We’re, Were, and Where

These 3 words are not quite as similar as the last ones we did, but they can sometimes still be confused with spelling.

We’re is yet another compounded word of “we” and “are”. “We are going to the bank.” is changed to “We’re going to the bank.” Again, “we are” is often shortened to “we’re” when speaking.

“Were” is the past tense version of “to be”. Now you may be asking “Isn’t ‘was’ also a past tense of ‘were’?” Well, yes, you are correct! The big difference is “who” is speaking.

Was: First person past tense singular such as “I” and for third person singular such as “he, she, and it”

Were: First and third person plural such as “we or they” and second person both singular and plural such as “you, your, and yours”

Let’s look at some examples of the differences:

“I was going to the game.’ “She was doing the dishes.” “It was going to be a long day.”

“We were going shopping together.” “You were supposed to do your homework.” “They were making dessert for the party.”

Where is simple, it is a location word. It tells you the location of a person, place, or thing. “Where is the car?”

I hope this helps out a bit! If you have any questions, feel free to ask questions in the comments or on my Facebook page!

If you are interested in Conversational English Lessons, check out my classes and schedule here. I have my schedule and classes posted on italki.com to make scheduling and paying easier!

They’re, There, Their

In the last post we talked about commonly misused words. We talked a little bit about “your” and “you’re”. Do you remember which is which?

A quick review for you: You’re: a compounded word you get by combining “you” + “are”

Your: a possessive word meaning something belongs to you.

So today we will discuss the 3 different “theres”….They’re, there, their!

Like “you’re”, “they’re” is a compounded word. They + are = They’re. When speaking, “they are” is more commonly pronounced “they’re”. You will rarely hear someone say “they are” in natural speaking speeds. Examples: “They’re at the car.” “They’re coming over for the baby shower.”

“Their” is a possessive term, like “your”.  It is showing that something belongs to someone. Examples:  “This is their car.” “I can’t understand their story.”

There shows the place of something or someone. It is the location, generally within view of the person saying it, but not very close. Examples: “The car is parked over there.” “Why is my purse over there? I left it here.”

I hope this helps a bit in understanding the different spellings. Again, they are all pronounced the same in daily spoken English, but mean very different things. If you have questions please make sure to ask!

Next time we will talk about “we’re”, “were”, and “where”!

If you are interested in Conversational English Lessons, check out my classes and schedule here. I have my schedule and classes posted on italki.com to make scheduling and paying easier!