Their, there and they’re – these three homophones can perplex writers of any level. They all have a similar pronunciation which often leads people to use the incorrect word even though each of these words has a different meaning and spelling.
In this post, we will explain the differences and meanings of all three words and also use them in sentences.
What Does “Their” Mean?
The word their is the 3rd person plural possessive pronoun, which means “belonging to them.” It is the pronoun of the subject “they.” It’s used to describe possession of a thing by two or more people.
While their is most often used as a plural, in some scenarios, it can be used as a singular. For example, if the gender or identity of the owner is unknown.
Examples of their in sentences
- The white one is their house.
- She put the puppies gently, one by one, into their warm shed.
- Will anyone let me borrow their pen?
- Someone has wasted their food.
- Nobody gave me their laptop for even one day.
What Does “There” Mean?
The word there has a wide range of uses. As an adverb, there means
“in or at that place or that position.” You can remember there (adverb) for the opposite of the word, here.
Examples
- She asked me to go there and check if her car is parked perfectly.
- Sit down in the black chair over there.
- My books are right over there.
- I love Florida. I go there almost every year.
The word there is also used as a pronoun to introduce a clause.
Examples
- There is something wrong at the bottom.
- There is still hope that we will win this match.
- There is a mouse under her chair.
- Is there any hope we can still go there?
- It is raining now, but there will be sunshine in two hours.
Besides this, the word there also has some special role in a formal speech. Sometimes, it is also used as an interjection to exclaim or emphasize something.
Examples
- There, I told you my mentor wouldn’t mind!
What Does “They’re” Mean?
They’re is the contraction of the phrase “they are.” The alphabet “a” from the word “are” is replaced with an apostrophe.
Examples of they’re in sentences
- They’re going to Las Vegas with friends.
- They’re getting here around eight o’clock.
- They’re learning the differences between the three homophones!
- I think they’re happy with the results.
How to Remember The Differences Between Their, There and They’re
There are plenty of ways you can remember the differences between these three homophones. However, you can use the following easy way. You simply need to take a hint from spellings.
- The word their has “heir” in its spelling, which can remind you that it is about ownership.
- Similarly, the word there has “here” inside it. It will remind you that it is a place.
- The word they’re has an apostrophe that will tell you that the word itself is two words joined by an apostrophe.
So these are the differences between Their, there and they’re. We hope this post eliminates all your confusion about these three homophones now.
