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Are and Our

Commonly Confused Words

By , About.com Guide

The verb are is a present tense form of the verb "to be." The adjective our is the possessive form of "we."

Examples:

  • "I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle." (Alfred Hitchcock)

  • "Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource." (John F. Kennedy)

Practice:
(a) "Plans _____ nothing; planning is everything." (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

(b) "We shape _____ buildings; thereafter they shape us." (Winston Churchill)

Answers to Practice Exercises

Glossary of Usage: Index of Commonly Confused Words

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