“Yank One's Chain”
Think about this. Your friend tells you that he wants you to be his guest. He will take you to Hollywood in a limo, and you will meet famous people at a big movie premiere. Do you believe him? Or is he yanking your chain? When someone yanks your chain, they try to fool you. They joke about something that isn’t true, but they want you to believe it.
Friends and family members are the most likely people to yank your chain. They know you well, and they know when you are out of the loop. They can use this to fool you. Brothers and sisters are very good at yanking each other’s chains. If you think someone is trying to fool you, you can ask, “Are you yanking my chain?” They will know that you want the truth.
Romeo visits Jessica at the office, and she doesn’t know that he is famous. Romeo thinks that Jessica is yanking his chain. Find out the truth in today’s English lesson about going to a premiere.
Romeo: Excuse me. Is Brian around?
Jessica: Sorry. He and Gary are out to lunch. Can I help you?
Romeo: Yeah, I have a couple premiere passes. I wanted him to have them. He really helped me out last week.
Jessica: That’s nice of you. Can I tell him who they’re from?
Romeo: You’re yanking my chain.
Jessica: Have we already met? I’m so bad with faces.
Romeo: No, it’s just that you work here, so I thought you would know who I am.
Jessica: How embarrassing! I am not yanking your chain. I’ve just been really out of the loop lately. I’m Jessica.
Romeo: Romeo.
Jessica: Nice to meet you. So, should Brian know anything about the premiere?
Romeo: Yeah. He can bring a guest, and he might want to dress up. He might want to rent a limo, but it’s not necessary. There are going to be a lot of after parties, so he should plan for a late night.
Jessica: This sounds like a great opportunity. He might get the chance to meet some really famous people!
Romeo: That’s what I was thinking. It will be great for his business.
Jessica: This is a great gift. So, we’ll see you around?
Romeo: Definitely. It’s a nice change to hang out with people who are not in the industry.
Jessica: I bet! See you around.
Romeo goes to the StarScoop.com office because he wants to give Brian two premiere passes. Brian isn’t there, but Jessica is. Romeo gives the passes to Jessica, and she asks what his name is. Romeo thinks that she is yanking his chain. He is famous and most people know him.
Jessica has been out of the loop, and she really doesn’t know who Romeo is. Romeo thinks that it is nice to meet people who do not work in the industry. He tells Jessica about the premiere so she can share this information with Brian. Jessica thinks that the premiere will be a great opportunity for Brian.
Who will Brian bring to the premiere? Would you like to go to a premiere?
You’re vs. Your
Romeo thinks that Jessica is trying to fool him. He says, “You’re yanking my chain.” He uses the contraction you’re.
Even though you’re and your sound the same, they mean two very different things.
You’re is a contraction of “you are,” as in “You’re cute.” Contractions combine two words. Most English contractions use an apostrophe (’). Contractions are very common in spoken English. When Romeo uses the contraction you’re, he is also using the present progressive verb tense. “You’re yanking my chain” is the same as “You are yanking my chain.”
Your is a possessive adjective. It describes a noun by telling us to whom it belongs, as in, “I love your new dress!” (The dress belongs to you.) Other possessive adjectives are: my, his, her, their, and our.
You can make sure that you use the correct word. Try this. Replace the word you’re not sure about with “you are.” If you can understand the sentence, use you’re. If you can’t, use your.
Which is correct, “Your walking too fast,” or, “You’re walking too fast”?