Monday, March 14, 2016

Misuse of "there" for "their" or "they're"



The misuse of there for their or they're has reached epidemic proportions! Since these words are so commonly misused, here's how to tell them apart:

There refers to a place, as in "I'm going there tomorrow."

Their means "belonging to them," as in "Their house is on the corner."

They're is a contraction of they are, as in "They're going to the library."

These words are not interchangeable! Each one has a distinct meaning. Here are some examples:

- there
when did you get there?
please put the book over there on the coffee table
there used to be a school here

- their
when did you get their birthday present?
please put their book on the coffee table
their school used to be on that corner

- they're
when they're ready to leave, they'll call us
they're working on a new book
they're reminiscing about the old school

All three in one sentence:
"They're going to be there tomorrow for their father's birthday party."

Still not sure which word is correct? Please post a comment below, or contact us on Twitter.


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