There, Their and They’re | Forever Grammar Pt. 3

Forever Grammar is a new series on Forever Endeavour which will iron out all of your grammar woes. It will ensure your writing is spick and span, to match the brilliant ideas you have, and boost your confidence. We will cover everything from the basics of punctuation to the common errors in spelling. If you have any questions, be sure to leave a comment, and we will always get back to you.

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‘There’, ‘they’re’ and ‘their’ are homophones, which means these words all sound the same, but mean something different. We often see when reading pieces that these are words easily and commonly confused, so this article can be a reference point to help you from mixing them up in your writing.

How to use ‘There’

When using ‘there’ spelt with ‘ere’, this refers to saying something is in a place. It is the opposite of ‘here’. ‘There’ can also be used to introduce something, usually at the start of a sentence or following a conjunction. For example:

I’m going to meet him there.

There are lots of different types of penguins.

How to use ‘Their’

‘Their’ is a pronoun used when referring in the third person, to a group of people or to someone whose gender identity means they prefer these pronouns. ‘Their’ is a possessive pronoun, meaning it is used to relate something to someone’s possession. For example:

They left their coat on the train. 

All the volunteers were proud of their hard work.

How to use ‘They’re’

Just like ‘it’s’ is shorthand for ‘it is’, ‘they’re’ is what you get when you contact ‘they are’. This means it will only grammatically make sense if the sentence can be expanded to ‘they are’. For example:

They’re going to pick me up at 8pm.

 

We hope this short guide on ‘there’, ‘their’ and ‘they’re’ will clear up any grammar worries and improve your confidence in your writing. Be sure to leave us a comment with any other grammar woes you would like us to cover.