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!