The words “there,” “their” and “they’re” are confused quite often. I’ve seen it misused in emails, text messages and in microblogs (e.g., status updates and tweets). I have to admit, the misuse of these words is one of my grammar pet peeves. So what’s the confusion? They are all pronounced the same, making it a little confusing by nature. However, the differences are easy to remember if you just take a moment to think about the context of the sentence.
There: Refers to a location, either figuratively or literally.
Example: The book is over there.
Their: Indicates possession.
Example: Tom and Alice are having a party at their house.
They’re: Contraction of “they are.”
Example: They’re going to the football game.
Let’s try it out:
A. The party is at the new Italian restaurant, but we are picking Lee and Fred up at they’re house first.
B. The party is at the new Italian restaurant, but we are picking Lee and Fred up at their house first.
C. The party is at the new Italian restaurant, but we are picking Lee and Fred up at there house first.
The correct answer is “B.” We are talking about the house that belongs to Lee and Fred so therefore the correct choice is “their.”
Let’s try another one:
A. They’re is a church on the corner of Woodward and Tennessee Street.
B. Their is a church on the corner of Woodward and Tennessee Street.
C. There is a church on the corner of Woodward and Tennessee Street.
The correct answer is “C.” The sentence is referring to the location of the church so the correct choice in this sentence is the word “there.”
Let’s try one more:
A. My dogs are so funny. They’re always the center of attention.
B. My dogs are so funny. Their always the center of attention.
C. My dogs are so funny. There always the center of attention.
The correct answer is “A.” The dogs are the subject of the first sentence and therefore are properly referred to in the second sentence by saying “they are” or “they’re.”
