How to Use There, Their and They’re

So very easy to confuse especially as they are all pronounced the same! Here’s a simple guide for How to Use There, Their and They’re.

Photo Credit: Designlazy.com

Steps

1- Using there. There has the widest scope of uses. Use ‘There’ when referring to a place (be it a real or abstract place), when prefixing variations of the verb “be”: ‘is’, ‘are’, ‘were’, ‘will be’, or ‘was’ (or the negatives of those words i.e. “isn’t”), or when presenting something to someone. Examples being: “Have a look over there”, “There is a pizza place around the corner”, “there wasn’t going to be a party after his parents forbade it”, and “there you go”.

2- Using their. ‘Their’ is used when identifying belonging to a person or a group of people. When an object belongs to someone, you would refer to it as “their car”. There is no distinction between ‘their’ used in the singular i.e. belonging to one person, or ‘their’ used identifying plural belonging i.e. belonging to a group of people.

3- Using they’re. ‘They’re’ is a contraction of ‘they are’ so be sure to only use ‘they’re’ when ‘they are’ could also be used. An example being: “they’re the prettiest bunch of girls I’ve ever seen”, or, “they are the prettiest bunch of girls I have ever seen”.

Tips

If you used ‘there’, would the sentence also make sense if you were to replace it with ‘here’? If so, you’ve used it correctly.

If you used ‘their’, would the sentence also make sense if you were to replace it with ‘our’? If so, you’ve used it correctly.

If you used ‘they’re’, would the sentence also make sense if you were to replace it with ‘they are’? If so, you’ve used it correctly.

In general, it’s a good idea to check all of your contractions by checking against the full version.  Replace ‘you’re’ with ‘you are’, ‘can’t’ with ‘can not’, and ‘they’re’ with ‘they are’. This will help you to recognise your (not ‘you’re’!) mistakes.