even the best of authors with expensive editors and agents cannot catch every typo.

I am referring to common grammaical errors and word usage. When I see them, I automatically  want to correct them. Since I cannot do that, I am going to put the misused words here in this blog, and post the correct usage. This is not meant to be condescending or hurtful, but I hope it can be helpful. I want every writer to succeed. There can never be too many books. So here are the words that immeditely come to mind. As I see more, I will post them here.

its vs. it's:

It's..............a contraction for it is. 
Its................belonging to it.

Then vs. Than (This one is so commonly used incorrectly.):

Than is used to show a comparison.  Bigger than; taller than; The water was deeper than she thought it to be. (Test: The water was deeper than she thought it was deep.) Than is actually a conjunction.

Then is used for sequence of events or sometime time frames. Ex: The days seemed longer back then. She hurried to straighten up the room, and then she went to the door. Then is an adverb.

Their; There; They're:

Their......an adjective showing ownership. Their job; Their car; Their purpose.
There.....denotes a place or position. Over there. Put the book there. Adverb.
They're...A contraction for they are. And without the apostrophe (theyre), it is not a word.

That's it for today. As they come to mind, I will post them. Remember, I only want to be helpful.