Grammar 101: There, Their, and They’re
July 9th, 2009 by Michael Kwan
“There” Refers to a Place
Use the word “there” the same way that you would use “here” in a sentence; both words typically refer to a physical location, though it can be used in a figurative sense as well. Using “there” at the beginning of a sentence, like the example below, is a very typical way to use the word figuratively. If you can replace “there” with “here” in the sentence, chances are that “there” is the right spelling.
There are four dogs living in that home.
For whatever reason, I find that a lot of people online tend to use the “their” spelling in sentences like that. That is incorrect. I guess we can thank automatic spell check tools for the ubiquitous errors.
“Their” Indicates Possession
Just like his and her, “their” is a possessive. You can refer to his towel or our car, so you use the same construction when referring to their house or their website.
I’m writing new articles for their website.
Note that “their” is spelled with the E before the I and not the other way around.
“They’re” Contracts “They Are”
The only time that you can use the term “they’re” is when you really mean to say “they are.” This is a contraction, much like don’t, it’s, and would’ve. If the sentence makes sense when you expand into “they are,” then you can use “they’re” as the correct spelling.
They’re really from Australia.
Since all three words sound exactly the same when you say them out loud, I suppose it’s understandable that people would mix up the spelling when it comes to writing them down. Now that you know the difference, however, you have no excuse. You’re not going over “their” to see “there” new baby. You’re going over “there” to see “their” new baby.
Do you have a suggestion for a future Grammar 101 post? Post your suggestion through the comment form below or use Twitter to drop me a line.
UPDATE: Note that the use of your/you’re follows the same kind of rules as described above. “Your” is a possessive like “their” and “you’re” is a contraction like “they’re.”
Tags: grammar, spellcheck, writing
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OH I am so tickled that you wrote this post! The misuse of these homonyms irritates me to no end! It is sad that people need such an elementary reminder. I was reading this, laughing, and yelling out at my computer screen, “Yes, Amen!” I guess I’m easily amused…
The sad thing is that, for the most part, 12-20 year olds are STILL IN SCHOOL, so they should know the difference and cannot believably use the excuse “I forget.” Or, do teachers not correct these kinds of errors anymore?
Granted, I don’t think the chart is based on actual statistics, but it seems like it’s not far from the truth. Just keep an eye on your tweet stream on Twitter, and it seems to work out in about those proportions.
The misuse and mispronounciation of these 3 words really upset me.
They do not sounds exactly the same if people bother to pronounce them properly.
These 3 are actually the easiest to remember in my opinion. The memory aid I was taught was that the “i” in their means it belongs to someone, or “I own it.”I have to stop to think about affect and effect sometimes, but there, their and they’re have never given me problems.
I guess it just one I learned early and didn’t forget.
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