There, Their and They're: Grammar Guide
There, Their and They're
There, their and they're are homonyms. Homonyms are two or more words that sound alike but have different meanings. Some examples are: write and right, dew and do, your and you're, and there, their, and they're. I see the misuse of these last three words often in writing. Here is the basic breakdown with examples.
There
There denotes a place and means in, at, or to that place.
- I want to go over there for a better view of the stage.
- Could you please place the signs over there?
- There is a very good reason for his persistence.
Their
There is a determiner belonging to them, a possessive pronoun.
- Are you going in their car?
- I want to be a part of their team.
- Their song was the best of the set.
They're
They're is the contraction of they are. If you can replace they're with "they are", then you have used the correct homonym.
- They're going to go to the ballpark at 1:00.
- I want to see what they're doing after the game.
- They said that they're going to a pub.
