There, They’re, Their

Homophones such as “there, they’re and their” can be a real nuisance. What is a homophone, you ask? They are words which sound alike but have very different meanings. It’s annoying. This is true for anyone studying English as a foreign language, and it holds true for even the most fluent English speakers and writers.

There, their, and they’re – So many people have trouble with these three words, and I thought it would be best to do a little bit of explaining. This post is going to be about the differences between them, and I will even provide a few tips which will hopefully help you out.

THERE

There has several uses:

• As a noun which references a specific location. Example: you left your wallet over there.
• As an adverb which is the opposite of the word here. Example: do you want to stay here, or do you want to go there?
• As a pronoun that introduces a noun or clause. Example: is there anybody outside?

THEY’RE

This one is by far the easiest to explain and identify, since – unlike their and there – it is a contraction of two words. The words they are can be shortened using an apostrophe (‘). The letter a from the word are is dropped, and the resulting word is they’re. Examples:

• Do I like the backstreet boys?! Yes, they’re the best!
• They’re exactly like my socks, only brown.

THEIR

Their is a possessive adjective, which denotes ownership of some kind or other. Examples:

• Their baseball field is right around the corner.
• I love the Knicks, but their fans are crazy.

A lot of the confusion and mix-ups are due to the reliance on spoken English, which is more popular than ever. In written English it can easy to remember when to write what, using these tips:

* If you are looking for a word that would mean it belongs to someone, use their

* Their has the word heir in it, which can help you remember it is of a possessive nature.

* If it can be replaced with the words they are, use they’re

* If you can write “they are” and the sentence still makes sense, use they’re

* If it is describing a place, use there

* The word there has the word here hiding inside it. Use that to remember that there refers to a location.

Using a grammar checker, is one of the many ways to avoid a mistake between which variation of there to use. Of course, it just takes a measure of calm to use it.

The most important thing you can do to improve your written and spoken English is practicing. It may be frustrating at first, but learning these minor (yet very important) differences is what will separate you from many others who are using their English all wrong. It may very well be worth it for you to invest in a program such as Grammarly checker to continue working on and improving your English skills!

Proper spoken and written English is a skill which can make or break you in today’s world, and it is one worth investing in and having. If you have an English teacher or English-speaking friend you can practice with, do so. Practicing with someone else makes learning a lot more fun. Try it! I guarantee you will be speaking and writing properly in no time!