There, their or they’re? Which one should you use?
Learn the grammar rules and then take our GRAMMAR QUIZ AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.
Or if you think you already know how to use THEY’RE & THEIR & THERE, you can take a 10-question apostrophe grammar test here
Actually this is a problem for learners and also even for a lot of English native speakers.
When you say these words they all sound the same. When different words have the same pronunciation, they are called homophones.
But these 3 homophones have different meanings and uses in English.
Do you know the difference between them? Let’s check….
There is only one correct sentence from the 3 sentences below. Which is the sentence with the correct grammar?
1. Their is going to be a party at there house on Saturday where they’re going to have a barbecue and a band.
2. They’re is going to be a party at their house on Saturday where there going to have a barbecue and a band.
3. There is going to be a party at their house on Saturday where they’re going to have a barbecue and a band.
Don’t worry, if it is difficult for you because we will explain all the grammar rules below.
Then you will understand everything. (The correct sentence was sentence number three)
THEIR
Their shows that a thing or some things belong to two or more people.
It is a possessive adjective like my, your, his, her, its, our and their.
Their is almost always followed by a noun… or an adjective attached to a noun.
Examples:
1. Their car is old, but it still works OK.
2. Their new house must be really expensive.
3. The guys in One Direction are hot, but I don’t like their music.
THEY’RE
They’re is the easiest to understand. It is two words put together (this is called a contraction) – the words are THEY and ARE
When you put the two together, you delete the ‘A’ and put an apostrophe (the little line in the sky ‘ ) in place of the ‘A’, so you get left with they’re
Here are some examples:
1. They are really good at football = They’re really good at football.
2. He is so lazy… they’re paying him too much money! = He is so lazy… they are paying him too much money!
3. John and Mary used to fight a lot, but now they are happy together. = John and Mary used to fight a lot, but now they’re happy together.
It is common for they’re to be followed by an adjective (they’re happy…), by an -ING form (they’re paying…) or by an adverb (they’re really…)
‘They are’ is the 3rd person plural form of the verb ‘to be’: I am, you are, he/she/it is, we are, you (plural) are, they are
You can write/say all of these as contractions: I’m, you’re, he’s/she’s/it’s, we’re, you’re, they’re
THERE
There tells you if something ‘exists’ or ‘where’ something is.
There has different meanings…
1a. WHERE – There is the opposite of here (in this situation, there is an adverb)
Stop right there. Don’t move!
1b. WHERE – tells you which person/thing we are speaking about
That man there with the white beard was my English teacher when I was at school.
Not that bottle, the other bottle there
1c. WHERE – tells you which place we are talking about
The restaurant was terrible – I’m never going back there
Ooh, I love everything about Italy. Have you ever been there?
Come on, let’s go there to have a coffee.
2. EXISTS – There can be a pronoun which begins a sentence or clause and is connected with ‘to be’
In this situation, you can have ‘there is’ if you are talking about one thing… or ‘there are’ if you are talking about two or more things.
There are too many people here – let’s go somewhere else.
There is just one more email I have to send, then I will be ready
Is there anyone here who can speak Spanish?
There are so many famous places in London – it’s unbelievable!
